Suicide. All You Need To Know

The subtitle of this book – all you need to know, causes and consequences - is pretty arresting. The perspective is that of a Brazilian spiritist following the teachings of Allan Kardec, whose classic books were published in the mid-19th century. It begins with a list of well-known figures who have committed suicide, and takes the form of a series of questions and answers exploring the whole topic, starting with effects, moving onto causes and discussing what measures might help prevent suicide. The overall perspective, which I believe to be correct, is that we cannot in fact extinguish our consciousness and that suicide has serious spiritual consequences whatever the motivation. There are many controversial arguments, notably in the discussion of euthanasia, but I did share his view of the fate of suicide bombers, who literally do not know what they are doing - both to themselves and to the others that they involve. The only trouble with this book is that those most likely to need it are least likely to read it, but it would be good for it to be widely read among social workers.