Kent Koppelman

Understanding Human Differences takes a clear, engaging look at issues in American society in the 21st century, focusing on the interactions and intersections between the individual and institutions. Grounded in research, the text uses a question-and-answer format to bring the topics and issues to life.

First Published in 2017. This book is grounded in real events because values should not be regarded as abstractions but as the substance of our lives. It is helpful for those who are engaged in the important and ongoing struggle to identify and practice those values which are meaningful to them as members of a community.

Wrestling with the Angel addresses the human struggle to cope with death, dying, grief, and bereavement. The book includes essays, a one-act play, a short story, and poetry, including shape poems, rhyming, structured verse, and free verse. In the one-act play, an angel of death comes for a man who has lived an unexamined life and wants to explain why he is not prepared to leave. The short story offers a humorous look at a man who resists aging by continuing to view himself as the young man he once was. The diverse genres allow for different ways of exploring these issues, but all are intended to engage the reader's emotions as well as intellect. The writings incorporate reflections and quotations addressing common human issues related to our mortality and explore reactions to the loss of a loved one--whether expected, such as the death of an aging parent or someone with a terminal illness, or unexpected, such as accidental death. The final chapters examine how aging causes us to assess our lives and why preparing ourselves for death can enhance the quality of our life. This is a book with many more questions than answers, but the reader is invited to share in the process of finding answers. It is a book that requires the reader to be comfortable with ambiguity, because the reality it describes is often ambiguous--a reality that presents us with many choices but few certainties. Intended Audience: Scholars, hospice workers, funeral home directors, hospital chaplains, ministers, and others who work with bereavement issues; classes in death education and classes for mental health professionals in death and grief; general readers who have suffered the loss of a loved one.

First Published in 2017. This volume is a totally candid account about the facts and feelings surrounding the diagnosis of and battle against lung cancer—a battle the author waged with every ounce of his being. It has an enlightening quality because he shares how he transformed his previous knowledge of family dynamics, coping strategies, and empowerment into wisdom. He shares his journey of taking the knowledge from the Before Cancer phase of his life, “and like an alchemist, converting one raw material—his life and his diagnosis and battle—into an element quite unlike the original. Robbery and Redemption: Cancer as Identity Theft is chock-full of wisdom that has been learned the old fashioned, visceral way—from lived experience and keen reflection. This personal, upfront, “rubber-hit-the-road” treatise is a gift from the author to each reader. It is his wise interpretation of his own experiences of integrating values, problem solving, and coping strategies.

First Published in 2017. This volume is a totally candid account about the facts and feelings surrounding the diagnosis of and battle against lung cancer—a battle the author waged with every ounce of his being. It has an enlightening quality because he shares how he transformed his previous knowledge of family dynamics, coping strategies, and empowerment into wisdom. He shares his journey of taking the knowledge from the Before Cancer phase of his life, “and like an alchemist, converting one raw material—his life and his diagnosis and battle—into an element quite unlike the original. Robbery and Redemption: Cancer as Identity Theft is chock-full of wisdom that has been learned the old fashioned, visceral way—from lived experience and keen reflection. This personal, upfront, “rubber-hit-the-road” treatise is a gift from the author to each reader. It is his wise interpretation of his own experiences of integrating values, problem solving, and coping strategies.

Based on research from multiple disciplines, The Great Diversity Debate describes the presence and growth of diversity in the United States from its earliest years to the present. The author describes the evolution of the concept of pluralism from a philosophical term to a concept used in many disciplines and with global significance. Rather than assuming that diversity is a benefit, Koppelman investigates the ways in which diversity is actually experienced and debated across critical sectors of social experience, including immigration, affirmative action, education, and national identity, among others. Koppelman takes the sometimes complicated arguments for and against diversity in school and in society and lays out the benefits with great clarity and simplicity making this book accessible to a large audience. Book Features:A broad view of diversity in the United States based on research from philosophy, psychology, sociology, political science, economics, and more. Cogent arguments from both advocates and critics concerning whether pluralism represents an appropriate response to diversity in a democratic society.

Wrestling with the Angel addresses the human struggle to cope with death, dying, grief, and bereavement. The book includes essays, a one-act play, a short story, and poetry, including shape poems, rhyming, structured verse, and free verse. In the one-act play, an angel of death comes for a man who has lived an unexamined life and wants to explain why he is not prepared to leave. The short story offers a humorous look at a man who resists aging by continuing to view himself as the young man he once was. The diverse genres allow for different ways of exploring these issues, but all are intended to engage the reader's emotions as well as intellect. The writings incorporate reflections and quotations addressing common human issues related to our mortality and explore reactions to the loss of a loved one--whether expected, such as the death of an aging parent or someone with a terminal illness, or unexpected, such as accidental death. The final chapters examine how aging causes us to assess our lives and why preparing ourselves for death can enhance the quality of our life. This is a book with many more questions than answers, but the reader is invited to share in the process of finding answers. It is a book that requires the reader to be comfortable with ambiguity, because the reality it describes is often ambiguous--a reality that presents us with many choices but few certainties. Intended Audience: Scholars, hospice workers, funeral home directors, hospital chaplains, ministers, and others who work with bereavement issues; classes in death education and classes for mental health professionals in death and grief; general readers who have suffered the loss of a loved one.

In this book, the author describes his attempt to create a meaningful and satisfying grieving process following the death of his 19 year old son, Jason, in a car accident. The narrative confronts the harsh reality of death from the hospital to the cemetery and the many mundane yet painful decisions that must be made. For those who must cope with an unexpected death, the grieving process becomes a struggle to express one's love and at the same time say goodbye.