In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face to Face with the Idea of an Afterlife
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At a glance
- Condition
- New
- Dimensions
- 5.5 x 0.7 x 7.75 in
- Weight
- 10.4 oz
- Publisher
- Simon & Schuster
- Publication date
- May 21, 2024
- Language
- English
- Print length
- 176 pages
Description
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A near-fatal health emergency leads to this powerful reflection on death—and what might follow—by the bestselling author of Tribe and The Perfect Storm. For years as an award-winning war reporter, Sebastian Junger traveled to many front lines and frequently put his life at risk. And yet the closest he ever came to death was the summer of 2020 while spending a quiet afternoon at the New England home he shared with his wife and two young children. Crippled by abdominal pain, Junger was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. Once there, he began slipping away. As blackness encroached, he was visited by his dead father, inviting Junger to join him. “It’s okay,” his father said. “There’s nothing to be scared of. I’ll take care of you.” That was the last thing Junger remembered until he came to the next day when he was told he had suffered a ruptured aneurysm that he should not have survived. This experience spurred Junger—a confirmed atheist raised by his physicist father to respect the empirical—to undertake a scientific, philosophical, and deeply personal examination of mortality and what happens after we die. How do we begin to process the brutal fact that any of us might perish unexpectedly on what begins as an ordinary day? How do we grapple with phenomena that science may be unable to explain? And what happens to a person, emotionally and spiritually, when forced to reckon with such existential questions? In My Time of Dying is part medical drama, part searing autobiography, and part rational inquiry into the ultimate unknowable mystery. Read more
Specs 8
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
|---|---|
| Publication date | May 21, 2024 |
| Language | English |
| Print length | 176 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1668050838 |
| ISBN-13 | 35 |
| Item Weight | 10.4 ounces |
| Dimensions | 5.5 x 0.7 x 7.75 inches |
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Top Amazon Reviews
A Profound Exploration of Death and Existence That Challenges Everything You Think You Know
Format: Hardcover
A revelatory, terrifying, and intimate exploration of death and what may come after, Sebastian Junger's In My Time of Dying is a masterful blend of memoir, anthropology, science, and philosophy that dares confront the ultimate of final frontier of existence. Sebastian Junger is probably my favorite nonfiction author. His books Tribe and Freedom changed the way I thought and talked about politics. And his account as a war journalist in Afghanistan, War, is one of the best combat narratives I've ever read. Even so, I was extremely skeptical when I heard the topic of his latest book. An account of Junger's brush with the afterlife? Really? I needn't not be worried though — In My Time of Dying delivers an existential dread- and wonder-inducing examination of That Which We Do Not Speak Of. Like Tribe and Freedom, In My Time of Dying is a very slim volume – only about 140 pages of actual text. But if you've read Junger before, you know that no one is better at making every sentence count. In My Time of Dying is split into two sections, "What" and "If." In "What," Junger recounts the events of June 16, 2020, in which he suffered an ultra-rare pancreatic aneurysm completely out of the blue. As doctors fought to save his life in the operating room, Junger — an ardent atheist — experienced something he couldn't explain, a visitation from his dead father. In the second part, "If," Junger ruthlessly interrogates the plausibility of this otherworldly experience through a variety of lenses — religion, anthropology, neurobiology, and quantum mechanics. Specifically, Junger's explanation of something called "delayed-choice quantum erasure," an observable and quantifiable scientific phenomena in which reality essentially rewrites itself based on us having "tricked" it, is one of the most chilling and goosebump-inducing passages of nonfiction I've ever read. I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea here. In My Time of Dying isn't a Heaven Is For Real-like tale of conversion. Whether you're acutely religious or stoically agnostic, In My Time of Dying will make you deeply uncomfortable. Because here's the stone-cold truth: We don't know what happens when we die. I consider myself religious, but if I'm honest with myself — like lying awake in the dead of night honest — my hope in an afterlife is mostly socially constructed and reinforced by my upbringing and surroundings (that's why it's called faith). As such, In My Time of Dying is an extremely emotionally intense read at times, and if you're religious, it'll probably force you to reckon with the likelihood that death is simply a threshold that leads to a self-annihilating void. At the same time, if you're atheist/agnostic who trusts in "reality," get ready to have your entire framework of "reality" blasted apart and have your face rubbed in the dirt of how little you actually understand about how the universe. In My Time of Dying receives my highest recommendation. It's short, thought-provoking, harrowing, insightful, and beautiful. It'll make you want to live and love better and smarter. And, perhaps most tellingly, it immediately made me want to talk about it with other people.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2024 by Joe Terrell
