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Where There's A Will: A Practical Guide To Taking Charge Of Your Affairs
Have you talked to your loved ones about your end-of-life wishes - or about theirs? Do you want to be kept on life support, or sign a power of attorney? What sort of funeral do you want and who will organise it? Think about it now and spare your loved ones a whole lot of grief!
244 pages, Paperback
First published May 17, 2012
About the author
Michael Kerrigan
149 books21 followersMichael Kerrigan is a seasoned freelance writer and editor with over thirty years of experience across a wide spectrum of publishing work, from advertising and catalogue copy to book blurbs and specialist nonfiction. A prolific author, he has written around sixty full-length books on subjects ranging from ancient warfare and Slavic myth to modern architecture and the science of consciousness, all aimed at a general readership. He contributed a weekly Books in Brief column to The Scotsman for two decades and has reviewed extensively for the Times Literary Supplement, The Guardian, and Financial Times.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 7, 2012
This is a non-fiction book that aims to defuse some of the emotion around our society’s taboo about death and dying by presenting information to allow individuals to educate themselves and make choices for when the time comes. The author takes us through how the dying can prepare themselves and those around them for the end, what instructions should be left so that the deceased’s wishes can be met, funerals, epitaphs and making sense of a death for those left behind. And that is only some of what the book provides.
The subtext of this book is really “knowledge is power” as it faces head-on a subject many people don’t want to talk about, and underlines that thinking things through beforehand and being prepared will help everyone involved. The book tries not to tiptoe around the reader’s sensibilities right from the start – it is matter of fact and even has a sense of humour.
Another “subliminal” message of the book would be “never assume” – it points out that, due to our reluctance to talk about death, we tend to assume that others will know our intentions for the end without us having to say anything or that we assume what a loved one will want. All these assumptions may be very wide of the mark.
This relatively short, clearly-written and informal work gets through an enormous amount of useful information and is right up to date. It looks at modern issues such as needing to leave internet passwords for those who survive us (as they may need to access online financial or insurance data) and making sure any photos or documents we have stored online are accessible.
As well as being a repository of incredibly useful information, the book is also interspersed with historical and contemporary facts about how other eras and other societies look at and prepare for death. I suppose some could argue that this aspect of the book is unnecessary, but I found it interesting and enlightening, showing as it does that our society’s view of death is not necessarily the standard view. It demonstrates that there have been and continue to be many other views, all as valid as ours, and that there is no right or wrong perspective. However we think or feel is right.
The only aspect of Where There’s A Will that I have any doubts about is the front cover. It’s quite a “busy” cover with a lot of text on it and I was initially unsure of the Mexican Day of the Dead type illustration. The reason for this choice of graphic was perhaps to try to distance the book from the bland illustrations on other books on similar subjects, however this choice may be a step too far for some readers. In the end though the cover is definitely in keeping with the contents of the book and may be just what it needs.
I found this an interesting and useful guide to many aspects of a difficult subject. It strives to be neutral and even-handed in what it says, and encourages readers to think for themselves in order to find solutions that will suit them and their families. I would recommend Where There’s A Will as a key addition to anyone’s reference library.
The subtext of this book is really “knowledge is power” as it faces head-on a subject many people don’t want to talk about, and underlines that thinking things through beforehand and being prepared will help everyone involved. The book tries not to tiptoe around the reader’s sensibilities right from the start – it is matter of fact and even has a sense of humour.
Another “subliminal” message of the book would be “never assume” – it points out that, due to our reluctance to talk about death, we tend to assume that others will know our intentions for the end without us having to say anything or that we assume what a loved one will want. All these assumptions may be very wide of the mark.
This relatively short, clearly-written and informal work gets through an enormous amount of useful information and is right up to date. It looks at modern issues such as needing to leave internet passwords for those who survive us (as they may need to access online financial or insurance data) and making sure any photos or documents we have stored online are accessible.
