Mar 28, 2019 10:00 am

For the past few years, sociology Prof. Alan Kemp, Ph.D., has worked tirelessly on a second edition of his textbook, “Death, Dying and Bereavement,” including the most up-to-date research and data available.

Kemp aims to help his students and readers gain a better understanding of death in order to live life more completely. “Through my book, I would like to help make death more familiar and less ominous,” he said. “As we become more aware of the reality of death, we can better understand how important life is. By virtue of the fact that life is finite, the way we spend our time becomes incredibly important.”

The first edition of the textbook was published in 2014, and provides the foundation of the current edition.

“I’m so proud that the book has been published, and that enough professors and college classrooms have adopted it to warrant a second edition,” Kemp said.

Kemp teaches a course on death, dying and bereavement at Pierce College each winter and spring quarter. “In class, we take a look at this thing called death and find a way to make it less remote,” he said. “Death is part of life, and just like anything else, we should learn about it. By having a better understanding of it, it is possible to live our day-to-day lives in a richer way.”

He will donate two copies of the book to Pierce College libraries, making them available to students the entire college community.