A Beginner's Guide to Dying

Deemed “a funny, touching mediation on death” by the Sunday Times, this warm and wise book offers lessons for all of us in how to approach life—from someone in the process of dying.

In his mid-40s, aid worker Simon Boas was diagnosed with incurable cancer—it had been caught too late, and spread throughout his body. But he was determined to die as he had learned to live—optimistically, thinking the best of people, and prioritizing what really matters in life.

The advice isn't quite “Don't buy any green bananas”—but it's close to “Don't start any long books.”

This remarkable book, a runaway bestseller in the UK, is not just a meditation on dying, but also a hymn to the joy and preciousness of life. A Beginner’s Guide to Dying is destined to become a modern classic.

About the Author

Simon Boas was born in 1977 and spent his childhood in London and Winchester. He spent his career working for development charities across the globe as well as the UN. At 46, he was diagnosed with advanced throat cancer. In the year following, he wrote pieces about happiness and illness for his local paper, which went viral, encouraging him to expand. A Beginner's Guide to Dying is the result.

Author Hometown: London, UK