How to Tell When We Will Die by Johanna Hedva

In an era where discussions about death remain largely taboo, Johanna Hedva’s “How to Tell When We Will Die” emerges as a profound meditation on mortality, grief, and the human condition. Published in 2023, this collection of essays delves into deeply personal experiences while offering philosophical insights about death’s inevitability and the various ways humans attempt to predict, understand, and come to terms with their finite existence. Hedva, known for their previous work “Sick Woman Theory,” brings their unique perspective as a chronically ill writer, musician, and astrologer to create a work that is simultaneously intimate, scholarly, and spiritually resonant. Through this review, we’ll explore the multifaceted dimensions of this remarkable book that has quickly established itself as an essential text in contemporary death literature.

At Readlogy, we believe that books exploring mortality deserve careful, nuanced examination. This comprehensive review will guide you through Hedva’s explorations of death divination practices, personal grief narratives, and philosophical inquiries that comprise this extraordinary literary work.

What Is “How to Tell When We Will Die” About?

“How to Tell When We Will Die” is a collection of interconnected essays that explore humanity’s enduring fascination with predicting and understanding death through various divination practices, cultural traditions, and philosophical frameworks, all woven together with Hedva’s personal experiences of loss and chronic illness. The book serves as both a scholarly exploration of death prediction methods across cultures and an intimate memoir of the author’s encounters with mortality.

Hedva’s work stands apart from typical death literature by combining rigorous research with deeply personal narrative. Rather than merely cataloging death divination practices, the author incorporates their own experiences with chronic illness, grief, and the deaths of loved ones, creating a text that feels both intellectually stimulating and emotionally resonant. This balance between the academic and the deeply personal creates a unique reading experience that invites readers to contemplate their own mortality while learning about the myriad ways humans have attempted to make sense of death throughout history.

Now, let’s delve deeper into the specific themes and structural elements that make this book so compelling.

Key Themes and Structure

“How to Tell When We Will Die” is organized as a series of interconnected essays that flow naturally from one topic to another while maintaining a cohesive exploration of death prediction and human mortality. The book’s structure allows Hedva to move between historical research, cultural analysis, and personal reflection with remarkable fluidity.

Several key themes emerge throughout the collection:

• Death Divination Practices: Hedva examines numerous methods humans have used to predict death, from ancient astrology and palmistry to modern medical prognostication and technological forecasting.

• Personal Grief Narratives: Throughout the book, Hedva weaves in stories of personal loss, including the deaths of their grandmother and close friends, using these experiences as touchstones for broader discussions.

• Chronic Illness and Mortality: As someone living with chronic illness, Hedva offers unique insights into how ongoing health challenges shape one’s relationship with mortality and time.

• Cultural Attitudes Toward Death: The book explores how different cultures approach death, from the death-denying tendencies of modern Western society to more integrated perspectives found in other traditions.

• Philosophical Inquiries: Hedva engages with various philosophical traditions that have grappled with mortality, from existentialism to Buddhist perspectives on impermanence.

Each essay builds upon these themes while introducing new dimensions to the conversation, creating a rich tapestry of ideas that challenges readers to reconsider their own relationship with death and dying.

The Author’s Unique Perspective

What sets “How to Tell When We Will Die” apart is Hedva’s unique positionality as author. Their background as an artist, musician, astrologer, and chronically ill person brings multiple lenses to the subject matter that wouldn’t be available to most writers.

Hedva’s personal experiences with chronic illness provide them with what they describe as an “intimate relationship with death” that colors their perspective throughout. Rather than approaching death as a distant academic subject, they write from a position of someone who has had to contend with mortality on a daily basis, giving their observations an authenticity and urgency that resonates deeply with readers.

Additionally, Hedva’s background in various esoteric practices, particularly astrology, allows them to approach divination methods with both critical analysis and genuine appreciation for their cultural significance and psychological function. This balanced perspective prevents the book from falling into either cynical dismissal or uncritical acceptance of these traditions.

What Makes “How to Tell When We Will Die” Unique?