As well as being a repository of incredibly useful information, the book is also interspersed with historical and contemporary facts about how other eras and other societies look at and prepare for death. I suppose some could argue that this aspect of the book is unnecessary, but I found it interesting and enlightening, showing as it does that our society’s view of death is not necessarily the standard view. It demonstrates that there have been and continue to be many other views, all as valid as ours, and that there is no right or wrong perspective. However we think or feel is right.
The only aspect of Where There’s A Will that I have any doubts about is the front cover. It’s quite a “busy” cover with a lot of text on it and I was initially unsure of the Mexican Day of the Dead type illustration. The reason for this choice of graphic was perhaps to try to distance the book from the bland illustrations on other books on similar subjects, however this choice may be a step too far for some readers. In the end though the cover is definitely in keeping with the contents of the book and may be just what it needs.
I found this an interesting and useful guide to many aspects of a difficult subject. It strives to be neutral and even-handed in what it says, and encourages readers to think for themselves in order to find solutions that will suit them and their families. I would recommend Where There’s A Will as a key addition to anyone’s reference library.
June 9, 2012
This is an odd mix of narrative, philosophy and self-help manual. Given the subtitle, I expected it to be more of the latter.
In amongst the main text, which covers aspects such as making a will and advance-planning a funeral, there are quirky little true-life tales, but they don’t seem to belong within so much bald information.
The book makes a huge deal of saying (over and over and OVER) that, however unpalatable/distressing it might be, it is vital to face up to death’s inevitability and make plans for it. But, given the audience for the book, there really is no need to restate this ad nauseam: why would someone have bought it if they weren’t aware of that?
Chapter 2 is rather odd: it’s supposedly about how one might want to die, but includes a long section on the declining wealth of the elderly (and yet offers no advice on this issue).
There is a good discussion on the crucial and current topic of assisted suicide. On a practical note, the Recommended Resources at the end is fairly extensive without being overwhelming – though I still think that this type of information should have been included in the main text, in expanded form. There are myriad ideas about types of funeral, monument, burial place and epitaph, but no handy checklist of the essentials of any funeral, or how to organise a standard church funeral, from flowers to catering.
Overall the book is aimed squarely at the person who is going to die, laying out what you should be considering as you approach death (assuming you know), and as such is a reasonable success. It is of little use to someone preparing for, or dealing with, a loved one’s death.
In amongst the main text, which covers aspects such as making a will and advance-planning a funeral, there are quirky little true-life tales, but they don’t seem to belong within so much bald information.
The book makes a huge deal of saying (over and over and OVER) that, however unpalatable/distressing it might be, it is vital to face up to death’s inevitability and make plans for it. But, given the audience for the book, there really is no need to restate this ad nauseam: why would someone have bought it if they weren’t aware of that?
Chapter 2 is rather odd: it’s supposedly about how one might want to die, but includes a long section on the declining wealth of the elderly (and yet offers no advice on this issue).
There is a good discussion on the crucial and current topic of assisted suicide. On a practical note, the Recommended Resources at the end is fairly extensive without being overwhelming – though I still think that this type of information should have been included in the main text, in expanded form. There are myriad ideas about types of funeral, monument, burial place and epitaph, but no handy checklist of the essentials of any funeral, or how to organise a standard church funeral, from flowers to catering.
Overall the book is aimed squarely at the person who is going to die, laying out what you should be considering as you approach death (assuming you know), and as such is a reasonable success. It is of little use to someone preparing for, or dealing with, a loved one’s death.
May 10, 2012
As a nation, we seldom speak about death, we don’t even like to use the word, and have developed cosy euphemisms to cover our unease, and yet, with an ever aging population, the need for an instruction manual on how to cope with the reality of death is an invaluable asset.
