Nothing to Fear

Demystifying Death to Live More Fully

By: Julie McFadden RN

Narrated by: Julie McFadden RN

Length: 5 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

A comforting and informative guide that demystifies our end-of-life journey, from the compassionate expert known as @hospicenursejulie

What if we didn’t consider death the worst possible outcome? What if we discussed it honestly, embraced hospice care, and prepared for the end of our lives with hope and acceptance?

In this compassionate and knowledgeable guide, TikTok star Julie McFadden—known online as “Hospice Nurse Julie”—shares the valuable lessons she’s learned in her fifteen years as an RN in the ICU and in hospice. Expertly interweaving emotional insight and practical advice, Nothing to Fear demystifies end-of-life care for both patients and caregivers, covering topics including:

• the biological details of dying
• which medical interventions help and which only make things worse
• the otherworldly beauty of deathbed phenomena
• financial and logistical preparations for death
• facts and myths about hospice care
• the most important conversations to have before you die
• the grieving process, before and after death

Sure to be a go-to resource for years to come, McFadden’s first book proves a better death goes hand in hand with a better life.

©2024 Julie McFadden (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“For those of you not planning on living forever, here’s the book for you. For so many reasons, we humans love to mystify death, shrouding the dying process and making it only more difficult to imagine and, in turn, more difficult to traverse. Nurse Julie has the prescription. Here you’ll find all sorts of practical information, from notes on morphine to how a body winds down, all wrapped in easy and clear language. If this sounds scary or grave, don’t worry. Nurse Julie will be right there with you, and she'll introduce you to some beautiful souls along the way.”—BJ Miller, author of A Beginner’s Guide to the End

“There’s a reason we don’t like talking about death: it’s scary. It’s overwhelming. But just because we don’t like talking about it doesn’t mean we don’t have questions. Get the guidance and reassurance you need from someone who lives dying every single day—Hospice Nurse Julie. Julie McFadden’s Nothing to Fear is the helpful, thoughtful, knowledgeable guide you deserve as you explore what it means to face the end.”—Megan Devine, author of It’s OK That You’re Not OK

“Comforting and enlightening, pragmatic and fearless, Julie gives us the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth to care for the people we most love when it matters most."—Steve Leder, New York Times bestselling author of The Beauty of What Remains and For You When I Am Gone

Unexpected

Not what I expected. I thought it would be mostly stories about her hospice experience and not so much an educational piece about what hospice is.

A book for you and for EVERYONE

We don’t know how to talk about death and dying in our culture.
Through her work as a hospice RN Ms. McFadden has used her experiences with hundreds of dying patients to write a book which will prepare us for the physical changes taking place at the end of life.
This is not a “woo-woo” kind of book but one in which the author explains these changes in layman’s terms.
Face the facts, friends: death will come to all of us, it’s as natural as breathing and after experiencing this book you, too, will understand there is “Nothing to Fear”.
Thank you for this book, Ms. McFadden.

Nurse Julie is a godsend

I discovered Nurse Julie on TikTok and was anxious to get her book. I’m currently on hospice I was pleasantly surprised at how well she did narrating the book. Many authors do so without doing that well. She did great. I knew most everything that she discussed and was particularly impressed, however with her advice to patients and caregivers, I would recommend this to anyone particularly those who have a terminal illness and their loved ones.

best advice of your life... and death

great book for anyone having a hard time thinking about death and/or have a loved one on that journey or considering a career in health care / hospice. practical and uplifting

Julie shares stories from her heart.

This book describes the experiences of families & friends during the end of life journey. She shares her wealth of knowledge and years of experience to educate the reader. The is great information everyone needs to know.

Thanks for bringing this topic to light

I would highly recommend to everyone because it does help to demystify many topics regarding death. I like Julie’s topics and I’m glad she read it herself. Her voice is pleasant and her pace is excellent. I found this book because I started following Julie about a year ago and she announced her book had released. I also volunteer for hospice.

Valuable resource

Critical information for everyone. Even though I have recent experience with a loved one on hospice care, this book cleared up several misconceptions. Brings normalcy and a sense of peace around death, dying and hospice.

Everyone should read this book!

Julie is truly a special person. This book is an easy read. Very educational and I can’t get enough of her stories! As a society, we really need to talk more about the death & dying process. It’ll help us live a fuller life. Thanks for starting the conversation Julie!

Startling, compassionate, wise

This is an amazing book. Move it to the top of your “To be read” list. Good for all to read whether you are diagnosed with a terminal illness or caring for that person or just love that person. Its content is fresh and inspiring, startling, compassionate and wise.

Practical advice on Hospice care and the dying process

Well written, very capably voiced by author. Info on hospice for patients and caregivers. Practical yet encouraging