“How to Tell When We Will Die” distinguishes itself through its seamless integration of scholarly research, personal narrative, and cultural criticism, creating a multidimensional exploration of death that few other books have achieved. Hedva’s work is unique in its ability to be simultaneously intellectual and deeply emotional, scholarly and accessible, personal and universal.

Unlike many academic treatments of death that maintain clinical distance from the subject, or purely memoir-based accounts that lack broader context, Hedva’s approach acknowledges that our understanding of death is always both cultural and deeply personal. This hybrid approach creates a reading experience that engages both the mind and the heart, challenging readers to think differently about mortality while also connecting with the author’s intimate experiences of loss and illness.

The book’s uniqueness also stems from Hedva’s willingness to incorporate diverse knowledge traditions, placing ancient astrological practices and folk divination methods alongside modern medical prognosis and data-driven mortality predictions. This inclusive approach acknowledges that humans have always sought to understand and predict death through whatever means were available to them, whether through science, spirituality, or cultural tradition.

Comparative Analysis With Similar Works

To truly appreciate what makes “How to Tell When We Will Die” distinct, it’s helpful to compare it with other notable works on death and mortality:

• “The Year of Magical Thinking” by Joan Didion: While both books deal with personal grief, Didion’s memoir focuses primarily on her experience of loss, whereas Hedva uses personal narrative as one element within a broader exploration of death divination and cultural attitudes toward mortality.

• “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” by Caitlin Doughty: Both books aim to make death more accessible as a topic of discussion, but Doughty’s approach is more practical and industry-focused (centering on funeral practices), while Hedva’s is more philosophical and culturally expansive.

• “Being Mortal” by Atul Gawande: Gawande’s book examines medical approaches to end-of-life care, whereas Hedva’s work places modern medical prognostication within a much broader historical and cultural context of death prediction.

What emerges from these comparisons is Hedva’s unique contribution: a book that creates space for multiple ways of knowing and understanding death, that acknowledges the validity of both scientific and spiritual approaches to mortality, and that recognizes how personal experience shapes our relationship with death.

Literary Style and Accessibility

Another distinguishing feature of “How to Tell When We Will Die” is Hedva’s literary style, which blends poetic language with clear exposition. Their prose carries a lyrical quality even when discussing complex philosophical concepts or detailed historical practices, making difficult subject matter accessible without simplifying it.

Hedva employs several stylistic techniques that enhance the reading experience:

• Vivid metaphors and imagery that make abstract concepts tangible
• Personal anecdotes that ground theoretical discussions in lived experience
• Direct addresses to the reader that create intimacy and invite reflection
• Careful pacing that allows space for difficult emotional content to resonate

This thoughtful approach to craft ensures that readers from various backgrounds—whether they’re academics, spiritual seekers, or those grappling with grief—can find entry points into the material and engage meaningfully with the book’s central questions.

What Are the Key Insights from “How to Tell When We Will Die”?

“How to Tell When We Will Die” offers numerous profound insights about our relationship with mortality, the human desire to predict death, and how various cultures have approached the inevitable end of life. These insights challenge conventional thinking and invite readers to develop a more nuanced understanding of death.

The book’s most significant insights include the observation that humans have always sought to predict death not necessarily to avoid it, but to create meaning and order in the face of chaos. Hedva suggests that death divination practices—whether ancient astrology or modern medical prognosis—serve psychological and social functions beyond their literal predictive capacity. They help us narrativize our lives, find patterns in seemingly random events, and create frameworks for understanding our place in the universe.

Another key insight is that our modern Western approach to death as something to be conquered or denied represents a historical anomaly rather than a universal human response. Through examination of various cultural traditions, Hedva demonstrates how many societies throughout history have integrated death awareness into daily life rather than sequestering it away as a taboo subject.

Let’s explore some of these insights in greater detail.

Death Divination Across Cultures

One of the book’s most fascinating sections examines how different cultures have developed systems for predicting or foretelling death. Hedva presents these not as superstitions to be dismissed but as meaningful cultural practices that reveal how societies conceptualize mortality.

Among the divination practices explored are:

• Astrology: Hedva details how ancient astrological systems, from Hellenistic to Vedic traditions, included specific techniques for determining longevity and timing of death through planetary configurations.

