SALLIE TISDALE

Award-winning writer and nurse Sallie Tisdale offers a lyrical, thought-provoking yet practical perspective on death and dying in this frank, direct and compassionate meditation on the inevitable._______________________________________From the sublime (the faint sound of Mozart as you take your last breath) to the ridiculous (lessons on how to close the sagging jaw of a corpse), Tisdale leads the reader through the peaks and troughs of death with a calm, wise and humorous hand. More than a how-to manual or a spiritual bible, this is a graceful compilation of honest and intimate anecdotes based on the deaths Tisdale has witnessed in her work and life, as well as stories from cultures, traditions and literature around the world.Tisdale explores all the heartbreaking, beautiful, terrifying, confusing, absurd and even joyful experiences that accompany the work of dying, including:A good death: What does it mean to die a good death? Can there be more than one kind? What can I do to make my death, or the deaths of my loved ones, good?Communication: What to say and not to say, what to ask and when, from the dying, loved ones, doctors and more.Last months, weeks, days and hours: What you might expect, physically and emotionally, including the limitations, freedoms, pains and joys of this unique time.Bodies: What happens to a body after death? What options are available to me after my death, and how do I choose - and make sure my wishes are followed?Grief: Grief is a story that must be told, over and over. . . Grief is the breath after the last one.Beautifully written and compulsively readable, Advice for the Dying offers the resources and reassurance that we all need for planning the ends of our lives. It is essential reading for all of us.

A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK CRITICS TOP 10 BOOK OF THE YEARIn its loving, fierce specificity, this book on how to die is also a blessedly saccharine-free guide for how to live (TheNew York Times).Former NEA fellow and Pushcart Prize-winning writer Sallie Tisdale offers a lyrical, thought-provoking, yet practical perspective on death and dying in Advice for Future Corpses (and Those Who Love Them). Informed by her many years working as a nurse, with more than a decade in palliative care, Tisdale provides a frank, direct, and compassionate meditation on the inevitable. From the sublime (the faint sound of Mozart as you take your last breath) to the ridiculous (lessons on how to close the sagging jaw of a corpse), Tisdale leads us through the peaks and troughs of death with a calm, wise, and humorous hand. Advice for Future Corpses is more than a how-to manual or a spiritual bible: it is a graceful compilation of honest and intimate anecdotes based on the deaths Tisdale has witnessed in her work and life, as well as stories from cultures, traditions, and literature around the world. Tisdale explores all the heartbreaking, beautiful, terrifying, confusing, absurd, and even joyful experiences that accompany the work of dying, including:A Good Death: What does it mean to die a good death? Can there be more than one kind of good death? What can I do to make my death, or the deaths of my loved ones, good?Communication: What to say and not to say, what to ask, and when, from the dying, loved ones, doctors, and more.Last Months, Weeks, Days, and Hours: What you might expect, physically and emotionally, including the limitations, freedoms, pain, and joy of this unique time.Bodies: What happens to a body after death? What options are available to me after my death, and how do I chooseand make sure my wishes are followed?Grief: Grief is the story that must be told over and over...Grief is the breath after the last one. Beautifully written and compulsively readable, Advice for Future Corpses offers the resources and reassurance that we all need for planning the ends of our lives, and is essential reading for future corpses everywhere. Sallie Tisdales elegantly understated new book pretends to be a users guide when in fact its a profound meditation (David Shields, bestselling author of Reality Hunger).

The author of the acclaimed Advice for Future Corpses (and Those Who Love Them) brings her singular sensibility, her genius for language, her love of our deeply imperfect world (Karen Karbo, author of In Praise of Difficult Women) to this insightful exploration of reality TV and the shifting definitions of truth in America.What is the truth?In a world of fake news and rampant conspiracy theories, the nature of truth has increasingly blurry borders. In this clever and timely cultural commentary, award-winning author Sallie Tisdale tackles this issue by framing it in a familiar wayreality TV, particularly the long-running CBS show Survivor.With humor and in-depth superfan analysis, Tisdale explores the distinction between suspended disbelief and true authenticity both in how we watch shows like Survivor, and in how we perceive the world around us. With her bold and wise, galvanizing and grounding (Chloe Caldwell, author of Ill Tell You in Person) writing, Tisdale has created an unputdownable, thoroughly entertaining, and groundbreaking book that we will be talking about for years to come.

In Great Buddha Gym for All Mens and Womens, author Sallie Tisdale so richly evokes her pilgrimage to the four vital sites related to Buddha Shakyamunis life and enlightenment that the reader feels as if shes tripping alongside Tisdale every crowded, colorful, and sensuous step of the way. The challenges of travel in modern India are daunting. The ancient sites are overrun with tourists and seekers. Merchants hawking spiritual goods are everywhere. And yet, miraculously, despite the chaos, the great teachings of the Buddha come shining through.

This "groundbreaking . . . career-defining book" from an iconic essayist features thirty years of fearless essays that refuse easy answersfrom flies to families, abortion clinics to athletic fieldsand proves that truth-telling means diving into ambiguity and finding wonder in what wed rather ignore (The New Yorker)Sallie Tisdale is the author of seven books on such varied subjects as medical technology, her pioneer ancestors, and Buddhist women teachers. Her many essays have appeared in Harpers, Conjunctions, The New Yorker, Antioch Review, The Threepenny Review, and many other journals. This first collection of work spans 30 years and includes an introduction and brief epilogues to each essay. Tisdales questing curiosity pursues subjects from the biology of flies to the experience of working in an abortion clinic, why it is so difficult to play sports with men, and whether its possible for writers to tell the truth. She restlessly returns to themes of the body, the family, and how we try to explain ourselves to each other. She is unwilling to settle for easy answers, and she finds the ambiguity and wonder underneath ordinary events. The collection includes a recent essay never before published, about the mystery of how we present

We live in a world in which almost every public imageevery interactioncarries an element of sexual desire. And yet it is nearly impossible for us to talk openly and honestly about sex. Talk Dirty to Me is author Sallie Tisdales frank, funny, and provocative invitation to the conversation weve been waiting forbut have been too afraid to start.Sallie Tisdale shuns the dry style of academics and takes us on a journey through gender and desire, romance and pornography, prostitution and morality, fantasies and orgasm. She guides us through her field research of peep shows, XXX stores, and even the pornography collection of the British Library. Interweaving her own personal feelings, experiences, and revelations, she presents a brilliant, fascinating, and wholly original portrait of sex and sexuality in America, while encouraging us to explore and create our own "intimate philosophies."