and the actual act of dying is the last physical act of our lives. We can do it well, like a graceful well-rehearsed piano solo--or we can do it like that first awkward dance with a middle-school crush. But if anything deserves our full attention, some preparation, or some renewed clarity, death might be it.

In this light-hearted, irreverent exploration of the one thing that is certain in all lives, Making Friends with Death offers a look at all the uncertainty that precedes this final act. A compelling mix of practical how-to advice and personal narrative, this book encapsulates our greatest quest--to make peace with death. Pritchett offers up wisdoms she has gleaned from all sorts of places, including a decade of traditional research and a lifetime of other related, but less formal, pursuits (digging up a dead body, watching her dog be necropsied on the lawn, hosting Death Cafés, and confronting the grim reaper himself).

Making Friends with Death broaches the sacred and the scary with warmth, research, and humor. Interspersed with a variety of workbook-like exercises, this book will prove to be the go-to companion for anyone who would rather be able to greet death as an old friend, rather than a spooky stranger.