Title search results
Showing 1 - 20 of 54045 items
Yes Sister, No Sister: My Life as a Trainee Nurse in 1950s Yorkshire
By Jennifer Craig. 2011
'What is your name?' she asks, staring at me.'Jennifer Ross.''Jennifer Ross, Sister. Well, Nurse Ross, you are dressed in the…
uniform of a nurse from the Leeds General Infirmary. Such a uniform is not worn with a cardigan. Take it off at once.''Yes Sister.' I can feel my face turn red.A trainee nurse in the 1950s had a lot to bear. In Jennifer Craig's enchanting memoir, we meet these warm-hearted yet naïve young girls as they get to grips with strict discipline, long hours and bodily fluids. But we also see the camaraderie that develops in evening study sessions, sneaked trips to the cinema and mischievous escapades with the young trainee doctors. The harsh conditions prove too much for some girls, but the opportunity to help her patients in their time of need is too much of a pull for Jenny. As she commits to her vocation and knuckles down to her exams, she is determined that when she reaches the heights of Ward Sister herself she will not become the frightening matron that struck fear into her student heart ...Rich in period detail, and told with a good dose of Yorkshire humour, Yes Sister, No Sister is a life-affirming true story of a life long past.Years Of Hope: Diaries, Letters and Papers 1940-1962
By Tony Benn. 1994
YEARS OF HOPE is a kind of 'prequel' to the published series of DIARIES, and will cover fully the peerage…
renunciation, as well as revealing his early career, touching on schooldays, RAF service during the war, early involvement with politics etc. As a young man he had dealings with Atlee, Bevan, Morrison, Gaitskill and all the major politicians of the post-war Labour Government. This book will be more personal than earlier volumes and will draw on letters and other documents as well as the DIARIES themselves. It will reveal the extraordinary consistency of Benn's political views, as well as showing how he came to acquire them.The Egoscue Method of Health Through Motion: A Revolutionary Program That Lets You Rediscover the Body's Power to Protect and Rejuvenate Itself
By Pete Egoscue, Roger Gittines. 1992
No one is immune. For people from champion athletes to desk-bound white-collar professionals, many simple acts of life--a relaxing evening…
stroll through the neighborhood, an exhilarating run along a sandy beach, just bending down to tie a loose shoelace-are often acts of torture. The walking wounded suffer from torn rotator cuffs, tennis elbow, jogger's knees, bad backs, stiff necks, sore feet, and swollen ankles. It could, without exaggeration, be called a modem epidemic. In this brilliant book, renowned anatomical functionalist Pete Egoscue identifies the epidemic's causes and effects. By recognizing that the human body is dependent on adequate motion to maintain its full range of physical functions, he has revolutionized both the treatment of musculoskeletal pain and the techniques for training athletes to achieve peak performance levels. Brimming with common sense and practical advice, the heart of this important book consists of twenty-two easy-to-do, highly effective exercises that stretch, strengthen, and relax the body, allowing a return to proper alignment.Biography of Resistance: The Epic Battle Between People and Pathogens
By Muhammad H. Zaman. 2020
Award-winning Boston University educator and researcher Muhammad H. Zaman provides a chilling look at the rise of antibiotic-resistant superbugs, explaining…
how we got here and what we must do to address this growing global health crisis.In September 2016, a woman in Nevada became the first known case in the U.S. of a person who died of an infection resistant to every antibiotic available. Her death is the worst nightmare of infectious disease doctors and public health professionals. While bacteria live within us and are essential for our health, some strains can kill us. As bacteria continue to mutate, becoming increasingly resistant to known antibiotics, we are likely to face a public health crisis of unimaginable proportions. “It will be like the great plague of the middle ages, the influenza pandemic of 1918, the AIDS crisis of the 1990s, and the Ebola epidemic of 2014 all combined into a single threat,” Muhammad H. Zaman warns.The Biography of Resistance is Zaman’s riveting and timely look at why and how microbes are becoming superbugs. It is a story of science and evolution that looks to history, culture, attitudes and our own individual choices and collective human behavior. Following the trail of resistant bacteria from previously uncontacted tribes in the Amazon to the isolated islands in the Arctic, from the urban slums of Karachi to the wilderness of the Australian outback, Zaman examines the myriad factors contributing to this unfolding health crisis—including war, greed, natural disasters, and germophobia—to the culprits driving it: pharmaceutical companies, farmers, industrialists, doctors, governments, and ordinary people, all whose choices are pushing us closer to catastrophe.Joining the ranks of acclaimed works like Microbe Hunters, The Emperor of All Maladies, and Spillover, A Biography of Resistance is a riveting and chilling tale from a natural storyteller on the front lines, and a clarion call to address the biggest public health threat of our time.The New Normal: A Roadmap to Resilience in the Pandemic Era
