We don’t really like to talk about–DEATH. Even the word itself can suddenly cloud a conversation or cause someone to squirm. What makes death so difficult to talk about? That’s the subject of Warraich’s elucidating and provocative new book, Modern Death. Warraich writes, “The very nature of death, the mystery that surrounds it, breeds uncertainty. Uncertainty breeds fear, and contrary to general perception, never has death been as feared as it is today.” Warraich is at once doctor, scientist, philosopher, and adviser. Now that people are living longer and longer, the nature of how we live as we age and how we die is relevant to everyone. No longer can we assume we’ll be taken in our sleep or die suddenly from a heart attack; rather, medicine and technology are extending our lives, and many of us will have to face up to the reality of what living into one’s 80’s, 90’s and 100’s entails. It will mean planning for our own deaths and end-of-life experiences and deciding what control and say we will have in our own death. Resuscitate? CPR? Life support? So many questions to consider and to prepare for. It’s an essential book and one that will, hopefully, lead to more open discussions about how we want to die, which is very much related to how we want to live.