Death in America: Short Stories about Terminal Illness and Death [Paperback]

Robert Klassen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 17, 2000

Terminal illness and death of a loved one move us deeply and sometimes mysteriously change our lives. These stories explore our different reactions to this profound experience

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born on an Indiana farm in 1940, Robert Klassen started working in hospitals as a college student in 1963. He has been a respiratory therapist since 1968. Having seen much of death, he wrote these stories to help the living cope with this experience

Product Details

• Paperback: 116 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (April 17, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595096107
• ISBN-13: 978-0595096107
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,952,844 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A collection of stories about how it really is, September 18, 2005

By 

Yuka Rogers "mike-in-tokyo" (Tokyo, Tokyo Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death in America: Short Stories about Terminal Illness and Death (Paperback)

The writer of this book, Robert Klassen, had worked for over 40 years as a pulomnary and respiratory specialist. Of course someone who worked for over 40 years with the living, just before - and immediately after their deaths; has to have some strange or enlightening experiences. Some experiences are unexplainable; many of them will scare you to death. Many will bring you closer to "God" (If there is such an entity) Robert Klassen has written about what we all know is coming - but explains in easy to understand language what it is we fear..

This book might give you some comfort or it might give you something to worry about. Either way, it will help you get your life (and death) in order so as to make things easier for yourself and your survivors. 10 stars if they had that many to give. You need to read this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A deeply profound and philosophical book., February 6, 2006

By 

Karl Reiss "Karl Reiss" (Anaheim, Calif. USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death in America: Short Stories about Terminal Illness and Death (Paperback)

Robert Klassen is a retired professional respiratory therapist with 40 years of experience. He had been working as one since 1963. He has written a book that I think is a quite necessary and practical read for anyone who is at all worried about their health or knows someone who is (I guess that would include all of us). The book is entitled Death in America and has some very profound and frightening stories about what he had seen in hospitals over these last 40 plus years.

"Terminal illness and death are most definitely not pleasant subjects," but as Robert writes, "...Each one of us will experience both and (we) should contemplate our relationship with the end of life as we know it... Beware; the death of a loved one could change your life before you know it." People rarely die when you expect it and no one dies at a good time. I know: My father, healthy and strong at 62, just up and had a stroke one day and spent the next 2 months on a respirator. It was a terrible time for the family. Had I read this book sooner, I could have avoided some of the suffering for everyone concerned. This situation could happen to anyone, it could happen to you.

Death in America, written in fictionalized form, goes through the stories of some people who met with death told from their personal point of view or of the point of view of the hospital staff. Some of the stories are gut-wrenching. Some of the stories hint at subjects that our modern Western medicine would never touch or even consider. But all are compelling and a fascinating read. All are most definitely food for thought.

You just have to know that someone who worked for over 40 years with the living, just before - and after their deaths; just has to have some - depending on how you look at it - strange or enlightening experiences. Some experiences are unexplainable; many of them frightening. Robert has seen - and written about - some things that might just drop your jaw. This book is a necessary read for anyone who wishes to consider a different aspect of illness, death, and the modern human condition in America. It is an understatement to say that Death in America is also a deeply profound and philosophical book.