By Jennifer Ashton, Sarah Toland. 2021
From Dr. Jennifer Ashton—the Chief Medical Correspondent at ABC News covering breaking medical news for Good Morning America and GMA3:…
What You Need to Know—comes a doctor’s guide to finding resilience in the time of COVID, while staying safe and sane in a rapidly changing world.In March 2020, “normal” life changed, perhaps forever. In its place we were confronted with life and routines that were unusual and different: the new normal. As we’ve all learned since then, the new normal isn’t just about wearing masks and standing six feet apart—it’s about recognizing how to stay safe and sane in a world that is suddenly unfamiliar. And no one understands this evolving landscape better than Dr. Jennifer Ashton. As ABC’s Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Ashton has been reporting on the novel coronavirus daily, helping Americans comprehend the urgent medical updates that have shaped the nation’s continued response to this public health crisis. Now in The New Normal, Dr. Ashton offers the essential toolkit for life in this unfamiliar reality. Rooted in her reporting on COVID-19 and the understanding that the virus isn’t going anywhere overnight, The New Normal is built on a simple foundation: thriving in this evolving world demands accepting the new normal for what it is, not what we want it to be. No longer is wellness a buzzword, but an imperative for surviving this unprecedented time. Using her trademark practical, easy-to-follow advice, Dr. Ashton gives you all the necessary information to reclaim control of your life and live safely—from exercise, to diet, to general health—showing how to prepare your body and mind for challenges such as: - Taking proper medical precautions to protect yourself and your loved ones- Exercising during the pandemic, even if you no longer feel safe at the gym- Finding emotional balance through these uncertain times- Deciphering complicated medical news to learn what to trust and what to ignore With these straightforward and accessible strategies and many more, Dr. Ashtonhelps empower you to make the unexpectedly hard decisions about socializing, food-shopping, seeing doctors, and most of all, finding normalcy. At once reassuring and urgent, The New Normal is a holistic roadmap through the ongoing struggles of the pandemic, providing the guidance you need to navigate this unsettling time and take charge of your future wellbeing.The Wars of the Roosevelts: The Ruthless Rise of America's Greatest Political Family
By William J. Mann. 2017
The award-winning author presents a provocative, thoroughly modern revisionist biographical history of one of America’s greatest and most influential families—the…
Roosevelts—exposing heretofore unknown family secrets and detailing complex family rivalries with his signature cinematic flair.Drawing on previously hidden historical documents and interviews with the long-silent "illegitimate" branch of the family, William J. Mann paints an elegant, meticulously researched, and groundbreaking group portrait of this legendary family. Mann argues that the Roosevelts’ rise to power and prestige was actually driven by a series of intense personal contest that at times devolved into blood sport. His compelling and eye-opening masterwork is the story of a family at war with itself, of social Darwinism at its most ruthless—in which the strong devoured the weak and repudiated the inconvenient. Mann focuses on Eleanor Roosevelt, who, he argues, experienced this brutality firsthand, witnessing her Uncle Theodore cruelly destroy her father, Elliott—his brother and bitter rival—for political expediency. Mann presents a fascinating alternate picture of Eleanor, contending that this "worshipful niece" in fact bore a grudge against TR for the rest of her life, and dares to tell the truth about her intimate relationships without obfuscations, explanations, or labels.Mann also brings into focus Eleanor’s cousins, TR’s children, whose stories propelled the family rivalry but have never before been fully chronicled, as well as her illegitimate half-brother, Elliott Roosevelt Mann, who inherited his family’s ambition and skill without their name and privilege. Growing up in poverty just miles from his wealthy relatives, Elliott Mann embodied the American Dream, rising to middle-class prosperity and enjoying one of the very few happy, long-term marriages in the Roosevelt saga. For the first time, The Wars of the Roosevelts also includes the stories of Elliott’s daughter and grandchildren, and never-before-seen photographs from their archives.Deeply psychological and finely rendered, illustrated with sixteen pages of black-and-white photographs, The Wars of the Roosevelts illuminates not only the enviable strengths but also the profound shame of this remarkable and influential family.Margaret Thatcher: The Autobiography
