Gail Rubin "A Good Goodbye" Oct 22, 7pm

Gail Rubin, often called “The Doyenne of Death,” will be the special guest of the Friends of the Holyoke Public Library for a Book Talk on Monday evening October 22, at 7:00 PM, during which she will read excerpts from and discuss various aspects of her best seller “A Good Goodbye.” The subtitle of the book, “Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die,” goes a long way toward explaining what the book is all about.  

Ms. Rubin is a frequent and popular speaker to groups of all types on getting the funeral planning conversation started. Ms. Rubin has pointed out that we plan our finances, our families, vacations, retirement, just about everything, except our funerals. She has noted that without end-of-life-planning, life’s other plans can come undone, when all it takes is a little bit of time and some simple decisions to have things turn out the way you would have wanted them to.

“A Good Goodbye” uses gentle humor to convey vital information about funeral arrangements most people don’t learn about until there is a death in the family. At that point decisions must be made quickly and may not always reflect the choices the deceased might have made themselves. “A Good Goodbye” brings light to a dark subject: from cremation to caskets, obituaries to obesity, religion to receptions. Just talking about funerals will not hasten your demise in any way – and it will reduce the pain and stress  on family members and will create a memorable “good goodbye.” It may even reduce expenses.

Ms. Rubin is also the author of The Family Plot Blog: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die. She serves on the cemetery committee for her congregation and has assisted in the preparation of the deceased for burial. She is also a breast cancer survivor and a member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling, as well as the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association.

This is a special opportunity for Friends of the Holyoke Library and is open to the public free of charge. For information call the Library at 413-322-5640 or visit the Library at Holyoke City Hall Auditorium.