When asked, most people want an opportunity to talk with a loved one at least one more time before it's too late. Authors Keeley and Yingling have brought trained ears to the stories of the "experienced living," people who have engaged in final conversations with loved ones-and who have been so glad they did.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873–1897) spent the final months of her short life in the infirmary of the Carmel of Lisieux, France. Those who attended her—including three of her older sisters by birth—were living in the company of one of God's saints, one prepared for our times. This volume, St. Thérèse of Lisieux: Her Last Conversations, serves as a sequel to St. Thérèse's autobiography, Story of a Soul. It contains the intimate words of her final conversations with her three sisters during the last months of her life, especially those three critical months in the Carmel infirmary from July to September 1897. Fortunately for us, her words were written down without the awareness that eventually a great multitude of friends of St. Thérèse would hunger for her spiritual teaching. 150 years after this great saint and Doctor of the Church was born into the world, the publication of this revised edition enables us to live in her company and enjoy her holy conversations and counsels. When we read her words with faith, her presence is at our side. She speaks to us directly, sharing her human experience: her joys, her sufferings, her love for God, and especially her trust in him amid her painful ordeal. This revised edition of St. Thérèse of Lisieux: Her Last Conversations reflects the extensive 1992 French critical edition of Derniers Entretiens in two volumes. That very complete and scholarly production has been edited here into its essential elements: + The entire text of St. Thérèse's words collected by the three main witnesses, Mother Agnes (Pauline), Sister Geneviève (Céline), and Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart (Marie); + The testimony of other witnesses when this does not repeat that of the three main witnesses; + Additional words of St. Thérèse as quoted in letters written during her last three months; + Comprehensive indexes of key names, topics, and biblical references.

Interviews with the genius behind The Man in the High Castle and countless other science fiction classics. In the field of science fiction, Philip K. Dick is unparalleled. His novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? became the classic film Blade Runner. His short story “The Minority Report” was adapted for the screen by Steven Spielberg. The Man in the High Castle has become a hit series on Amazon, and those titles represent only a small fraction of his work. In November 1982, six months before the author’s untimely death, journalist Gwen Lee recorded the first of several in-depth discussions with Philip K. Dick that continued over the course of the next three months. This transcription is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the field of science fiction. “These transcripts bring fresh insights—notably, into the imaginative biotech plot line of the unwritten The Owl in Daylight . . . Dick also discusses music, writing, philosophers and his 1974–1975 mystical visions, when the revelation of his son’s undiagnosed birth defect—‘down to anatomical details’—saved the child’s life . . . Fans will rejoice.” —Publishers Weekly

Keep your cool and get the results you want when faced with crucial conversations. This New York Times bestseller and business classic has been fully updated for a world where skilled communication is more important than ever. The book that revolutionized business communications has been updated for today’s workplace. Crucial Conversations provides powerful skills to ensure every conversation—especially difficult ones—leads to the results you want. Written in an engaging and witty style, the book teaches readers how to be persuasive rather than abrasive, how to get back to productive dialogue when others blow up or clam up, and it offers powerful skills for mastering high-stakes conversations, regardless of the topic or person. This new edition addresses issues that have arisen in recent years. You’ll learn how to: Respond when someone initiates a crucial conversation with you Identify and address the lag time between identifying a problem and discussing it Communicate more effectively across digital mediums When stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong, you have three choices: Avoid a crucial conversation and suffer the consequences; handle the conversation poorly and suffer the consequences; or apply the lessons and strategies of Crucial Conversations and improve relationships and results. Whether they take place at work or at home, with your coworkers or your spouse, crucial conversations have a profound impact on your career, your happiness, and your future. With the skills you learn in this book, you'll never have to worry about the outcome of a crucial conversation again.

The story of the end-of-life experience of a palliative care physician who helped thousands of patients to die well. We all die. Most of us spend the majority of our lives ignoring this uncomfortable truth, but Dr. Larry Librach dedicated his life and his career to helping his patients navigate their final journey. Then, in April 2013, Larry was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. Unlike the majority of us, Larry knew the death he wanted. He wanted to die at home, surrounded by his family: his wife of forty years, his children, and his grandchildren. He did. He was peaceful and calm at the end. Larry proved that the “good death” isn’t a myth. It can be done, and he showed us how. Ever the teacher, Larry made his last journey a teachable moment on how to die the best death possible, even with a pernicious disease. As hard as it is to guide patients toward dying well, it is far harder to live those precepts day by day as the clock ticks down to one’s own death, but Larry, together with author Phil Dwyer, chronicled his final journey with courage and humour.

