When National Public Radio commentator Tim Brookes set out to write a book about the hospice movement, he assumed it would be a straight-forward task. But shortly after signing his book contract, Brookes received a letter from his mother in England, stoically informing him of her impending death from pancreatic cancer. What began as a research topic--the right to die with dignity, surrounded by familiar comforts and family--suddenly became a personal quest. Signs of Life: a Memoir of Dying and Discovery is an exquisitely written reminder that facing and honoring our deepest fears--the death of a loved one, the death of ourselves--is often what liberates us to face our life and family with our deepest love.