• Folk Divination: The book describes various folk practices such as reading omens in animal behavior, interpreting dreams, and observing natural phenomena as death harbingers.

• Medical Prognostication: Hedva traces the evolution of medical death prediction from ancient pulse-reading techniques to modern algorithmic approaches that calculate statistical likelihood of mortality.

• Technological Forecasting: The book examines contemporary technological attempts to predict death through big data, artificial intelligence, and genetic testing.

What emerges from this survey is that death divination serves multiple functions beyond literal prediction. These practices help societies process grief, prepare for loss, create communal rituals around death, and establish cultural narratives about the meaning of mortality. They represent human attempts to create order and meaning in the face of death’s seeming randomness and inevitability.

Personal Narratives of Loss and Illness

Interwoven with these cultural explorations are Hedva’s personal narratives of loss, grief, and chronic illness. These sections provide emotional resonance and ground the book’s more theoretical aspects in lived experience.

Particularly moving is Hedva’s account of their grandmother’s death and the ways family members attempted to predict or make sense of her decline. This narrative illustrates how even in our modern, medicalized approach to death, humans still engage in forms of divination—watching for signs, seeking patterns, and attempting to prepare for the inevitable.

Hedva also shares their experience with chronic illness, describing how living with ongoing health challenges creates a different relationship with mortality than that experienced by those in good health. Their descriptions of navigating medical systems, receiving prognoses, and living with uncertainty provide profound insights into how illness reshapes one’s perception of time and future possibilities.

These personal narratives serve not only to illustrate the book’s theoretical points but also to create moments of emotional connection that invite readers to reflect on their own experiences with death, loss, and mortality.

Philosophical Frameworks for Understanding Death

Throughout “How to Tell When We Will Die,” Hedva engages with various philosophical traditions that have grappled with questions of mortality, including:

• Existentialism: The book explores how thinkers like Heidegger conceptualized death awareness as central to authentic human existence.

• Buddhist Perspectives: Hedva examines Buddhist approaches to impermanence and meditation practices focused on death awareness.

• Feminist Philosophy: The text incorporates feminist critiques of Western death denial and connects them to broader patterns of dismissing bodily vulnerability.

• Indigenous Worldviews: Hedva respectfully incorporates various Indigenous perspectives on death as part of natural cycles rather than an end to be feared.

Rather than presenting these philosophical frameworks as abstract theories, Hedva demonstrates how they can provide practical wisdom for living with death awareness. They suggest that philosophical engagement with mortality can transform our approach to life, leading to greater presence, appreciation for impermanence, and meaningful prioritization of what truly matters.

What Are the Strengths of “How to Tell When We Will Die”?

“How to Tell When We Will Die” demonstrates remarkable strengths that elevate it above other books in the genre of death literature. From its meticulous research to its emotional resonance, the book succeeds on multiple levels and appeals to a diverse audience of readers.

The primary strength of the book lies in its masterful integration of the personal and the universal. Hedva’s ability to weave their individual experiences with broader cultural and philosophical explorations creates a text that feels simultaneously intimate and expansive. This integration prevents the book from becoming either a dry academic treatise or a purely subjective memoir, instead offering readers both emotional connection and intellectual stimulation.

Another significant strength is the depth and breadth of research evident throughout the book. Hedva draws from an impressive array of sources—historical texts, anthropological studies, philosophical works, medical literature, and cultural artifacts—to build a comprehensive picture of humanity’s relationship with death prediction. This scholarly foundation gives the book substantial credibility while the accessible writing style ensures the research never feels overwhelming or pedantic.

Let’s examine these strengths in greater detail.

Intellectual Rigor and Accessibility

One of the book’s most impressive achievements is its ability to present complex ideas in accessible language without oversimplification. Hedva demonstrates a remarkable talent for explaining difficult concepts—whether from philosophy, medicine, or esoteric traditions—in ways that general readers can understand without losing the nuance or depth that makes these ideas valuable.

This accessibility extends to the book’s structure as well. While covering an enormous range of topics, the essays maintain a logical flow and clear organization that guides readers through the material without confusion. Each chapter builds upon previous discussions while introducing new perspectives, creating a cumulative understanding that deepens as the book progresses.

Hedva’s writing style strikes a perfect balance between scholarly precision and lyrical expression. Their prose is clear and precise when explicating complex ideas but becomes more poetic and evocative when describing emotional experiences or existential insights. This stylistic flexibility makes the book appealing to both academic readers and those seeking more personal reflection on mortality.

Emotional Depth and Authenticity

According to reviewers at Readlogy.com, another outstanding strength of “How to Tell When We Will Die” is its emotional authenticity. Hedva writes about death, grief, and illness with remarkable candor, never resorting to platitudes or sentimental clichés that often characterize writing on these topics. Their descriptions of loss feel raw and truthful, capturing the complexity of grief in all its messy, non-linear reality.

Particularly powerful are Hedva’s accounts of living with chronic illness and how it shapes their relationship with mortality. Their descriptions of navigating medical systems, managing uncertainty, and living with an acute awareness of bodily vulnerability provide insights rarely found in literature about death, which often focuses on terminal illness or sudden loss rather than ongoing conditions.

This emotional depth creates moments of profound connection for readers who have experienced similar circumstances and offers valuable perspective for those who haven’t. By sharing their vulnerability so openly, Hedva creates space for readers to examine their own feelings about mortality in a compassionate context.

Cultural Inclusivity and Respect

A notable strength of the book is its respectful engagement with diverse cultural traditions surrounding death prediction and mortality. Rather than presenting Western medical or philosophical approaches as superior, Hedva treats various cultural frameworks with equal seriousness and consideration.

This cultural inclusivity extends to Hedva’s careful attention to how factors like race, gender, disability, and socioeconomic status influence one’s relationship with death and access to care. The book acknowledges that death is not experienced uniformly across populations and that systemic inequities shape both how we die and how we prepare for death.

By incorporating perspectives from marginalized communities and honoring non-Western traditions, Hedva creates a more complete picture of humanity’s relationship with mortality than is typically found in death literature. This inclusive approach makes the book relevant to a wider audience and contributes valuable perspectives often missing from mainstream discourse around death.

What Are the Potential Limitations of “How to Tell When We Will Die”?

While “How to Tell When We Will Die” offers remarkable insights and powerful writing, it’s important to acknowledge potential limitations that might affect certain readers’ experiences with the text. These limitations don’t diminish the book’s overall value but may influence how different audiences engage with its content.

The book’s primary limitation for some readers might be its non-linear, essayistic structure, which requires comfort with thematic rather than chronological organization. Hedva moves fluidly between personal narrative, historical research, and philosophical reflection, creating connections that aren’t always immediately obvious. This approach creates a rich, layered reading experience but might challenge readers who prefer more straightforward, linear narratives.

Another potential limitation lies in the book’s unflinching engagement with difficult subject matter. Hedva doesn’t shy away from graphic descriptions of illness, dying, and grief, which—while honest and important—may be emotionally challenging for readers currently experiencing loss or health crises. The book’s value lies partly in this willingness to confront death directly, but potential readers should be aware of its emotional intensity.

Let’s explore these and other limitations in more detail.

Stylistic and Structural Considerations

Hedva’s writing style, while generally accessible, occasionally employs specialized terminology from fields like astrology, medicine, and philosophy. While they typically provide context or explanation for these terms, readers unfamiliar with these disciplines might need to do additional research to fully grasp certain concepts.

The book’s essayistic structure, which follows thematic rather than strictly logical progression, may also present challenges for some readers. Hedva sometimes makes intuitive leaps between topics that, while ultimately revealing interesting connections, can initially feel disorienting. This approach rewards patient, attentive reading but might frustrate those seeking more straightforward exposition.

These stylistic choices reflect Hedva’s artistic background and contribute to the book’s unique voice and perspective. However, they represent a departure from more conventional approaches to non-fiction that might require adjustment from some readers.

Balanced Perspective on Divination Practices

While Hedva generally maintains a balanced perspective on various death divination practices, some readers might find their treatment of certain methods either too credulous or too skeptical. Those with strong scientific orientations might question the space given to astrological or folk traditions, while those deeply invested in spiritual practices might find the analytical framing of these traditions occasionally distancing.

Hedva attempts to navigate this tension by acknowledging both the cultural significance and psychological function of divination practices while maintaining critical awareness of their limitations. However, this middle position might not fully satisfy readers at either end of the belief spectrum regarding such practices.

This balanced approach represents one of the book’s strengths in providing multiple perspectives, but it’s worth noting that readers with strong positions about the validity of various divination methods might occasionally find themselves disagreeing with Hedva’s framing.

Emotional Intensity and Trigger Warnings

The book’s unflinching engagement with death, illness, and loss creates powerful reading experiences but also contains potentially triggering content for vulnerable readers. Hedva describes medical procedures, physical suffering, grief reactions, and dying processes with vivid detail that, while never gratuitous, can be emotionally challenging.

While this honesty about death contributes significantly to the book’s value, potential readers who are currently experiencing acute grief or health crises should approach the text with awareness of its emotional intensity. The book ultimately offers perspectives that many find comforting and clarifying, but the journey through difficult material may be temporarily distressing for some.

This limitation reflects the inherent challenge of writing meaningfully about death in a culture that often avoids the topic. Hedva’s choice to engage directly with mortality’s physical and emotional realities serves their larger purpose of bringing death into more open discussion, even as it may temporarily discomfort some readers.

Who Should Read “How to Tell When We Will Die”?

“How to Tell When We Will Die” will resonate with a diverse range of readers who approach the text with different needs, interests, and backgrounds. The book’s multifaceted nature makes it relevant to various audiences, though certain groups may find particular value in Hedva’s unique perspective and insights.

This book is ideal for readers who are seeking a thoughtful, nuanced exploration of mortality that goes beyond platitudes or simplistic comfort. It speaks directly to those willing to engage with death as a philosophical, cultural, and deeply personal subject—readers who want to develop a more meaningful relationship with their own mortality rather than deny or avoid it.

Particularly well-suited to the book are those navigating grief, chronic illness, or existential questions about finitude. Hedva’s honest accounts of their own experiences provide companionship and perspective that can be profoundly validating for readers in similar circumstances. The book offers neither false hope nor despair, but rather a clear-eyed compassion that many find genuinely helpful during difficult times.

Let’s explore the specific audiences who might benefit most from this remarkable work.

For Those Experiencing Grief or Loss

Readers who have recently experienced the death of a loved one or who are processing ongoing grief will find in Hedva’s work a companion that acknowledges the complexity and non-linear nature of mourning. Unlike many grief books that focus on stages or recovery, “How to Tell When We Will Die” presents grief as a transformative experience that changes but doesn’t necessarily “end.”

What makes this book particularly valuable for grieving readers is Hedva’s refusal to offer easy consolation or spiritual certainty. Instead, they create space for the questions, anger, confusion, and even unexpected moments of beauty that characterize the grief experience. This honest approach validates the messiness of mourning in ways that more prescriptive grief literature often fails to do.

The book’s exploration of how different cultures approach death and mourning can also provide grieving readers with alternative frameworks for understanding their experience beyond dominant Western narratives. These diverse perspectives might offer new language and rituals for processing loss when conventional approaches feel insufficient.

For Those Living With Chronic Illness or Disability

Readers who live with chronic illness, disability, or ongoing health challenges will find Hedva’s perspective particularly resonant. As someone who writes from this lived experience, Hedva offers insights into how persistent illness reshapes one’s relationship with mortality in ways that differ significantly from both conventional health and terminal illness narratives.

The book acknowledges the unique temporal experience of chronic illness—the way it creates different relationships with future planning, medical uncertainty, and bodily vulnerability. Hedva’s descriptions of navigating medical systems, managing unpredictable symptoms, and developing a different sense of time will feel deeply familiar to chronically ill readers who rarely see their experiences reflected in literature.

Additionally, Hedva’s integration of disability perspectives into broader discussions of death and mortality helps challenge ableist assumptions that often permeate conversations about “good deaths” or “quality of life.” This critical analysis provides valuable language and frameworks for disabled readers to contextualize their experiences within larger cultural narratives about bodies, health, and worth.

