In my time of dying: how I came face to face with the idea of an afterlife

 In my time of dying: how I came face to face with the idea of an afterlife by Sebastian Junger (2024) 162 pages

A quick read (very important if you are close to death) by an author known for living fast and hard. Junger is a masterful writer and this little volume is no exception. Junger came close to death in his 50s due to a rare congenital “plumbing defect” and although he describes his ordeal in minute detail his focus is on the apparition he experiences.  He sees his deceased father beckoning as his vital signs fall and, writer that he is, he explores the scientific/philosophical/religious basis for this vision. At this he fails. His interviews with his various doctors and experts in near-death experience lead him to no definitive conclusion. However, there is still a lot that is worthwhile packed into this book. Junger, whose journalism has often been dispatches from conflict zones – notably his book War – includes a number of larger-than-life (should that be death?) anecdotes that are actually more terrifying than his brush with death. I was impressed with this short volume, a great writer tackling an impossible topic and not being afraid to bare his unquantifiable experience.