endorsements

"This is the most helpful book for hard times that I have read in years." Bill Moyers

"Intensely personal and full of captivating stories, this book is unlike any other that I know of. The Etiquette of Illness is unique in the way it embeds practical advice in graceful and easily accessible prose, addressing some of the most threatening interpersonal issues there are. As we manage chronic illness and confront the challenges of treatment, survival, and mortality, this little book will help all of us maintain the friendships that are such an important part of our lives." Christine K. Cassel, M.D., MACP, President of the American Board of Internal Medicine

"If you or a loved one suffers a serious illness, I recommend reading this moving book by my old friend Susan Halpern, who has dealt with more than her share of medical difficulty and has come out of it with a message that shines with wisdom and hope. Susan's advice, rooted in her own experience as a patient and a counselor, is sound and useful. I recommend it." Andrew Weil, M.D., author of 8 Weeks to Optimum Health and Spontaneous Healing

"Susan Halpern has given us all a much-needed gift, both practical and vastly compassionate. With The Etiquette of Illness we have an artfully written guidebook for navigating the touchy shoals of a social predicament we all face at one time or another: how to be at ease with someone we care about who is gravely ill. I recommend it to anyone who wants to visit a seriously sick friend, and be intelligent about the emotional challenges that poses." Daniel Goleman, Author, Emotional Intelligence

"Susan Halpern has done us a great service in her wonderful book The Etiquette of Illness. Wise, compassionate and very down-to-earth, this book illuminates the complex terrain of our relationship with illness and with each other. In The Etiquette of Illness, Susan helps us find the right words, but more than that, she helps us remember our hearts." Joseph Goldstein, cofounder of Insight Mediation Society and author of One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism

"At last! Help for those difficult moments when those we love are suffering. Susan Halpern is the wise and compassionate expert we yearn for when our hearts are full but our words fail us. The Etiquette of Illness is a timeless blessing for all those who care." Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D., author of Kitchen Table Wisdom and My Grandfather's Blessings

"With grace and kindness and sensitivity, Susan Halpern gives us words when our own are most likely to fail us, and expands our awareness with wonderful stories and dialogues from people she knows and from her own life. The Etiquette of Illness overflows with delicate suggestions for approaching with greater clarity what we most fear and feel least competent doing. Almost all of us will find it valuable and gratifying to read this book, and to consult it again and again at crucial times to remind us of what it really means to be here for another person." Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Full Catastrophe Living and Wherever You Go, There You Are

"Bringing the rare dual perspective of both the caretaker and the person being taken care of, Susan Halpern tackles the last taboo-how to talk about illness, dying and death. The Etiquette of Illness combines the sensitivity of the therapist with the practicality of someone who's spent time in hospital rooms, either lying in the bed or sitting next to it. This book is filled with much-needed common sense." Cokie Roberts, NPR, ABC News

" beautiful, heartful and wise .... It is the best kind of wisdom: immediate, helpful and filled with compassion." Jack Kornfield, Co founder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center and author of The Wisdom of the Heart.

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