In Battling to the End René Girard engages Carl von Clausewitz (1780–1831), the Prussian military theoretician who wrote On War. Clausewitz, who has been critiqued by military strategists, political scientists, and philosophers, famously postulated that "War is the continuation of politics by other means." He also seemed to believe that governments could constrain war. Clausewitz, a firsthand witness to the Napoleonic Wars, understood the nature of modern warfare. Far from controlling violence, politics follows in war's wake: the means of war have become its ends. René Girard shows us a Clausewitz who is a fascinated witness of history's acceleration. Haunted by the French-German conflict, Clausewitz clarifies more than anyone else the development that would ravage Europe. Battling to the End pushes aside the taboo that prevents us from seeing that the apocalypse has begun. Human violence is escaping our control; today it threatens the entire planet.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873–1897) spent the final months of her short life in the infirmary of the Carmel of Lisieux, France. Those who attended her—including three of her older sisters by birth—were living in the company of one of God's saints, one prepared for our times. This volume, St. Thérèse of Lisieux: Her Last Conversations, serves as a sequel to St. Thérèse's autobiography, Story of a Soul. It contains the intimate words of her final conversations with her three sisters during the last months of her life, especially those three critical months in the Carmel infirmary from July to September 1897. Fortunately for us, her words were written down without the awareness that eventually a great multitude of friends of St. Thérèse would hunger for her spiritual teaching. 150 years after this great saint and Doctor of the Church was born into the world, the publication of this revised edition enables us to live in her company and enjoy her holy conversations and counsels. When we read her words with faith, her presence is at our side. She speaks to us directly, sharing her human experience: her joys, her sufferings, her love for God, and especially her trust in him amid her painful ordeal. This revised edition of St. Thérèse of Lisieux: Her Last Conversations reflects the extensive 1992 French critical edition of Derniers Entretiens in two volumes. That very complete and scholarly production has been edited here into its essential elements: The entire text of St. Thérèse's words collected by the three main witnesses, Mother Agnes (Pauline), Sister Geneviève (Céline), and Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart (Marie); - The testimony of other witnesses when this does not repeat that of the three main witnesses; - Additional words of St. Thérèse as quoted in letters written during her last three months; - Fully linked comprehensive indexes of key names, topics, and biblical references.

The New York Times Bestseller The brilliant intellect and candor of Anthony Bourdain is on full display in this collection of interviews from throughout his remarkable career, with an introduction from The New Yorker's Helen Rosner. Anthony Bourdain always downplayed his skills as a chef (many disagreed). But despite his modesty, one thing even he agreed with was that he was a born raconteur—as he makes clear in this collection of sparkling conversations. His wit, passion, and deep intelligence shine through all manner of discussion here, from heart-to-hearts with bloggers, to on-stage talks before massive crowds, to intense interviews with major television programs. Without fail, Bourdain is always blisteringly honest—such as when he talks about his battles with addiction, or when detailing his thoughts on restaurant critics. He regularly dispenses arresting insight about how what’s on your plate reveals much of history and politics. And perhaps best of all, the heartfelt empathy he developed travelling the world for his TV shows is always in the fore, as these talks make the “Hemingway of gastronomy,” as chef Marco Pierre White called him, live again.

For fans of When Harry Met Sally and readers of I Feel Bad About My Neck comes an indispensable collection of wit and wisdom from the late, great writer-filmmaker A hilarious and revealing look at one of America’s most beloved screenwriters. From the beginning of her career as a young journalist to her final interview—a warm, wise, heartbreaking reflection originally published in the Believer—this is a sparkling look at the life and work of a great talent.

“Knowledge is what’s important, you know? Not the erasure, but the confrontation of it.” — TONI MORRISON In this wide-ranging collection of thought-provoking interviews — including her first and last — Toni Morrison (whom President Barrack Obama called a “national treasure”) details not only her writing life, but also her other careers as a teacher, and as a publisher, as well as the gripping story of her family. In fact, Morrison reveals here that her Nobel Prize-winning novels, such as Beloved and Song of Solomon, were born out of her family’s stories — such as those of her great-grandmother, born a slave, or her father, escaping the lynch mobs of the South. With an introduction by her close friend, poet Nikki Giovani, Morrison hereby weaves yet another fascinating and inspiring narrative — that of herself.