1. Do We Need to Face Death to Truly Appreciate Life?

Join us for a discussion of I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney, a darkly funny novel that begins when an obituary writer opens the paper and discovers his own death, forcing him to confront his life, choices, and what it really means to be alive.
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smkelly
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Joined: Thu Apr 24, 2025 7:35 pm

1. Do We Need to Face Death to Truly Appreciate Life?

Post by smkelly »

Life and death are intrinsically connected throughout this novel, as Bud’s confrontations with death are what drive him to begin to truly live.

Do you believe this is an extreme position? Must we confront death so head-on in order to appreciate our lives?
JudyT
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Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2026 7:31 pm

Re: 1. Do We Need to Face Death to Truly Appreciate Life?

Post by JudyT »

Not necessarily, but I feel like if we’ve had a close personal experience with death, it speeds up, and perhaps makes even deeper and more meaningful, our appreciation for life.
Last edited by JudyT on Thu Jul 09, 2026 7:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
waiting4adragon
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Nov 17, 2025 8:52 pm

Re: 1. Do We Need to Face Death to Truly Appreciate Life?

Post by waiting4adragon »

Hard to say - maybe not for everyone.

But my dad had a traumatic experience years ago, having two seizures in one day (he wasn't prone to them.) That changed his world completely.

He wasn't a bad person in my eyes - always a good, funny, lovable guy. But it made him reflect more on how some of his actions in the past may have hurt people, and that's not how he wanted to live out the rest of his life.

He started being more sensitive to others, going to church, and even wrote a poem called "Wake up call" to reflect on his life.
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