Customer Reviews

Death : The Trip of a Lifetime

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A friend loaned me a copy of this book when I was doing some serious soul searching. It took me almost 6 months to work up the courage to read Mr. Palmer's book because I did not want to confront 'death' even by opening a book about the subject. When I finally did start reading it I found it hard to put down. Greg Palmer is alternately funny and somber, dealing deftly with each situation as he tries to understand what 'death' means. From his first experience with death, through the many people he encounters along the way, Mr. Palmer provides a much wider view of the world than we are used to. The book is a difficult journey, undertaken both with humor and great love. I recommend this book to anyone seeking an understanding of death and how it affects those left behind.
Do not fear death, come to understand it, we only fear the things we do not know.

I'm a cultural anthropologist, and was compelled to pick this up when I saw it. It is the most sensitive, beautiful, and funny book about death I have ever read. I bought a copy for a dying friend, and she loved it too -- though it creeped out her daughters at the time.

IF you don't want to die, don't get born. Opps! Too late. If you reading this, you are already in for the ride. Therefore, read this book and discover the range of rituals men and women in every society among humankind perform for this one of five most important events in our personal lives. Along the way, find confirmation older than the ancient Greek Stoic, Epictetus, who suggested physical death is not the problem. It is our fear of death. With surprising underlying warmth, Greg Palmer surveys how human societies choose to acknowledge the event none can avoid. Like birth, attainment of adulthood, marriage, and parenting, death is one of the five most ritualized life passages. The one who is born, grows up, marries, parents and dies is not the only one who is affected. In each of the five, there is an ever-shifting mix of altering relationships with others, tears, joy, and affirmatios. Take the chance this book offes and find new meanings.

Part of the book and the entire project, was the filming and interviewing and writing aboout my dad, Ed Decker,Sr. as he worked his way through the last days of his life.

I found the section about my father on You Tube yesterday and watching dad and mom [also now gone] deal with death and their love for each other after 65 years, it brought back memories and the pain of loss and the peace of release all over again..and tears..of course..

Those of you who have read this great book or seen the documentary, know that Greg Palmer had a great sense of humor. My dad was a gag writer for comedians like Bob and Ray, Herb Shriner, Henry Morgan and a number of others during the golden days of radio. He and Greg had a fun time ribbing each other. Dad still laughed at things on his death bed.

A few months after dad's passing and the release of his book, I called Greg to thank him for giving my dad a purpose outside his suffering during those months. Greg was stunned to hear my voice and literally was speechless. you see, my dad and I have deep, unique voices.. and sound exactly the same on the phone.

Greg thought my dad had played the last big joke on him and called him from heaven..

Greg also passed away a bit ago and I guess he and dad are chuckling over something up there.