By Margaret Thatcher. 2010
Published in a single volume for the first time, Margaret Thatcher is the story of her remarkable life told in her own…
words--the definitive account of an extraordinary woman and consummate politician, bringing together her bestselling memoirs The Downing Street Years and The Path to Power. Margaret Thatcher is the towering political figure of late-twentieth-century Great Britain. No other prime minister in modern times sought to change the British nation and its place in the world as radically as she did.Writing candidly about her upbringing and early years and the formation of her character and values, she details the experiences that propelled her to the very top in a man's world. She offers a riveting firsthand history of the major events, the crises and triumphs, during her eleven years as prime minister, including the Falklands War, the Brighton hotel bombing, the Westland affair, the final years of the Cold War, and her unprecedented three election victories. Thatcher's judgments of the men and women she encountered during her time in power-from statesmen, premiers, and presidents to Cabinet colleagues-are astonishingly frank, and she recalls her dramatic final days in office with a gripping, hour-by-hour description from inside 10 Downing Street. Powerful, candid, and compelling, Margaret Thatcher stands as a testament to a great leader's significant legacy.Tales from Both Sides of the Brain: A Life in Neuroscience
By Michael S. Gazzaniga. 2015
Michael S. Gazzaniga, one of the most important neuroscientists of the twentieth century, gives us an exciting behind-the-scenes look at…
his seminal work on that unlikely couple, the right and left brain. Foreword by Steven Pinker.In the mid-twentieth century, Michael S. Gazzaniga, “the father of cognitive neuroscience,” was part of a team of pioneering neuroscientists who developed the now foundational split-brain brain theory: the notion that the right and left hemispheres of the brain can act independently from one another and have different strengths.In Tales from Both Sides of the Brain, Gazzaniga tells the impassioned story of his life in science and his decades-long journey to understand how the separate spheres of our brains communicate and miscommunicate with their separate agendas. By turns humorous and moving, Tales from Both Sides of the Brain interweaves Gazzaniga’s scientific achievements with his reflections on the challenges and thrills of working as a scientist. In his engaging and accessible style, he paints a vivid portrait not only of his discovery of split-brain theory, but also of his comrades in arms—the many patients, friends, and family who have accompanied him on this wild ride of intellectual discovery.A Different Drummer: My Thirty Years with Ronald Reagan
By Michael K. Deaver. 2001
The New York Times bestselling memoir of Ronald Reagan by his longtime aide and friend"These are memories of a friend…
and they span over the 35 years that I have known and loved Ronald and Nancy Reagan. Primarily anecdotal, there will be no footnotes, simply my best efforts to reconstruct these years and what they have meant to me."--Michael DeaverRONALD REAGAN AND ME will be comprised of six parts:The Early Years: Deaver and his first meeting with Reagan during his campaign for governor of California in 1966. His first impressions of Reagan's his management style, media savvy and incredible ability to communicate.Reagan: The Man: A look at the traits that make the man: perfectionist, competitor, unwavering discipline, and a deep sense of purpose and destiny.Sincerely, Ronald Reagan: Never-before-published excerpts from letters Reagan wrote to people of various backgrounds.The Campaigner: On the stump during the presidential campaigns.Mr. President: Reagan in action in the Oval Office. How he changed after he was shot, and his battles with Congress and Communism.The Long Goodbye: With Nancy's cooperation, a look at the Reagans' struggle with Alzheimers and the impact it has had on their marriage and the family.God and Ronald Reagan: A Spiritual Life
By Paul Kengor. 2004
Ronald Reagan is hailed today for a presidency that restored optimism to America, engendered years of economic prosperity, and helped…
bring about the fall of the Soviet Union. Yet until now little attention has been paid to the role Reagan's personal spirituality played in his political career, shaping his ideas, bolstering his resolve, and ultimately compelling him to confront the brutal -- and, not coincidentally, atheistic -- Soviet empire.In this groundbreaking book, political historian Paul Kengor draws upon Reagan's legacy of speeches and correspondence, and the memories of those who knew him well, to reveal a man whose Christian faith remained deep and consistent throughout his more than six decades in public life. Raised in the Disciples of Christ Church by a devout mother with a passionate missionary streak, Reagan embraced the church after reading a Christian novel at the age of eleven. A devoted Sunday-school teacher, he