A Beginner’s Guide to Dying
Simon Boas

I’m sorry I got this book after the publication date, but it is well worth reading! Simon Boas was a man with a lovely sense of humor, a great ability to write and a touching sensitivity.

The book is partly made up out of articles he wrote for The Jersey Evening News (that’s Jersey, England, not Jersey, US). It reminds me a bit of Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture. But it also reminds me a bit of C.S. Lewis’ Surprised By Joy.

Don’t stay away from reading this book because you think it might be depressing. It isn’t at all. In fact, I feel nothing if not encouraged by Simon’s lively wisdom. I believe this book will stay with me through the rest of my life.

A good book for every human that still has a beating heart. We're all really busy with life, forgetting often it's the only one we have and it'll come to an end. This is what this book is about. The author talks about how life feels like a treadmill to acquire more until you realize, life ends. And it all snaps into perspective.
This book reminds me of my favorite quote which is people won't rember what you did but how you made them feel. That's the essence of this whole thing, and the author makes you feel things - in so many big and beautiful ways.

I thought this was a pretty good book and I enjoyed the length. Reading the book, I was struck by how charming Simon was, and it also gave me a new perspective on how I should live my life. I wrote lots of quotes down from the book in my journal, but one that stood with me is, "So carpe that diem and keep it carped. And enjoy the tiny ways you can make other people a little happier, That's actually the secret of being happy oneself."

I would also say that for anyone dealing with the loss of a loved one, this is a great book to read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Vintage for gifting me a digital ARC of this memoir by Simon Boas. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Simon Boas was diagnosed with terminal throat cancer in his mid-40s. Having lived what he will say is a fortunate and blessed life, having privilege and experience, he shares his death journey with readers. I completely appreciated his blunt, dark humor approach and admire his viewpoints. To me, this is more of a book on how best to live than how to die, as well as how best for the rest of us to deal with those in our circle that are dying. I loved the book analogy about grief, and feel that this book contained so many good reminders about priorities in life.

Diagnosed with an incurable cancer, the author decided to write this book - he has since passed at the age of 46. I’ve no doubt it was difficult to write this book physically, mentally, and emotionally. I hope it gave him comfort and helped as he focused on this project as he approached the end of his life, which he seems to have done with grace and humor. As another reviewer mentioned and I wholeheartedly agree - I gained a ton more insight, information, and takeaways from When Breath Becomes Air By Paul Kalanithi than this book. I felt this book was more for the author himself and his personal reflections rather than for me, the reader. I liked the book blurb a whole lot more than the book. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 stars. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A short collection of writings from Simon Boas after learning his cancer diagnosis was terminal. He shares how he has found himself in a place to be accepting rather than fearful of death despite the knowledge that he only had months to live in his mid-forties. He shared his outlook with both vulnerability and humor.

As someone who doesn't read a ton of nonfiction, this one is 100% worth the read. Simon does an incredible job at keeping his tone light with such a dark subject like death. The chapters are quick which lends this book to be a medium-fast paced read. If you have existential dread about death this book may help metaphorically lighten that load.

This uniquely plain-spoken memoir about dying relates why we should all be optimistic and content when facing death after a life well-lived—and gently admonishes us, if we have this far not been "carpe-ing that diem," to get busy and do so now. Simon Boas was an aid worker and journalist who traveled the world, found much to enjoy and for which to be grateful even in the worst of times, and felt it imperative to tell as many people as he could, through letters to the newspaper, to live life and to face dear without fear.

A Beginner’s Guide to Dying is a collection of, in preparation of his premature demise, of Simon Boas.

Simon received a terminal diagnosis of throat cancer at age 46. Faced with his own mortality, he left behind these reflections to comfort his family, & in turn, the world.

I might recommend this book to someone who is reaching the end of their own journey, but I struggled to connect with the author’s voice. His advice is good, but not unique.

I absolutely loved this book. The raw (and funny) authenticity is palpable. What a gift. I just so happened to be sitting vigil with a friend while her mother was dying at home in the care of hospice, so it was especially poignant for me personally, but I think I would have loved it no matter my circumstances. It is a treatise on how to live, as much as it is a guide to dying. I'm so grateful to the publisher for making this project possible and for allowing me to read/review. I'm sure it will find its way into the hearts of many.

Mr. Boas writes with great emotion and vulnerability in this slim, accessible volume that talks about one of the hardest things we all have to face in life: the ceasing of that life, or rather, death. Approaching this as someone who didn't know much about Mr. Boas, I found the anecdotes fun and enjoyable and they really did paint a picture of what Mr. Boas was like in life. I think this book would be most helpful for those who are grappling with or preparing for the imminent death of a loved one. There is a section where Mr. Boas goes through dos and don'ts, all packed with great insight on how to avoid being self-serving and tactless in the face of someone else's suffering.

Along the same vein, and perhaps better written, I would recommend for those interested the very famous and much celebrated "When Breath Becomes Air" by Paul Kalanithi, which Mr. Boas also references here. A few other books that run along the same vein are "Mortality" by Christopher Hitchens and "Gratitude" by the late great Dr. Oliver Sacks.

If it's not already quite obvious, I gravitate towards books like these because of my work with the very ill and dying. I have been the hand that holds them while they die when there are no family members around; I have been the one who calls the spouse in the middle of the night, or catches the daughter as she collapses at the bedside, or breaks the bad news when the family don't make it in time. Because of my experiences, this book didn't really teach me anything new. But that's not the point: this book isn't trying to teach us how to die. Mr. Boas even goes to say that there's no one way or right way to die. Instead, this book is a light-hearted, celebratory reminder of the precious nature of life and what we truly should celebrate about our short, miraculous existence on earth.

Review on Instagram to follow! Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC and give comments.

This collection of previously published work was a surprisingly funny and sweet entry into the growing genres of end-of-life literature and cancer memoirs.