Fragments on the Deathwatch

Author/Contributor(s):	Harmon, Louise
Publisher:	Beacon Press
Date:	2/23/1999
Binding:	Paperback
Condition:	NEW

Keeping vigil over the dying is an essential human practice with long cultural traditions and profound psychological benefits. Yet, as legal scholar Louise Harmon shows, the institutions of modern life-from hospitals to courtrooms-intrude on the practice. In this humane and lyrical book, Harmon looks at literature, philosophy, history, and autobiography as she delicately probes the taboos around discussion of death. She asks whether the law can recognize the needs of families and loved ones and protect the space of their grieving.