This practical guide to putting your affairs in order is both informative and fascinating in equal measure. It attempts to cover all aspects of the dying process in an easy to read style, and is neither mawkish, nor sensationalist in the way it sets out the practicalities of death and dying. The chapters are divided into structured settings, and cover such diverse topics as, the instructional etiquette involved in having your name removed from social media websites and the closing down of online bank accounts, through to the music you want at your funeral and the inscription on your memorial headstone. For those who may be facing their own death, and who need to know the practicalities of the dying process, this book informs in a sensible and forthright manner. Likewise, middle aged children, who may have no experience of the dying process, and who, when faced with the loss of a beloved parent, may struggle to cope with the myriad of emotions involved in preparing a funeral.
The answers to so many questions, you never knew you needed to know, are all written somewhere in this informative book. I enjoyed reading it, and would recommend it as a practical and helpful guide.
This practical guide to putting your affairs in order is both informative and fascinating in equal measure. It attempts to cover all aspects of the dying process in an easy to read style, and is neither mawkish, nor sensationalist in the way it sets out the practicalities of death and dying. The chapters are divided into structured settings, and cover such diverse topics as, the instructional etiquette involved in having your name removed from social media websites and the closing down of online bank accounts, through to the music you want at your funeral and the inscription on your memorial headstone. For those who may be facing their own death, and who need to know the practicalities of the dying process, this book informs in a sensible and forthright manner. Likewise, middle aged children, who may have no experience of the dying process, and who, when faced with the loss of a beloved parent, may struggle to cope with the myriad of emotions involved in preparing a funeral.
The answers to so many questions, you never knew you needed to know, are all written somewhere in this informative book. I enjoyed reading it, and would recommend it as a practical and helpful guide.
June 26, 2012
No matter how different we are during life, how little we have in common with each other, there is one thing that will come to us all.
Death. Generally, it's a taboo subject. People find it hard to talk about death, whether it be their own, or somebody elses.
Michael Kerrigan has written this practical guide to all things related to death and dying. How to set up a care plan, sorting paperwork, planning a funeral and a whole host of other things that most of us wouldn't even think about. Do you want to leave your body to medical science? Do you want to record your life story? How will people you've left behind access your online accounts - do you want them to? Many questions and lots of answers.
Written in a very accessible way, and peppered with bits of history, some poetry, this book is far from the heavy and dreary tome that one would expect.
Although 'enjoyed' is a strange word to describe how I felt when reading this, I did derive some pleasure from it, and it certainly made me think about how I'm going to deal with my own inevitable departure from this world.
Death. Generally, it's a taboo subject. People find it hard to talk about death, whether it be their own, or somebody elses.
Michael Kerrigan has written this practical guide to all things related to death and dying. How to set up a care plan, sorting paperwork, planning a funeral and a whole host of other things that most of us wouldn't even think about. Do you want to leave your body to medical science? Do you want to record your life story? How will people you've left behind access your online accounts - do you want them to? Many questions and lots of answers.
Written in a very accessible way, and peppered with bits of history, some poetry, this book is far from the heavy and dreary tome that one would expect.
Although 'enjoyed' is a strange word to describe how I felt when reading this, I did derive some pleasure from it, and it certainly made me think about how I'm going to deal with my own inevitable departure from this world.
May 10, 2012
I found this useful mainly because it's so warm and well-written rather than just being a to-do list of the sort that I would never actually read, or that sort to simply induce rabbit-in-headlights guilt.
Having experienced a close bereavement, I know that I do not want to leave my own affairs in the state they are in. Worst case scenario would be my parents having to endure the trial of dealing with the complications of a messy life. Will, finances, etc.
This book handles those boring subjects plus all kinds of others, the ones you try to get past quickly in the papers. End-of-life care, living wills, and others. And yet - the book is not even slightly depressing.
Read it! You'd be surprised.
Having experienced a close bereavement, I know that I do not want to leave my own affairs in the state they are in. Worst case scenario would be my parents having to endure the trial of dealing with the complications of a messy life. Will, finances, etc.
This book handles those boring subjects plus all kinds of others, the ones you try to get past quickly in the papers. End-of-life care, living wills, and others. And yet - the book is not even slightly depressing.
Read it! You'd be surprised.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews