Customer Reviews

As I Lay Dying: Meditations Upon Returning

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Richard John Neuhaus is the distinguished editor of "First Things" magazine and writes often on many important subjects. His seminal work on the "Public Square" is one I appreciate particularly as he argues that public media today seem to try their best to 'marginalize' any view that comes out Christian -- they think we Christians have no place on the "public square." Obvioudly he takes no truck with that -- and says so.

But in this book, he encounters a different foe -- Death. And he came away a man with a greater understanding of what it is to live and what it is to die -- or nearly die. His doctors had apparently missed a cancerous tumor in his colon -- and he nearly missed living through the experience of emergency surgery -- two of them for the spleen was nicked and internal bleeding required a second surgery on top of the first. All of this meant a *long* recovery and he recounts it with clarity as well as humor.

Having been through a similar (but not so drastic) experience of recovering from major surgery and being hooked up to lots of bleeping and pulsating machines for lengthy periods -- I very much identified with his narrative. He gets it right.

The book is only about 170 pages or so and can be read in a sitting or two. The author rises to crystalline prose at times and I found it to be not only an instructive but enjoyable read. He is not a proponent of the 'near death' experiences exploited by TV shows etc. --- but reveals his own experience with clarity and truth, and believablity.

You'll come away from reading this book with thankfulness for the life you have -- and a determination to live it more fully. That is, I think, the job of a Gospel messenger -- and while this is not a 'devotional' book in that sense -- he lays out very squarely what this experience meant to him, and what clear thinking about that "inevitable event" that happens to us all, ought to mean to us.

Jack Buttram

First of all, I'm very skeptical about anyone being visited by super-natural beings. Indeed, I believe it is wise be skeptical about those kinds of reports. It is essential to test, and critique those accounts. However, with that said, I am also a person who has very much enjoyed the previous writing of Neuhaus - especially `The Naked Public Square'. As a result, I wasn't sure how to take this book. Here are some thoughts.........

--Someone once said, `death is an interesting statistic, it's one out of one'. We will all face death and as a result our awareness of death can be both existentially shocking as well as an intense motivator for pursuing ultimate reality and religious truth. Neuhaus does a great job of guiding the reader to this realization.

--Neuhaus writes a book, which is dramatically different from books like `Embraced by the Light'. It is a book not about warm and subjective feelings, but it is about how we face the difficulty of dieing. How do people who believe very different things deal with death and react to dieing? Where can we find comfort? What is true about the after-life? These are complex questions requiring honest answers. Neuhaus is honest, but I wish he had been more specific regarding how he answers these questions.

--I do appreciate his non-sentimental writing and his willingness to write a book as personal as this one. There's no question this book ends up being inspirational, however, I'm still not sure on exactly what Neuhaus prescribes for the problem of the human condition. Is it religion, relationship, forgiveness, faith? Since he is a Catholic his religious convictions do come through, but if I had my way, I wish he was a bit more theological in his conclusions.

"I almost died." That phrase in particular characterizes the style of "As I Lay Dying." If you are familiar with Fr. Neuhaus's books, you'll know what I'm talking about: There is no hand-holding, no reassurance, no "it'll be okay." The only consolation the author offers us is the truth: facing death is scary, even for the faithful. Its normal, and you can deal with it.

Father describes his bewilderment, his helplessness, and his embarrassment, in a matter-of-fact way: don't read this book expecting to hear the violins which so often accompany the telling of near-death experiences. The only truly honest reflection on this matter I've ever read.

Fr. Neuhaus has done us a great favor. He has devoted his considerable talent and energy to writing a book whose subject we would rather deny than meditate on. He has left us with challenging questions which only we can answer for ourselves about that most mysterious and certain occurence - death. He has taught us that meditating on death should change our life - but that is our challenge and our choice. Finally he gives us a preview of how the mind works when one is seriously ill. I hope my mind works like his when my turn comes.
When Neuhaus turns his incisive intellect and fine writing style to any subject , serious readers will not be disappointed for what is difficult is made plain with insight and wit.

Oh dear. What a travasty that the the political blinders of a previous reviewer kept him from seeing what an extraordinary, moving, and deeply humane book As I Lay Dying is. This book is an astonishingly suggestive meditation on the limits, blessings and mysteries of human finitude. Father Neuhaus lovingly suspends us at the meeting point of our deepest hopes and anxieties and asks us to open ourselves to being vulnerable: to others, to ourselves and ultimately to the One in whom there is finally life and life abundant. As I Lay Dying is remarkable in its patience, subtlety and humility. Highly, highly recommended.

I became aware of Fr. Richard John Neuhaus through the many publications which cite his works. As he is so highly esteemed by so many, I was soon familiar with the magazine "First Things" which eventually led to this book. The prospect of death is a frightening thing, no how-to manual guides us through it, no expert is around to consult. Thus, it is somewhat illuminating to have a theologian of Neuhaus's stature relate in a brutally honest manner the experience of nearly dying. This is no mamby-pamby, it'll be OK, self-help session. This is a coming to terms; a frank look at the inevitable.

Neuhaus barely escaped the clutches of cancer and it is the wisdom accrued during this momentous occasion that he attempts to pass on to the reader. I read this book in two sittings. It is compelling in both it's simple honesty and the complexity of it's ramifications.

With death at the door, Neuhaus claims the experience of a lifetime - an experience, no doubt, that has amplified his life and removed the sharper edges from the knowledge of an ultimate day. Having taken it all in, I do not know that I am more prepared to die, but, certainly, I am more prepared to appreciate the value of a life well lived. For this alone, As I Lay Dying is worth reading. 5 stars.

This little book is a superb meditation on the mysteries of death (and life) for a Christian. With characteristic clarity, Neuhaus offers a series of ruminations on his own near-death experience, from which he emerged with his faith fully intact.

It's hard for me to believe that Fr. Neuhaus has now succumbed to cancer and is no longer with us. His extraordinary work, writings, and books, including this special and unforgettable chronicle, have been a huge inspiration to me. May he rest forever in the arms of the Lord he served with such wit, brilliance, humility, insight, humor and selflessness all his life. Your life will be immeasurably enriched by reading "As I Lay Dying."

Based on his own experience with a close brush with death due to complications from colon cancer, the author, a Catholic priest, reflects on church doctrine and philosophical issues surrounding the prospect of death, as well as describing his experience of almost dying.

The book is deeply-textured with layered thoughts, yet quite readable. As the author points out, we all will face this event, and it is beneficial to contemplate it beforehand, but when the time comes we will probably not care very much due to the physical misery and detachment that comes with trauma and extreme illness. The act of dying involves a "letting go" and loss of self that is expressed in Christ's admonition of "dying to self." Because the Christian is already crucified with Christ, he/she is already dead and already living eternal life. Yet the separation from the physical body is not without significance, and we may not feel complete joy in Heaven until the day of resurrection when we are reunited with our bodies.

During the darkest hours of his physical misery in the hospital, the author sees a bluish-purple curtain in his room and sits up with full alertness, even while knowing that his physical body lays on the bed. For only a few moments, he is aware of two "presences" represented by the curtain, which he senses to be angels. The message "everything is ready now" is communicated to his mind. He senses that he may decide to let go and go with the angels, or remain. He chooses to remain. It is a blessing to us that he did, and that he subsequently wrote this book.

I think this would be a good book for anyone who was facing terminal illness or trying to come to grips with grief or the thought of personal mortality.

I picked up this book out of curiousity after hearing about the death of Father Richard John Neuhaus, Catholic priest, former lutheran pastor, and editor of FIRST THINGS (a very good read-always-well worth the subscription!). Fr. Richard John Neuhaus' (RIP) As I Lay Dying: Meditations Upon Returning is not your typical near-death experience account. Yes, Fr. Neuhaus does recount his "I almost died" experience, telling us what he remembers while lying in the hospital with doctors and nurses and friends whispering that he might not make it. The first half of the book is an interesting discussion-almost apologetic- for a Christian view of death. It took a while for my mind to adjust since it was not what I expected, and looking back, I would describe the first part as "slow" (not bad by any means), but this, again, only because of my need to adjust. The latter half of the book is Fr. Neuhaus relating his experience as he remembers it- everything from feeling stomach pain to recovering from several surgeries; and including a "dream" he had where he saw, what he describes and believes to be, angels. Very interesting. Very thought-provoking. Fr. Neuhaus account is better than most I've read (not merely because I tend to be more skeptical), but because it's really not about him, in the end. It's not a self-promotion. It's a way of viewing one's own experience in such a way as to help others see the truth about death and dying. Something we all perhaps need to spend a little more time meditating upon.

(As a side note, Fr. Neuhaus also has an article from FIRST THINGS called "Born Towards Dying" that he published just after his brush with death. It's a good read too. And quicker, but I still recommend this longer version if you have the time)