Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Dread of Death

Written in Irving Yalom's inimitable story-telling style and capping a lifetime of work and personal experience, Staring at the Sun is a profoundly encouraging approach to the universal issue of mortality.

At the age of 74, best-selling author Irvin Yalom turns his attention to one of the great human questions—our fear of death. He suggests that what he calls the 'awakening experience' can help us acknowledge, accept, and make use of our fear of death in a positive manner. These awakening experiences often follow a loss, a trauma, or the death of a loved one, illness, or just growing old. Yalom shows us how such an awakening can be the turning point for a more meaningful life.

This is a practical and tremendously useful book, including methods and techniques for dealing with the most prevalent kinds of fear—that anxiety which is hidden and appears to us as other problems in our lives.

Dr. Yalom argues that once we confront our own mortality, we are inspired to rearrange our priorities, communicate more deeply with those we love, appreciate more keenly the beauty of life, and increase our willingness to take the risks necessary for personal fulfilment.