Customer Reviews

Passings: Death, Dying, and Unexplained Phenomena (Santa Monica Press)

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Carole Travis-Henikoff has done it again! In her previous work, "Dinner With A Cannibal", Carole graciously invites us to take a brave look at our dark side....no easy task. Yet, for those of us who managed to stick with it, there was redemption from shame and a deeper understanding of ourselves. Only after this difficult journey can we begin the evolutionary ascension from our finite animal nature to our infinite potential. Now, Henikoff, once again, manages to get us through yet another cultural taboo... Death.

In her new book, "Passings: Death, Dying and Unexplained Phenomena", she takes us further through this "dark night of the soul" and into the "light at the end of the tunnel". With riveting personal stories and intelligent exploration, she leads us to question our cultural, scientific and private views concerning death. This is a book about hope written by one who has touched the bottom of the abyss only to rise up, torch in hand, to illuminate the path for the rest of us.

Paradoxically delightful, this book is not about death....it's about life!

An excellent resource for those of us working in hospice.

Rosemary Salerno, MSW,LCSW
Psychotherapist
End-of-Life Specialist

"Passings: Death & Dying & Unexplained Phenomena" by Carole A. Travis-Henikoff I found to be a brilliant fearless look at a forbidden truth in our culture: that no person belongs to any of us, and actually we don't even own ourselves. Our existense is on loan from God or the Universe, whichever you believe in. While there is no escaping it for any of us, death and dying are generally big taboos in our youth-worshipping culture, a strange paradox since we live in such a violent society. All it takes is a glance at the front page of a newspaper or to click on the evening news. Given this, I think Henikoff is an out of the box writer to have tackled the subject and to have done it so well, head-on and from new perspective. She comes by her credentials for doing so by her own losses- five family members including a husband, daughter and father in three years time. She illuminates this journey with the light of her intelligence, the balm of compassion, and the thrilling hope of paranormal experiences.

I found the book fascinating. It is a splendid mix of the personal and the professional and, above all, there are many questions and things to ponder. I found it hard to put down, was amazed by the author's openness, and am trusting of what she reported. I look forward to discussing this with my friends.

From the time we are old enough to understand, youngsters learn there will be an end to life. The lesson of learning that people and animals or any other living thing will live and eventually die is often accompanied by a passing - either an elderly relative, a beloved pet, or a treasured plant in the garden. Occasionally, as in my own life, a close family member's unexpected and premature death is the first memory that is seared onto the mind, one that won't fade with the passing of time. In Carole Travis-Henikoff's book, "Passings," the author takes us along her personal journey of discovering the underlying mysteries and experiences of death and dying. Her writing is clear and engaging on a subject that is difficult for many of us to talk about. Carole Travis-Henikoff holds our hand as she helps us, through her words, understand that which she has learned first-hand. Her intelligent and inquisitive mind is open to experiences of unexplained phenomena that can occur prior to death or immediately after death for some people. Dreams are not always just dreams. Life is a gift to be embraced and celebrated through love, and dying is the most natural thing we do. This wonderful book will grab your attention, and hopefully, in the word of Carole's father, make you "tink."