absorbed the church's model of "practical Christianity" and strived to achieve it in every stage of his life.But it was in his lifelong battle against communism -- first in Hollywood, then on the political stage -- that Reagan's Christian beliefs had their most profound effect. Appalled by the religious repression and state-mandated atheism of Bolshevik Marxism, Reagan felt called by a sense of personal mission to confront the USSR. Inspired by influences as diverse as C.S. Lewis, Whittaker Chambers, and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, he waged an openly spiritual campaign against communism, insisting that religious freedom was the bedrock of personal liberty. "The source of our strength in the quest for human freedom is not material, but spiritual," he said in his Evil Empire address. "And because it knows no limitation, it must terrify and ultimately triumph over those who would enslave their fellow man."From a church classroom in 1920s Dixon, Illinois, to his triumphant mission to Moscow in 1988, Ronald Reagan was both political leader and spiritual crusader. God and Ronald Reagan deepens immeasurably our understanding of how these twin missions shaped his presidency -- and changed the world.The Scientist in the Crib: What Early Learning Tells Us About the Mind
By Alison Gopnik, Andrew N. Meltzoff, Patricia K. Kuhl. 1998
This exciting book by three pioneers in the new field of cognitive science discusses important discoveries about how much babies…
and young children know and learn, and how much parents naturally teach them.It argues that evolution designed us both to teach and learn, and that the drive to learn is our most important instinct. It also reveals as fascinating insights about our adult capacities and how even young children -- as well as adults -- use some of the same methods that allow scientists to learn so much about the world. Filled with surprise at every turn, this vivid, lucid, and often funny book gives us a new view of the inner life of children and the mysteries of the mind.Vital Organs
By Suzie Edge. 2023
The remarkable stories of the world's most famous body parts.Louis XIV's rear end inspired the British National Anthem. Queen Victoria's…
armpit led to the development of antiseptics.Robert Jenkin's ear started a war.All too often, historical figures feel distant and abstract; more myth and legend than real flesh and blood. These stories of bodies and its parts remind us that history's most-loved, and most-hated, were real breathing creatures who inhabited organs and limbs just like us - until they're cut off that is.Medical historian Dr Suzie Edge investigates over 40 cases of how we've used, abused, dug up, displayed, experimented on, and worshipped body parts, including why Percy Shelley's heart refused to burn; how Yao Niang's toes started a 1000 year long ritual; why a giant's bones are making us rethink medical ethics; and the strange case of Hitler's right testicle.The Return of George Washington: Uniting the States, 1783–1789
By Edward J. Larson. 2014
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER"An elegantly written account of leadership at the most pivotal moment in American history" (Philadelphia Inquirer): Pulitzer Prize-winning…
historian Edward J. Larson reveals how George Washington saved the United States by coming out of retirement to lead the Constitutional Convention and serve as our first president.After leading the Continental Army to victory in the Revolutionary War, George Washington shocked the world: he retired. In December 1783, General Washington, the most powerful man in the country, stepped down as Commander in Chief and returned to private life at Mount Vernon. Yet as Washington contentedly grew his estate, the fledgling American experiment floundered. Under the Articles of Confederation, the weak central government was unable to raise revenue to pay its debts or reach a consensus on national policy. The states bickered and grew apart. When a Constitutional Convention was established to address these problems, its chances of success were slim. Jefferson, Madison, and the other Founding Fathers realized that only one man could unite the fractious states: George Washington. Reluctant, but duty-bound, Washington rode to Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 to preside over the Convention.Although Washington is often overlooked in most accounts of the period, this masterful new history from Pulitzer Prize-winner Edward J. Larson brilliantly uncovers Washington’s vital role in shaping the Convention—and shows how it was only with Washington’s support and his willingness to serve as President that the states were brought together and ratified the Constitution, thereby saving the country.Living Well with Type 2 Diabetes: A Whole Person Understanding and Approach (Living Well)
By Dr John Gedney, Pamela Myles-Hooton. 2024
A practical, self-help guide for living well with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) In the last forty years, we have seen…
