Our Last Best Act, Mallory McDuff
Our Last Best Act, Mallory McDuff
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Our Last Best Act
Planning For the End of Our Lives to Protect the People and Places We Love

Author: Mallory McDuff

Narrator: Lu Banks

Unabridged: 6 hr 33 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 07/18/2023


Synopsis

As we begin to contemplate death and to embark on practical planning for life's end, many of us long to leave a legacy beyond a transfer of money and property—one that ensures a sustainable earth for our loved ones, our communities, and generations to come. But where do we even begin?

With the sudden deaths of both of her parents, Mallory McDuff found herself in a similar position. Utterly unprepared both emotionally and practically, she began to research sustainable practices around death and dying. For McDuff, an educator and environmentalist, what started as a highly personal endeavor expanded into a yearlong exploration and assessment of green burials, aquamation, green cemeteries, home funerals, and human composting.

In Our Last Best Act, McDuff bridges the gap between environmental action and religious faith by demonstrating that when the two are combined, they become a powerful force for the greater good. Full of practical information, this book equips listeners to make decisions for their own end-of-life planning. In a world experiencing a climate crisis and a culture that avoids discussions about death and dying, this book opens the conversation about the choices we make—and how it's possible for our death to honor our values, create a sustainable legacy, and help to heal the earth.

About Mallory McDuff

Mallory McDuff teaches environmental education at Warren Wilson College outside Asheville, North Carolina. With her two daughters, she lives on campus in a 900-square-foot house with an expansive view of the Appalachian Mountains. She is the author of five books, including Our Last Best Act: Planning for the End of Our Lives to Protect the People and Places We Love. Her essays have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, WIRED, and more.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Charlene on December 04, 2021

Our Last Best Act transformed my aversion to dealing with any details about my own death. Now I feel a sense of anticipation and adventure as I begin my own planning for My Last Best Act. Thank you, Mallory for sharing with readers your own journey of planning for your death via the gift of this boo......more

Goodreads review by Ellie on April 30, 2022

This is the book I didn't know I needed to read. It reminds me a bit of being in Bed, Bath and Beyond and seeing all the things that I never knew existed and suddenly realizing I can't live without them. Mallory takes us, gently, informatively, and respectfully, through all the options that are avail......more

Goodreads review by Frank on December 10, 2021

Oh my, what can I say. I'm about 80% finished with this amazing book. I'm a slow reader and I am also not ashamed to admit that I put many books down and sometimes don't even get past the first chapter. This book has opened my eyes (and heart and soul) to so many options and ways to care for ourselv......more

Goodreads review by Mary on December 01, 2021

Our Last Best Act is a beautifully written, deeply moving, inspiring, informative, entertaining and thought provoking book for people of all ages.......more

Goodreads review by Lucinda on December 06, 2021

Mallory McDuff’s commitment to explore in depth the options available to us when we die, and to complete her own end of life plans, in alignment with the earth, and the realities of climate change, is admirable in and of itself. Being willing to share that journey; as a way of empowering others, is......more