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Book Review and Notice: Is it I, Lord? Pastoral Psychology and the Recognition of Guilt

When I was first asked to review this book, I was somewhat puzzled why a book which has been around since 1964 would need a review in The Journal. However, a rereading of this book made me aware that the publisher has indeed done us all a favor by republishing Counseling the Dying and calling it once again to our attention. I had forgotten what a helpful book this is and how it is written in a way that will always be relevant, informative and inspirational. The book is published just as it was in 1964, with the only change being the price, which has more than doubled! I would have preferred to see the republication in paperback, rather than as another hardbound edition, so that it would be more accessible to more persons. In a new Introduction, the authors state their purpose in republishing the book in its original form, which is essentially to undergird the philosophical considerations and the basic humanity of the dying process and the event of death. They say, "We find that nothing that has happened since its original publication changes our point of view, but that in fact the research of others tends to strengthen our assumptions." They acknowledge and support the great literary output on death in the last few years but criticize it at the point of what might be called a clinical reductionism which neglects the essential philosophical and human considerations. Certainly, in this regard, their book serves a very useful purpose. I would agree with the authors that this book serves as a "major resource for the essential concern of the professional person and his patients in achieving an understanding of the meaning of death and the philosophical base for arriving at this significant meaning." The book is beautifully written in a style that not only informs but also inspires. It creates a reflective mood which carries the readers into the context of a deathbed experience without being sentimental or melodramatic. Its clinical illustrations provide concrete situations while the frequent references to great literature and art provide the perspective and the accumulated reflections of sensitive persons throughout history. At the same time, the authors make good use of research findings from a variety of sources. Although the book as a whole is of value, I found the center sectionschapters four, five and six-to be the most rewarding, dealing with the core purposes of the book and creatively integrating clinical, philosophical, and moral insights. The weakest portion of the book is chapter seven, on religious considerations. The fact that the book as a whole is infiltrated with religious considerations of death and dying leaves little need for a special chapter and results in some vague abstractions which do not measure up to the preceding chapters. For the person new to the study of death and dying, this book is a must. It has the characteristics of a classic. For the person who has been in the field for some time and is already acquainted with the earlier edition, I recommend a rereading of an important book. All of us need to be reminded that it is "only through the efforts to deal with the basic humanity of those who are dying that the benefits of clinical insight can be best used." C. Roy Woodruff •