Center for Loss and Hope Book Club

Life and death are a package deal. They cannot be pulled apart,
and we cannot truly live unless we are aware of death. The Five
Invitations is an exhilarating meditation on the meaning of life
and how maintaining an ever-present consciousness of death can
bring us closer to our truest selves. As a renowned teacher of
compassionate caregiving and the cofounder of the Zen Hospice
Project, Frank Ostaseski has sat on the precipice of death with
more than a thousand people. In The Five Invitations, he distills
the lessons gleaned over the course of his career, offering an
evocative and stirring guide that points to a radical path to
transformation.
These Five Invitations show us how to wake up fully to our lives. Awareness of death can be a
valuable companion on the road to living well, forging a rich and meaningful life, and letting go
of regret. The Five Invitations is a powerful and inspiring exploration of the essential wisdom
dying has to impart to all of us.