Drawing on decades of clinical experience and the existentialist philosophy of Heidegger and Epicurus, Yalom argues that the unexamined terror of death underlies most human anxiety and avoidance — and that confronting mortality directly is one of the most liberating acts a person can take. For men who are aging, facing illness, or confronting the mortality of loved ones, this book provides both philosophical framework and clinical insight. The book challenges the masculine tendency to deal with mortality through achievement, legacy-building, or denial, offering instead the possibility of genuine equanimity. One of the most important books ever written on the relationship between awareness of death and the quality of life.