For Philosophers, Spiritual Seekers, and Death Educators

Readers with academic, spiritual, or professional interests in death and mortality will find “How to Tell When We Will Die” a valuable addition to their understanding of these topics. The book’s integration of personal narrative with scholarly research creates a text that engages both intellect and emotion, making it particularly useful for those who approach death from educational or contemplative perspectives.

Philosophers will appreciate Hedva’s engagement with existential questions and their ability to connect abstract concepts to lived experience. The book draws from various philosophical traditions without becoming overly academic, creating accessible entry points to complex ideas about temporality, embodiment, and finitude.

Spiritual seekers from diverse traditions will find value in Hedva’s respectful exploration of how different cultures and faiths approach death prediction and preparation. While not advocating for any particular spiritual framework, the book honors various approaches to mortality while maintaining critical awareness of how social factors influence spiritual understanding.

Death educators, hospice workers, and healthcare professionals will find the book helpful for deepening their understanding of cultural attitudes toward death and developing more nuanced approaches to end-of-life conversations. Hedva’s integration of personal narratives with broader cultural analysis provides valuable context for professionals working with diverse populations.

For General Readers Seeking Deeper Understanding

Beyond these specific audiences, “How to Tell When We Will Die” offers substantial value to general readers who simply wish to develop a more thoughtful relationship with mortality. In a culture that often avoids direct engagement with death, the book provides a rare opportunity to explore this universal experience through multiple lenses—historical, cultural, philosophical, and deeply personal.

Such readers will appreciate Hedva’s accessible writing style, which makes complex ideas understandable without oversimplification. The book’s essayistic structure allows for dipping in and out according to interest, while its thematic connections reward complete, sequential reading.

According to Readlogy community reviews, many general readers report that engaging with this book, while occasionally emotionally challenging, ultimately reduced their anxiety about death by bringing it into clearer focus. Rather than increasing fear, Hedva’s honest exploration often helps readers develop more meaningful perspectives on mortality that enhance their appreciation for life’s impermanence.

How Does “How to Tell When We Will Die” Impact Readers?

The impact of “How to Tell When We Will Die” extends far beyond intellectual stimulation, creating profound emotional and philosophical effects that many readers describe as transformative. Through both formal reviews and reader testimonials, a pattern emerges of how this book changes people’s relationship with mortality and, by extension, their approach to living.

The most commonly reported impact is a reduction in death anxiety despite—or perhaps because of—the book’s unflinching engagement with mortality. By bringing death into clearer focus rather than keeping it in peripheral awareness, Hedva helps readers develop a more integrated relationship with finitude that many find ultimately comforting rather than frightening.

Another significant impact is the book’s ability to provide language and frameworks for experiences that often go unarticulated in our death-avoidant culture. Readers report feeling validated in their complex emotions around mortality, grief, and illness, finding in Hedva’s words articulation for feelings they had previously struggled to express.

Let’s explore these and other impacts in greater detail.

Changing Relationship With Mortality

Many readers report that “How to Tell When We Will Die” fundamentally changed their relationship with mortality. Rather than viewing death solely as a fearful end to avoid thinking about, they developed more nuanced perspectives that integrated awareness of finitude into their daily living.

This shift often manifests as:

• Increased comfort with mortality discussions: Readers describe feeling more able to engage in conversations about death with loved ones, healthcare providers, and in social contexts.

• Reduced catastrophic thinking: Many report less anxious rumination about death, replaced by a more contemplative approach to finitude.

• Greater appreciation for impermanence: A common theme in reader responses is newfound appreciation for life’s transience, leading to more present-moment awareness.

• Development of personal death philosophy: Readers frequently mention using the book as a starting point to develop their own integrated understanding of mortality that feels personally meaningful.

These changes don’t eliminate natural fear of suffering or concern for loved ones, but they often help readers place these fears within broader contexts that make them more manageable and less overwhelming.

Validation and Language for Grief Experiences

For readers experiencing grief, “How to Tell When We Will Die” often provides crucial validation and vocabulary for mourning experiences that don’t conform to popular narratives about “grief stages” or “closure.”

Readers report feeling deeply seen in Hedva’s descriptions of grief’s non-linear nature, its physical manifestations, and the way it permanently alters one’s relationship with time and meaning. The book acknowledges grief as a complex, ongoing process rather than a temporary state to “get over,” which many bereaved readers find immensely validating.

