The Troubled Dream of Life: In Search of a Peaceful Death

by Daniel Callahan

Drawing on his own experience, and on literature, philosophy, and medicine, Daniel Callahan offers great insight into how to deal with the rewards of modern medicine without upsetting our perception of death. He examines how we view death and the care of the critically ill or dying, and he suggests ways of understanding death that can lead to a peaceful acceptance. Callahan's thoughtful perspective notably enhances the legal and moral discussions about end-of-life issues.

Originally published in 1993 by Simon and Schuster.

Genres: Medicine, Health Care, Philosophy, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Kristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Holy redundancy Batman! My goodness, this book should have been 25 pages not 225! While it is obvious that the author is both intelligent and an expert on ethics, the text is excruciatingly verbose and unnecessarily lengthy. I honestly agree with the majority of arguments the author poses and he uses an array of sources on both sides of each issue. Also, this book was written in 1993 before the age of the Internet. The author could not have predicted the future but spent a good chunk of print arguing for “community” medicine, grieving, and ritual. At a time where we seem to be isolating ourselves with technology, the author’s predictions appear even more archaic. I can sum up the entirety of this tome by stating the following: The medical community at large should begin emphasizing quality of life over quantity and individuals should ponder both the meaning of their lives as well as their own mortalities. Ta da!

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This excellent book is a complex argument built atop clear distinctions and clear thinking, not to mention a welsh of research and experience. It is hard to disagree that having a clearer vision of death as part of our lives, and what it takes to die well, can clear up a lot of the maddening problems in public health policy.

[Samuel Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great and illuminating book. Where it's wrong, it's wrong in instructive ways. Where it's right, it's dead on. I will likely read it again in a couple years.