People are living longer than ever, yet mortality has never been a more unwelcome subject. What led us to this point? What drove us to sanitize death and make it foreign and unfamiliar? In this "thoughtful, wide-ranging examination" (Boston Globe), Brandy Schillace shows how talking about death, and the rituals associated with it, brings us closer together—conversation and community are just as important for living as for dying. Suggesting that our framework for understanding death has shifted from being religious and public to medical and private, Schillace examines cultures worldwide to find healthier perspectives on aging, death, and mourning.