Additionally, Hedva’s exploration of diverse cultural approaches to mourning often helps grieving readers expand their repertoire of rituals and practices beyond those commonly available in Western contexts. This exposure to alternative frameworks sometimes helps readers develop personalized approaches to honoring their losses in meaningful ways.

Perspective on Illness and Embodiment

For readers with chronic illness, disability, or health challenges, the book often provides crucial perspective on how these experiences shape one’s relationship with mortality in ways different from both conventional health and terminal illness narratives.

Chronically ill readers frequently report feeling deeply understood by Hedva’s descriptions of:

• Medical uncertainty: The challenges of living with unpredictable prognoses and fluctuating symptoms
• Temporal disorientation: How chronic illness creates different relationships with future planning and expectation
• Embodied knowledge: The ways bodily experience shapes understanding in ways not captured by medical frameworks
• Liminality: The experience of living in spaces between conventional categories of “health” and “dying”

This recognition helps many readers contextualize their experiences within broader cultural narratives about bodies, health, and worth, often reducing feelings of isolation or abnormality that frequently accompany chronic conditions.

Practical Impact on End-of-Life Planning

Beyond philosophical and emotional impacts, many readers report that “How to Tell When We Will Die” motivated concrete actions related to end-of-life planning. Inspired by the book’s discussions of death preparation across cultures, readers often describe:

• Initiating conversations with loved ones about end-of-life preferences
• Creating or updating advance directives and wills
• Exploring funeral and body disposition options that align with personal values
• Developing personal rituals for contemplating mortality
• Reconsidering medical intervention preferences based on quality-of-life considerations

These practical outcomes demonstrate how the book’s philosophical explorations translate into tangible changes in how readers prepare for their own mortality and support others through end-of-life transitions.

The Author’s Background and Other Works

Understanding Johanna Hedva’s background provides valuable context for appreciating “How to Tell When We Will Die” and its unique perspective on mortality. Hedva brings multiple identities and areas of expertise to their writing, creating a multidimensional approach rarely found in death literature.

Hedva is a Korean-American writer, musician, and artist whose work frequently explores themes of illness, embodiment, mysticism, and resistance. They have chronic illness and disability, experiences that profoundly inform their writing about mortality and temporal existence. This lived experience of bodily vulnerability gives their work on death authentic urgency and insight that differs from more theoretical or distant treatments of the subject.

In addition to their creative work, Hedva has studied astrology, tarot, and various esoteric traditions, giving them unique perspective on divination practices beyond purely academic understanding. They bring both analytical rigor and experiential knowledge to their discussions of how humans attempt to predict and prepare for death through various systems of meaning-making.

Let’s explore Hedva’s background and body of work in more detail.

Previous Works and Publications

“How to Tell When We Will Die” represents a continuation and expansion of themes Hedva has explored throughout their career. Their previous works include:

• “Sick Woman Theory” (2016): This influential essay, published in Mask Magazine, examines chronic illness as a site of resistance against capitalist expectations of productivity and argues for the political significance of invisible disabilities. Many ideas from this groundbreaking work are expanded upon in “How to Tell When We Will Die.”

• “On Hell” (2018): This experimental novel explores themes of embodiment, mental illness, and institutional violence through a fragmented narrative structure. The book established Hedva’s literary voice and their ability to blend personal experience with broader philosophical questions.

• “Minerva the Miscarriage of the Brain” (2020): This collection of experimental essays and poems further develops Hedva’s exploration of illness, gender, and embodiment through various literary forms. It demonstrates their versatility as a writer and their commitment to finding new languages for bodily experience.

Hedva has also published numerous essays in publications like Triple Canopy, The White Review, and various academic journals, building a body of work that consistently examines the intersections of embodiment, marginalization, and resistance.

Academic and Artistic Background

Hedva’s formal education includes study at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) and further academic work in gender studies, philosophy, and critical theory. This training informs the theoretical rigor evident throughout “How to Tell When We Will Die” while their artistic background influences the book’s creative structure and lyrical passages.

