Family Matters: Lessons on Living, Dying & Leaving Our Stuff Behind

The day her father died of cancer, author Ann Marquez swore she would never again set foot inside his house. Two years later, after receiving a call that her step-mum had passed away, she realized the need to serve as alternate personal representative to the ongoing probate of his estate. And the need to return.

She had assumed with cooperation from others, the estate would "quickly and efficiently" close. Instead, confronted with secrecy, mystery, and hostility from people she'd never known, the situation turned precarious and bizarre.

Family Matters is a collection of resources and case studies intertwined with personal essays. With quirky humor and honest emotion, Marquez walks the reader along her journey, helping them to understand there's so much more to end-of-life planning than preparing a will-and so much more to life than our possessions.