Though Missing Some Important Realizations, a Quick and Enjoyable Read
Format: Kindle
The book chronicles the author’s close brush with death and his struggles to come to grips with it. On the plus side, the story of his near death and his telling of the circumstances surrounding the deaths of others kept my interest. Also, his explanations of death from the physiological, medical, and hospital perspectives were fascinating. Moreover, the book offers the reader a survey of some of the current science concerning reality (from the macrocosmic to the quantum level) and speculated theories about the cosmos, consciousness, and an afterlife. However, on the minus side, the book has only two chapters, titled “What” and “If,” and no titled sections within them, so no useful TOC for the body of the book. Thus, it lacked organization, and I never knew what the current overarching topic was, when it would end, and what to expect next. It jumped back and forth between expository and narrative, and back and forth between present and past. Also, there is no final resolution offered and no new revelations. Moreover, missing from the author’s story of his “time of dying” and his musings on “the idea of an afterlife” are: - An explanation (or realization?) that his vision of the “black pit” and his dead father was technically an ELDV (End of Life Dream or Vision), a common phenomenon among the dying, and not an NDE (Near-Death Experience). - Any discussion of the philosophical issues related to an afterlife. Is it desirable? Logically, can it be eternally pleasant? Does one have free will? What does one do for zillions of years? Will one become bored? - Any realization that a universal consciousness present at the Big Bang and “woven into the very nature of matter” could be a God, as in pantheism. (See "The God Theory" by Bernard Haisch.) - Any discussion of the theory of a natural eternal consciousness (NEC) and natural afterlife. The theory states that assuming no supernatural afterlife, our soul does indeed survive death as we are imperceptibly paused in the last moment of our final experience, which could be an NDE. (See "A Natural Afterlife Discovered: The Newfound, Psychological Reality That Awaits Us at Death" by Bryon Ehlmann.) Despite its shortcomings, as a quick, enjoyable read, I can recommend this book.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2024 by Bryon Ehlmann
A War Correspondent Writes An Excellent Book About Quantum Theory
Format: Audiobook
To be honest, I initially struggled with this book but ended up falling in love with it after I took the time to digest it completely. I purchased it because I have read Junger's writings before and admire him as a journalist and writer. I believed the book would primarily focus on the intricate details of his survival during an out-of-the-blue medical emergency that culminated in a near-death experience (NDE). Yes, the book is centered around that information, which was a horrifying medical emergency that Junger experienced and almost died from. But, after he details everything that happened and he lived to talk about, he looks to quantum theory for clues about the NDE he experienced. In retrospect, it's important that he write about the possible meaning of his experience. Instead of taking his experience of near death into a metaphysical or woo-woo realm, he takes it deeply into a historical rather than a mathematical or mechanical view of quantum physics. I had to stop and really consider what he was presenting, but at the end of the day, I understood, and it all made sense. I was blown away by Unger's writing. As a full-time professional writer, I often buy books to study the style, energy, and essence of the words presented in the book. Unger is a masterful writer. Ultimately, I loved the book and read it twice to make sure I caught all the nuances. It can get a little uncomfortable when you read about his medical emergency. It reminded me of some of the TV shows set in hospitals where you see surgeons cutting people open. That freaked me out a little bit, but I was always able to get through the gory (but real-life) stuff in the end. If you know what the book is really about and understand the paths he takes, it is an amazing book. Someone looking for a woo-woo or metaphysical direction might not love all the references to physics. I give this a 5+ for the writing alone, but the subject matter if a solid 5+ as well. I highly recommend this book.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2024 by Karen Marie Shelton
Pretty good
Format: Hardcover
Like all of his other books, this is a good yet brief account by the author about a major medical emergency in which he had what can be described as a near death experience. The bulk of the book is a play by play of the emergency; notes on the history of some of the medical techniques used to save his life; reflections of nearly dying; the possibility that life continues beyond this mortal realm and problems with science explaining consciousness. It was an interesting and personal reflection of a man raised in a scientific and nonreligious home wrestling with the possibility that life continues beyond the measuring capabilities of humanity at the moment.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2025 by Bryn C. Dunham
Junger’s thinking at its best.
