On Children and Death (Paperback)

by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross (Author) "This is a letter to you who are in the process of losing a child..." (more)
Key Phrases: Childhood Suicide, Father's Day, Compassionate Friends (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
The Washington Post An excellent resource. -- Review

Review
Los Angeles TimesAnyone who has experienced the loss of a child would do well to read On Children and Death... Uplifting and inspirational.

The Washington PostAn excellent resource.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (June 9, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684839393
• ISBN-13: 978-0684839394
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #323,452 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars insightful, July 14, 2009

By	klyn (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews

I was leery about reading a book dealing with children and death. This book was sensitive to the issue and the personal stories contained inside were tear jerkers. I found the book to be extremely appropriate to the issue of children and dying. I would recommend this book to anyone who may have to go through this issue.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A stellar work in the area of child psychology and death, a gift for bereft parents. , August 22, 2005

By	Christian Engler (Woburn, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The death of a child is a horrific and heartrending moment in a parent's life, a time where no words can be used, because it is totally inexpressible. Yet, somehow, Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross does find the words, and she does so by doggedly and mercifully examining children and death. By her own direct involvement as a thanatologist as well as through a series of letters by bereaved parents who have lost children by way of terminal illness, sudden death, murder or suicide, they open their hearts, and in the process of doing so, they reveal psychological and religious elements of their children, premonitions and preparatory acts before acknowledged death to an acute maturity and understanding of themselves and their situations. A role inversion-depending on the age level-frequently happenes, whereby the little patient becomes the comforter for their family who must temporally remain behind in the "cocoon," a most comforting euphemism indeed. Read the story of "Edou" in the segment, The Spiritual Aspects of Work with Dying Children for specific clarity. But what Kubler-Ross stresses is communication, getting the feelings out, not immediately mollifying the topsy-turvey senses with instant self-medication, for more-often-than-not, that can only compound the psychological stresses that can easily fracture with devistating repercussions, as is illustrsted with the examples at the beginning of the book. Also addressed in conjunction with communication and open dialogue is family involvement with the dying process, letting the siblings be exposed to their older or younger brother/sister's dying, unless they make it concretely evident that they are not emotionally ready for that step, which is perfectly fine and understandable. It is about pacing, self-acceptance and sympathetic exposure to what is for most of us a mind-numbing experience. But it does not have to be that way. And Kubler-Ross cites numerous examples throughout On Children and Death, instancing how the funeral industry is evolving for the better as well as humanistic/ holistic expressions via arts, crafts and musical aid in smoothing the rough edges of suffering and self-created mental torment. Yes, grief and unbelieveable pain will exist, but it does not have to dominate, for God is certainly in the equation, for He knows all, sees all and feels all, and Kubler-Ross, wonderfully, blatantly, lets that be known, for as a friend contributed to this volume: "To me, religions are like the spokes on a wheel; they all lead to the hub--at-oneness with God (P. 204). How true! How true!

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars On Children & Death book review, January 3, 2007

By	C. Smith "elementary educator" (Huntington Station, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I found that this book wasn't as helpful as I needed. I was taking a psychology course dealing with how to incorporate death education into an elementary school setting and this basically just gave stories about people/children dealing with death and ways to incorporate all family members. A much better book is Helping Childrne Live with Death and Loss by Dinah Seibert. It gives a way to create lesson plans/field trips/discussions about death with children while also including the stages of grief.