A Very Human Ending

Why do more than a million people a year kill themselves? To answer this question we need a brilliant research scientist, an insightful psychologist, and a sensitive but powerful writer who has seriously contemplated taking their own life. Jesse Bering fits all three criteria and this book is a deeply moving narrative that cuts to the heart of the ultimate question any of us could ever ask: why should I live? Given what's at stake in the topic, A Very Human Ending may very well be the most important book you will ever read.

</i>Michael Shermer, monthly columnist for <i>Scientific American</i> and author of <i>The Believing Brain, The Moral Arc </i>and <i>Heavens on Earth

I'm not surprised that a book on suicide would be very personal, but I didn't expect it to be so damn funny. It's also engaging, thoughtful, and sensitive - although Bering is certainly irreverent, there is a real appreciation of how painful and difficult this topic can be. This is a book for scholars and for a general audience, but it is also entirely suitable for people whose lives have been touched by the suicide of someone they loved.

</i>Paul Bloom, Professor of Psychology at Yale University and author of <i>Against Empathy

I have yet to come away from reading [Bering's] work and not feel considerably better informed than I was just minutes before

Forbes

Jesse Bering explores one of the most essential questions we all face: Why keep living? He doesn't claim to have found any easy answers, but his exploration is surprising, funny, touching, and deeply personal. A Very Human Ending feels like a gift, and reading it reminded me that encounters with great books are reason enough, for now, to keep going.

</i>Christopher Ryan, author of <i>Tangentially Reading </i>and <i>Sex at Dawn

Jesse Bering is the best science writer at work today.

Dan Savage

Sadly, the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation, our minds forever pulling us into dark forests. But there are numerous stages at which we can step off that path before it's too late. Drawing on research evidence and the world around us, Bering signposts and, we can hope, saves.

Dr Jon Sutton, </i> editor of <i>The Psychologist

Jesse Bering asks the questions no one else dares, he tells truths that others shy away from, and he writes the books that I wish I had written. To me, he is everything a great scientist and communicator should be. Suicide may be an uncomfortable subject yet the escalating numbers of people who take their lives each year means we must make it's unravelling our priority. I have no doubt this book will have a profound impact on all who read it, and add considerably to our understanding of that self-willed oblivion, whether it lies palpably just beneath our own skin, or the skins of those we love. But perhaps most importantly of all it will help dispel the stigma and shame that so perniciously clings to all suicides.

Dr Christian Jessen

A coherent, relevant look at the psychological secrets of suicide... a fascinating study featuring some startling real-time facts and perspectives on a sadly enduring phenomenon. For such a fiercely complex subject with varying nuances, viewpoints, and interpretations, Bering imparts accessible information through an affable, conversational tone. This important book arms readers with contemporary insight to help "short-circuit the powerful impetus to die when things look calamitous." Bering illuminates a murky, misunderstood human quandary with compassion, confessional honesty, and academic perception.

Kirkus

Highly enlightening... Bering carefully balances his avid curiosity with deep compassion in this look at how suicidal urges work. Throughout, Bering treats his sources with unvarying respect, as well as a spirit of affiliation. Readers who have experienced the anguish of suicidal impulses will find his work both heartening and deeply illuminating.

Publishers Weekly

A brave and important exploration of a subject we urgently need to demystify. It will change every reader for the better.

Derren Brown

Bering's book touches upon some deep questions relevant to all of us. Indeed, it is as much about what makes us uniquely human as it is about suicide. A Very Human Ending transcends its own objectives. It is a fascinating, thoughtful, unflinching meditation on one of the most intriguing and curious aspects of the human condition.

Dr Frank Tallis, clinical psychologist, Evening Standard

Compelling... This isn't just a mix of statistics, academic arguments and moving case studies. Bering also writes from the inside as one who, since his teenage years, has at times felt the "call to oblivion". Bering's remit is broad and he builds towards his conclusions on a solid basis of research that throws up some arresting statistics. He labours not just to size up what remains an epidemic shrouded in silence and shame, but also to suggest ways forward.

Guardian

Suicide is one of the toughest subjects to write about, and psychologist Jesse Bering does it with candor, scientific integrity and genuine empathy. A Very Human Ending is a vital book - informative, engaging and enlightening despite its dark subject matter.

Scott Neuffer, Shelf Awareness

A necessary contribution to the demystification of a subject still under discussed, Bering's book is wise, warm and sure to encourage conversation

Irish Times