There are many books intended to help people deal with the trauma of bereavement, but few which explore the reality of death itself. How We Die sets out to explain exactly what happens to each of us when we die. Sherwin B. Nuland - with over 30 years' experience as a surgeon - explains in detail the processes which take place in the body and strips away many illusions about death. The result is a unique and compelling book, addressing the one final fact that all of us must confront.

'It's impossible to read How We Die without realising how earnestly we have avoided this most unavoidable of subjects, how we have protected ourselves by building a cultural wall of myths and lies. I don't know of any writer or scientist who has shown us the face of death as clearly, honestly and compassionately as Sherwin Nuland does here' James Gleick