Death, Society, and Human Experience

by Robert J. Kastenbaum, Christopher M. Moreman

Providing an overview of the myriad ways that we are touched by death and dying, both as an individual and as a member of society, this book will help readers understand our relationship with death. Kastenbaum and Moreman show how various ways that individual and societal attitudes influence both how and when we die and how we live and deal with the knowledge of death and loss. This landmark text draws on contributions from the social and behavioral sciences as well as the humanities, such as history, religion, philosophy, literature, and the arts, to provide thorough coverage of understanding death and the dying process. Death, Society, and Human Experience was originally written by Robert Kastenbaum, a renowned scholar who developed one of the world’s first death education courses. Christopher Moreman, who has worked in the field of death studies for almost two decades specializing in afterlife beliefs and experiences, has updated this edition.

Genres: Death, Nonfiction, Sociology, Reference, Philosophy, Psychology, Textbooks

561 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1977

Reviews

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for my Psychology of Death and Dying course. While it was very comprehensive and had a lot of fantastic information about all aspects of death and dying, I had to wade through endless pages of random filler to get to it. The fact that it was written in first person, and the authors even referred to their own textbook as ‘fantastic’ in what was supposed to be a humorous way, was a bit off putting. Textbooks in this field of study are limited though, so all things considered, the fact that this exists is great!

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great textbook that went along with a great class. Very glad I decided to take Death and Dying.

[Wren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kastenbaum, who is a death educator and thanatologist, presents the 10th edition of his textbook by packing a lot of valuable materials into one convenient title. I had no idea that death and dying entailed so many dimensions. Not only does he present facts and research, he situates all of his information within the Great Debates of Western Culture. He weaves in information from various religions, cultures, philosophies and histories. A college student could very well earn Western Civ credit by reading this book. Sometimes I was a little annoyed with his take on major world religions and major philosophical thoughts because I felt they were more his interpretations than fact. Nevertheless, the book holds great value for guiding people down the heart-wrenching paths of death and dying. He also clearly has compassion for people's suffering, and he's trying to offer information and strategies to help people manage their grief and losses. I recommend this, but it's hard reading. I don't imagine that I would have made it through all the chapters if it wasn't an assigned textbook. I probably would have used it as a reference instead, reading chapters in order to manage my own experiences with death and dying or reading chapters in order to support and comfort others.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the information in this book was useful in a class on "Death and Dying," the fact that it was written in first person and contained numerous references to the author's prior works made it somewhat unpleasant to read. There was also a lot of "fluff" that had to be read through to get to the facts.

[Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kastenbaum provides a thorough primer for death education. I appreciated the opportunities for reflection included in the text. I think one of the most important aspects of death education is questioning and exploring one's own beliefs and perspectives. There were also several additional sources of information included throughout the text, providing the reader with a direction from which to follow-up on key topics.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as a text for a grief counseling curriculum. Very comprehensive book about many aspects of death, and filled with a ton of info, which at times made it difficult to get through. But good text overall

[Bre Neumann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good info but the misrepresentation and taken out of context version of Christianity bothered me. If you are going to quote or represent a religion make sure you have a full understanding of it first.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a very weird textbook. Filled with random examples from history and different cultures. There's lots of nuggets of information here and there. Interesting quotes. Some weird speculation. I did skim some sections I wasn't interested in. Not very cohesive as it wandered around a lot.

[G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This textbook is very conversational. Not having to worry about whether I could understand or keep my focus on the text made it much easier to get through my class.

[Raya Dane]

Winterim class is done, wahoo!

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good survey text on death and dying from a cross-cultural perspective. Undergraduate textbook feel. Picked it up second hand as a discard at a university book sale. Never read it end to end, but found it an interesting read to pick up and spend half an hour with from time to time.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently took a Death & Dying course and this was the text we used. I love this book. I thought it did a great job explaining all the different aspects of death.

[Kasheen Currin]

good

[Nikki Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good textbook.

[Massimo Redaelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was biased: I was probably looking for something different.

But it strikes me as very superficial. How can a book about death only dedicate ONE page to funeral rites?!