an astounding rise in the prevalence of T2D in most countries. There are thought to be close to half a billion people affected worldwide. Traditionally thought of as a disease of mid-life and old age, both T2D and the metabolic markers of future disease are now increasingly being seen in young people, children and even infants. The burden of this disease is huge at all levels − for healthcare spend and for added risk of other medical problems. Other than its physical impacts, more than a third of people with T2D are said to experience psychological problems related specifically to the condition. We are now at a crossroads in understanding the science behind T2D with a more focused approach emerging. Research and practice are challenging the traditional way in which we approach and manage T2D − as well as better understanding how to prevent it altogether. By following the advice in this book, you will: · Better understand and be empowered to control your metabolic health · Learn how to prevent, reverse, or improve, and better manage your T2D Living Well self-help guides use clinically proven techniques to treat long-standing and disabling conditions, both psychological and physical.Liz Earle shows us how to future-proof our health in midlife and beyond using evidence-based techniques, ideas and wisdom accumulated…
over her years of experience in the wellbeing arena.We all know that midlife women are often hit the hardest of all health-wise, sandwiched between bringing up our families, juggling work and caring for ailing parents, and it is all too easy to lose sight of ourselves. But whatever stage or age you are there is hope and many ways to take back control of your health - physical, mental and emotional - and make yourself a priority rather than bottom of the to-do list. Liz Earle will sort the fads from the fiction in wellbeing and break through the noise that surrounds all the online advice that can overwhelm us. She has taken this mission to heart with her empowering new book A BETTER SECOND HALF. Part a retrospective of her life and part a brilliant, distillation of self-help, Liz puts forward what we need to do to live well and age well through midlife and beyond. Never shy of making her body a testing lab for new discoveries, Liz shares important information on the gut-brain axis, nutri-genomics, the efficacy of high intensity weight training, the pros and cons of low carb diets, biohacking techniques and much, much more.Liz Earle is one of the most-trusted voices in wellbeing today and here she shares her hard-won wisdom, practical advice and know-how that can turn the tide on those feelings of dejection and can have us heading into our second halves full of vigour and hope to live longer and better.Liz Earle shows us how to future-proof our health in midlife and beyond using evidence-based techniques, ideas and wisdom accumulated…
over her years of experience in the wellbeing arena.We all know that midlife women are often hit the hardest of all health-wise, sandwiched between bringing up our families, juggling work and caring for ailing parents, and it is all too easy to lose sight of ourselves. But whatever stage or age you are there is hope and many ways to take back control of your health - physical, mental and emotional - and make yourself a priority rather than bottom of the to-do list. Liz Earle will sort the fads from the fiction in wellbeing and break through the noise that surrounds all the online advice that can overwhelm us. She has taken this mission to heart with her empowering new book A BETTER SECOND HALF. Part a retrospective of her life and part a brilliant, distillation of self-help, Liz puts forward what we need to do to live well and age well through midlife and beyond. Never shy of making her body a testing lab for new discoveries, Liz shares important information on the gut-brain axis, nutri-genomics, the efficacy of high intensity weight training, the pros and cons of low carb diets, biohacking techniques and much, much more.Liz Earle is one of the most-trusted voices in wellbeing today and here she shares her hard-won wisdom, practical advice and know-how that can turn the tide on those feelings of dejection and can have us heading into our second halves full of vigour and hope to live longer and better.Living Well with Type 2 Diabetes: A Whole Person Understanding and Approach (Living Well)
By Dr John Gedney, Pamela Myles-Hooton. 2024
A practical, self-help guide for living well with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) In the last forty years, we have seen…
