Dying to Teach: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Learning [Hardcover]

Jeffrey Berman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0791470091 | ISBN-13: 978-0791470091 | Publication Date: January 18, 2007

Affirms the power of writing to memorialize loss and work through grief.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

In Dying to Teach, Jeffrey Berman confronts the most wrenching loss imaginable: the death of his beloved wife, Barbara. Through four interrelated narratives--how Barbara wrote about her illness in a cancer diary, how he cared for her throughout her illness, how his students reacted to his disclosure that she was dying, and how he responded to her death--Berman explores his efforts to hold on to Barbara precisely as she was letting go of life. Intensely personal, Dying to Teach affirms the power of writing to memorialize loss and work through grief, and demonstrates the importance of death education: teachers and students writing and talking about a subject that, until now, has often been deemed too personal for the classroom.

"Dying to Teach touches one as an étude, or perhaps a pavane to a lover, a partner, a fellow voyager. It is a beautiful tribute to a glorious woman, and a reminder of the sheer power generated when art, sensitivity, and rare literacy are blended. In these remarkable pages, Jeffrey Berman brings us life, death, and then, magically, a return to life. The insights of this book, and the music of the words, will not soon be forgotten by readers of this master memoir." -- Thomas J. Cottle, author of When the Music Stopped: Discovering My Mother

"Jeff Berman has been writing a glowing series of books in which he demonstrates how encouraging students to discuss their most intense experiences can enlarge their humanity as well as add to their store of intellectual knowledge. This book culminates the series. I think it is probably the bravest book I shall ever read. Jeff dares to let me share the most personally devastating and terrifying experience with which life menaces us. And he dares to use that experience in the classroom to write an unforgettable experience in his students' minds. His way of teaching may not be for all of us, but all of us will be better for having read about it." -- Norman N. Holland, author of Death in a Delphi Seminar: A Postmodern Mystery

"This is a difficult book; it will elicit empathic sadness both for the author and for our own losses. College professors lose loved ones too, and such subjects need to be a part of the conversations in the academy. Dying to Teach demonstrates the necessity of speaking of grief both to students and to readers. This is a stunning book." -- Marian M. MacCurdy, coeditor of Writing and Healing: Toward an Informed Practice

About the Author

Jeffrey Berman is Professor of English at the University at Albany, State University of New York. His previous books include Empathic Teaching: Education for Life and Risky Writing: Self-Disclosure and Self-Transformation in the Classroom.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: State University of New York Press (January 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0791470091
• ISBN-13: 978-0791470091
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,590,219 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jeff is the best professor I've ever had, April 19, 2007

By 

A reviewer (Albany, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dying to Teach: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Learning (Paperback)

In reading the other review of this book, I was a taken by surprise. As a past student of Jeff Berman, I can honestly say that the other reviewer's concern of students telling Jeff what he wanted to hear for fear of grading is absurd. His point is not to compliment himself, but to show readers how emotions have an important place in the classroom, and in writing, it is difficult and confining when professors expect emotion to be kept out of the classroom. Writing is theraputic. "Teachers and students who are not ashamed to be moved to tears, who respond to reading and writing assignments with genuine empathy--are those who are most profoundly affected by education." I can attest to the truth of this statement. All of Jeff Berman's books will teach the readers how to become better writers and more empathic people in every day life.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Love Story, February 1, 2010

By 

Rosita C. Lisboa "Turtle" (Albany, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dying to Teach: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Learning (Paperback)

Dying to love is the most tragic, heartbreaking story about the strength of a couple faced with cancer and the will to live. Barbara is a strong woman who fears death and fights to leave behind lessons of love because she wants to leave the world knowing her family will be ok, especially her husband. The tragedy is how much she lived and loved life. It is the most intimate love story I have ever known. The love her husband has for her is the love we all want for ourselves. I have never known a greater love story.

Rose Lisboa

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Moving Story, October 28, 2007

By 

Lisajoy (Westwood, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dying to Teach: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Learning (Hardcover)

In Dying to Teach, Jeff Berman presents a story that will touch anyone who has gone through a serious illness with a beloved family member. He is honest about his emotions and I found it quite moving. There is a section of photos in the center that made Barbara a real person - not a character in a book. It is also important reading for anyone trying to write meaningfully about personal experiences, as well as for teachers of writing. For the sake of full disclosure, I must admit that my daughter was a student of Professor Berman's, and I have heard him speak on this topic.