As a performance artist, Hedva has created works that explore themes of vulnerability, illness, and ritual, including “The Greek Chorus” and “Black Moon Lilith in Pisces in the 4th House.” These performances often incorporate elements of their interest in astrology and esoteric traditions while examining bodily experience through sound, movement, and text.

Their musical project, Black Salt, further demonstrates their interest in creating work that exists at the intersection of embodiment, mysticism, and resistance—themes that recur throughout “How to Tell When We Will Die.”

Reception and Influence

Prior to “How to Tell When We Will Die,” Hedva was already an influential voice in disability studies, gender theory, and experimental literature. Their “Sick Woman Theory” in particular has been widely taught in university courses and cited in academic work on chronic illness, disability justice, and feminist theory.

This previous recognition has contributed to the anticipation and positive reception of “How to Tell When We Will Die,” with many readers already familiar with Hedva’s unique perspective and incisive analysis. The book builds upon their established reputation while reaching new audiences interested specifically in thanatology, death studies, and mortality.

Hedva’s influence extends beyond academic contexts into artistic communities, disability justice movements, and spiritual circles, reflecting the multidimensional nature of their work and its relevance across various domains of thought and practice.

Conclusion: Final Assessment of “How to Tell When We Will Die”

“How to Tell When We Will Die” stands as an exceptional contribution to contemporary literature on mortality, grief, and human attempts to understand and predict death. Johanna Hedva has created a work of remarkable depth and accessibility that succeeds on multiple levels—intellectually stimulating, emotionally resonant, and practically useful for readers grappling with questions of finitude.

The book’s greatest achievement lies in its seamless integration of personal narrative, cultural analysis, and philosophical inquiry. By weaving these elements together, Hedva creates a text that feels simultaneously intimate and universal, speaking to both individual grief experiences and broader human questions about mortality. This integration prevents the book from becoming either an abstract theoretical treatise or merely a personal memoir, instead offering readers a multidimensional exploration that engages both intellect and emotion.

What ultimately distinguishes “How to Tell When We Will Die” is its unflinching honesty combined with deep compassion. Hedva refuses easy consolation or simplistic narratives about death while maintaining profound empathy for human vulnerability and suffering. This balanced approach creates space for readers to develop their own relationship with mortality without prescribing specific conclusions or beliefs.

Who Will Benefit Most from Reading This Book

Based on our comprehensive analysis at Readlogy, we believe this book will prove most valuable to:

• Those experiencing grief or anticipatory loss who seek honest perspective beyond conventional narratives
• People with chronic illness or disability looking for representation of their complex relationship with mortality
• Healthcare professionals and death educators seeking deeper cultural understanding of death attitudes
• Philosophers and spiritual seekers interested in diverse approaches to mortality
• General readers willing to engage thoughtfully with questions of finitude and meaning

While the book’s unflinching examination of difficult subjects may challenge some readers, its ultimate impact tends toward reduced anxiety and greater integration of mortality awareness into meaningful living.

Final Rating and Recommendation

“How to Tell When We Will Die” earns our highest recommendation for readers interested in a thoughtful, nuanced exploration of mortality that transcends cultural taboos and simplistic narratives. Hedva’s remarkable ability to balance intellectual rigor with emotional authenticity creates a reading experience that is both enlightening and deeply moving.

The book deserves special recognition for:

• Exceptional research that draws from diverse cultural and philosophical traditions
• Compelling integration of personal narrative with broader analysis
• Accessible writing that makes complex ideas understandable without oversimplification
• Cultural inclusivity that acknowledges diverse perspectives on death and dying
• Emotional honesty that creates space for authentic engagement with difficult subjects

For readers ready to engage with mortality in all its complexity, “How to Tell When We Will Die” offers not just information but transformation—a rare opportunity to develop a more integrated relationship with finitude that ultimately enhances appreciation for life’s impermanence and preciousness.

In a culture that often avoids direct engagement with death, Hedva’s work stands as an essential guide for those seeking to understand this universal experience with greater clarity, compassion, and wisdom. It represents the finest tradition of literature that not only informs but potentially changes how readers move through the world, making it an invaluable addition to contemporary discourse on mortality.