an astounding rise in the prevalence of T2D in most countries. There are thought to be close to half a billion people affected worldwide. Traditionally thought of as a disease of mid-life and old age, both T2D and the metabolic markers of future disease are now increasingly being seen in young people, children and even infants. The burden of this disease is huge at all levels − for healthcare spend and for added risk of other medical problems. Other than its physical impacts, more than a third of people with T2D are said to experience psychological problems related specifically to the condition. We are now at a crossroads in understanding the science behind T2D with a more focused approach emerging. Research and practice are challenging the traditional way in which we approach and manage T2D − as well as better understanding how to prevent it altogether. By following the advice in this book, you will: · Better understand and be empowered to control your metabolic health · Learn how to prevent, reverse, or improve, and better manage your T2D Living Well self-help guides use clinically proven techniques to treat long-standing and disabling conditions, both psychological and physical.Finding Me in Menopause: Flourishing in Perimenopause and Menopause using Nutrition and Lifestyle
By Dr Nitu Bajekal. 2024
HRT is the one-stop solution for difficult menopause symptoms, we are told. But what if you don't want to take…
it? What if you can't take it? What if you can't get to a doctor? What if you can't get through to a doctor?In Finding Me in Menopause, Dr Nitu Bajekal, OBGYN, and one of the UK's first Board-Certified Lifestyle Medicine Physicians, shares how lifestyle interventions, and the food we eat, can dramatically transform menopausal health. following the principle of six lifestyle pillars, she gives simple yet scientific nutrition and lifestyle tips to transform the experience of menopause, with or without hormone therapy.Throughout her book, Dr Bajekal shows you how to lead a healthier and happier life, and make a positive difference for yourself and your loved ones, using time-tested techniques that anyone can access. You will learn how to identify and manage stress, understand how sleep affects our hormones, the role of exercise in our lives, and the importance of maintaining positive social connections for our mental health.There is dietary support, which draws on the science and power of plant-based nutrition to offer Menopause Menus - dozens of easy, delicious, and nourishing plant-based recipes for breakfast, main meals, and snacks from Nitu's kitchen with a shopping plan, and health insights for each dish.Each lifestyle pillar chapter concludes with a Menopause Mantra: a summary, a list of the top self-help tips to implement and a positive affirmation that is tied to that chapter.Finding Me In Menopause is an inclusive, non-pharmaceutical, holistic program that takes into account the needs of all women, from all backgrounds, removing the barriers that might stop you seeking support and giving you straightforward, achievable lifestyle-based strategies that will make a huge difference to your wellbeing.Finding Me in Menopause: Flourishing in Perimenopause and Menopause using Nutrition and Lifestyle
By Dr Nitu Bajekal. 2024
HRT is the one-stop solution for difficult menopause symptoms, we are told. But what if you don't want to take…
it? What if you can't take it? What if you can't get to a doctor? What if you can't get through to a doctor?In Finding Me in Menopause, Dr Nitu Bajekal, OBGYN, and one of the UK's first Board-Certified Lifestyle Medicine Physicians, shares how lifestyle interventions, and the food we eat, can dramatically transform menopausal health. following the principle of six lifestyle pillars, she gives simple yet scientific nutrition and lifestyle tips to transform the experience of menopause, with or without hormone therapy.Throughout her book, Dr Bajekal shows you how to lead a healthier and happier life, and make a positive difference for yourself and your loved ones, using time-tested techniques that anyone can access. You will learn how to identify and manage stress, understand how sleep affects our hormones, the role of exercise in our lives, and the importance of maintaining positive social connections for our mental health.There is dietary support, which draws on the science and power of plant-based nutrition to offer Menopause Menus - dozens of easy, delicious, and nourishing plant-based recipes for breakfast, main meals, and snacks from Nitu's kitchen with a shopping plan, and health insights for each dish.Each lifestyle pillar chapter concludes with a Menopause Mantra: a summary, a list of the top self-help tips to implement and a positive affirmation that is tied to that chapter.Finding Me In Menopause is an inclusive, non-pharmaceutical, holistic program that takes into account the needs of all women, from all backgrounds, removing the barriers that might stop you seeking support and giving you straightforward, achievable lifestyle-based strategies that will make a huge difference to your wellbeing.Critical Care: A New Nurse Faces Death, Life, and Everything in Between
By Theresa Brown. 2010
“Among all the recent books on medicine, Critical Care stands alone.“ — Pauline Chen, author of Final Exam“A must read…
for anyone who wants to understand healthcare. Extraordinary.” — Elizabeth Cohen, MPH, CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Critical Care is the powerful and absorbing memoir of Theresa Brown—a regular contributor to the New York Times blog “Well”—about her experiences during the first year on the job as an oncology nurse; in the process, Brown sheds brilliant light on issues of mortality and meaning in our lives.