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This is a 'vital' book, as Paul Cann claims in the first sentence in the Foreword. After having the opportunity to acquaint myself with this work over the past few months, I strongly agree - vital both in the sense of it being dynamic, in stimulating thought and reflection, and addressing paradoxes, as well as in terms of its potential importance. This edited book makes a major contribution in filling the void in literature about what has been termed 'the disadvantaged dying' (p. xv): that is, those dying as older adults. The editors should be congratulated for so successfully enjoining some of the strongest experts in the fields of palliative care and care of the elderly to link knowledge and experience from a wide variety of relevant areas in this volume.
The book consists of five sections, which are in turn composed of four to six chapters each. Although the chapters naturally vary, they are of generally high quality. There are several themes which both cross-cut the sections of this book and are highlighted in different degrees in respective sections. As rightly pointed out by the editors, there is an effort to consider dying within wider socio-cultural...