Unencumbered by religious agendas and pat answers, Encountering the Edge satisfies our curiosity concerning what people believe in, shrug their shoulders at, laugh at, and most care about as they face Act 3, Scene 3, of their lives. Join Chaplain Kaplan as she visits her hospice patients, and share her sense of adventure and openness to the experience. The author also reveals the inner workings of a hospice agency from a chaplain's viewpoint both on the road and in the office.

Readers will encounter odd, poignant, revealing, and even amusing characters, such as a countercultural type who always greeted Kaplan with "Hey, doll!" and a World War Two veteran who beat the odds and left hospice to live well for over a year. Kaplan also illuminates what patients think will happen in the hereafter, as well as her own path and deeper motivations for entering this career. In the last chapter, Kaplan explores what it would be like to be a hospice patient herself, talking with a seasoned chaplain who gently lets her express her beliefs, regrets, sources of meaning, and hopes.

Encountering the Edge is a unique view of a topic that affects us all, and provides comfort combined with humor and insight that allows readers to feel safe in this unknown territory. Come explore the edge with Karen.

Dr. Carol Orsborn, Ph.D., editor-in-chief of www.FierceWithAge.com, and a baby boomer expert who regularly appears on Oprah, says of the book, "Kaplan brings a refreshing balance of rare insight and wry humor to what people near the end shared with her during her seven years at hospices."