"Death is a subject modern society shies away from ... But if we regard death as a failure in our frantic desire to prolong life, how can we arrive at a humane approach to those whose lives have lost all meaning? ... [The author] takes a wider view of how our attitude to death has changed. Writing with Dr Sarah Jarvis, who has over 22 years experience of dealing with the dying, he confronts one of the greatest challenges facing the Western world today: are we keeping people alive simply because we can? ..."--Jacket.