Format: Kindle
I would love to have him and Chris Hitchens in a room and just throw topics at them. Not to debate, just to hear them elucidate. Junger put a great deal of thought and emotion into this cathartic (for him) book; you get the feeling this is the one he’s most satisfied with.
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2026 by Ken C Lynch
I love the way he writes
Format: Hardcover
I love the way he writes. It is simple but easy to understand. I have this book and his book Tribe which explains his time when he was covering different conflicts. It also explains his bouts with PTSD. This book explains his bout with death and how he rethought his life. Great book very honest.
Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2026 by ksc
Not the most focused book on the subject
Format: Kindle
As every firsthand account, the validity of this book is unquestionable—within the scope of the author’s experience. On the other hand, as a contemplation on the “in time of dying,” the book is all over the place. I appreciate that the author whose life is filled with remarkable experiences used them to make sense of what happened to him “in time of dying,” but the sense making process was not what happened at that very pivotal moment in the author’s life leaving the reader, at least this one, wondering why they are being told of the Austrian and Spanish roots and family history of the author. Similarly, the military experience of the author is that of a true hero, but it hardly contributes to explaining what the author went through and why at the time he felt “the void open” and the energy/spirit of his dad appear. On the other hand, when it comes to explaining this very topic, the one that the book is supposed to be mainly about, the author fast forwards through the uncomfortable moment jumping to unnecessarily definitive conclusions that lack the depth of research and unbiased openness that the experience of dying often solicits and the profound transformation that “coming back from the dead” often brings.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2025 by ICarryOn
Read an excerpt and sought out the full book--so glad I did.
Format: Kindle
Not too long ago, I read an excerpt from Mr. Junger's book which led me to put it on my list of "books I want to read". I just got the book yesterday and finished it this morning. Mr. Junger is an incredibly talented writer and it was an easy book to get lost in. It touched on many of my interests including medical stuff, NDEs (near death experiences), a bit of spiritual wonderings, and physics. The physics bit was a nice surprise as was Mr. Junger's family history. I loved physics (well not in high school, but when I went back years post-bac and took a course), but pursued a different career. These days, I get my physics-fix from BBC podcasts like "The Infinite Monkey Cage". I had no idea that there would be so much interesting physics involved in this book or that Mr. Junger would be so good at explaining it to a level that I could understand. Mr. Junger tells the tale of ignoring some warning signs from his body until it was too late and then ending up in the ER with a quite serious medical situation. You likely have guessed that he survived, otherwise there would be no book. I will try and avoid any spoilers but will say that I did something similar, and when I finally went to the ER (I resisted due to a $600 ER copay (regardless if it was deemed an emergency). I would ask myself, am I in $600 worth of pain? The answer was always, "no"), I was told I was lucky I came in when I did. I appreciated the stories looking back on Mr. Junger's past experiences and especially the tales of his father. It made me miss my Dad so. I actually started researching NDEs as I tried to help my very scientific father prepare for hospice after a long battle with leukemia. One thing that I appreciated the most was the extensive research notes Mr. Junger provided at the end. My love of rabbit trails brain will be kept busy.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2024 by Mayflower Girl