Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End in Crazy Challenge Connection

Aug 21, 2015 Book Concierge rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audio, medicine, own, book-club, library, nonfiction, social-commentary, concierge, essays

Book on CD narrated by Robert Petkoff

Stop reading this review and read this book.

SUBTITLE: Medicine and What Matters in the End

Just because physicians CAN do something, should they? Should we want them to? At what cost – not to society or to our wallets, but at what cost to our humanity and dignity? Atul Gawande, a surgeon in Boston Massachusetts, explores the ways in which medicine (and specifically American medicine and American society) helps and hinders the aged, the infirm, and the dying. Book on CD narrated by Robert Petkoff

Stop reading this review and read this book.

SUBTITLE: Medicine and What Matters in the End

Just because physicians CAN do something, should they? Should we want them to? At what cost – not to society or to our wallets, but at what cost to our humanity and dignity? Atul Gawande, a surgeon in Boston Massachusetts, explores the ways in which medicine (and specifically American medicine and American society) helps and hinders the aged, the infirm, and the dying.

If you know anyone who will someday die … stop reading this review and read this book.

As he did in his previous books, Gawande gives clear information and asks probing questions. He does not necessarily try to give us THE answer, but he does propose some alternatives, ultimately leaving the final answer up to each and every one of us. Having helped both my parents face their mortal ends, I can tell you that my family members and I – brothers, sister-in-law, and husband – have had many discussions about these issues over the past several years. Some of the physicians we encountered were open to such frank discussion, but not all were. There are difficult issues, heart-wrenching dilemmas, and anxiety-producing situations. But they do not get less difficult, less anxiety-producing, or less heart-wrenching when we ignore them.

Oliver Sacks wrote the following blurb: “We have come to medicalize aging, frailty, and death, treating them as if they were just one more clinical problem to overcome. However it is not only medicine that is needed in one’s declining years but life – a life with meaning, a life as rich and full as possible under the circumstances. Being Mortal is not only wise and deeply moving, it is an essential and insightful book for our times…”

WHY are you still reading this review? Read the book … NOW! Think carefully about what you want, and then talk about it – to your family, your friends, your doctors. Encourage them to read the book, too.

Robert Petkoff does a superb job reading the audio book. There is a bonus interview with the author at the end of the audio version.

UPDATE 15April21: I re-read this for my F2F book club meeting. I’m older now and the issues are more personal, rather than just familial. Wonderful discussion at book club, and continued discussions with my husband and brothers. READ IT! ...more

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Feb 20, 2018 Susan rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction

Physician Atul Gawande discusses the problems in the way modern medicine approaches patients who are nearing the end of their lives, and suggests alternative approaches. He uses many examples of family members and patients to talk about what did and did not work for the best in their cases. He also describes options other than assisted living facilities and nursing homes that have begun to arise to give people who are frail more autonomy and control over the end of their lives.

The book is well-r ...more

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Oct 17, 2021 Kim rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, 1000books, memoir-a-b

4.0/5.0 - You shouldn't read too much into the fact that this is the 4th or 5th book that I've read this year that deals with aging and death. The author, a surgeon and public health professional looks at the questions of how we deal with getting older, what is important to people as they age and eventually face death, and how medical professionals are learning to address these issues. The importance of maintaining independence, living as long as possible in their own homes, and making informed ...more

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Nov 11, 2018 Jan Norton rated it really liked it

Recommended by Oliver Sacks and Malcolm Gladwell. The book deals with the elderly and their care, with dying and the limits of medicine, and with living to the last with dignity.

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Feb 11, 2018 LynnB rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2018-reads, non-fiction, health, science, death-and-dying

A book everyone should read! Gawande explores aging and facing the end of life. Having gone through various experiences with my parents and in-laws, I can see how lucky we were to have assisted living experiences for them that were as they were first designed to be -- truly living life with assistance only as needed. This book also raises questions for ALL adults about "what matters in the end" as none of us know when that may come -- young or old. ...more

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