This book, like life, is brief. It is a thinking person's condolence card; a speaker's and writer's reference on a subject that sometimes stymies, sometimes inspires the most loquacious; and a counterpoint to nearly every other book about death. In Passing samples a wide range of emotions from the witty to the grim. Some of the quotes, such as Dorothy Parker's sarcastic response to the death of Calvin Coolidge ("How could they tell?"), are justly famous, while others -- Philip Larkin's world-weary "Death is no different whined at than withstood" -- are lesser-known gems. For some, the end inspires heady poetry, witness Rita Mae Brown's "The human animal dances wildest on the edge of the grave." H. L. Mencken showed grudging admiration when he said, "Of all escape mechanisms, death is the most efficient." This book offers perspective on the literally life-changing event that few welcome but all must endure.