Review
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A deeply affecting, urgently important book - one not
just about dying and the limits of medicine, but about living to
the last with autonomy, dignity and joy. (Katherine Boo, author
of Behind the Beautiful Forevers)
An impassioned,
broad-ranging and deeply personal exploration (Guardian)
Medicine, Being Mortal reminds us, has prepared itself for life
but not for death. This is Atul Gawande's most powerful, and
moving, book (Malcolm Gladwell)
We have come to
medicalize aging, frailty and death, treating them as if they
were just one more medical problem to overcome. It is not just
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 inful book for our times, as one
would expect from Atul Gawande, one of our finest physician
writers. (Oliver Sacks)
In this eloquent, moving book
Atul Gawande ... explains how and why modern medicine has turned
the end of life into something so horrible ... Many passages in
"Being Mortal" will bring a lump to the throat, but Dr Gawande
also visits places offering a better way to manage life's end
(Economist 2014-10-04)
... it is rare to read a book
that sparks so much hard thinking. In my case, it has opened to
door to discussions with close relatives about how they wish to
spend their final days - conversations that we should surely all
be having, however difficult they are to start (Linda Geddes New
Scientist 2014-10-09)
Gawande is hoping to change the
medical profession, not human nature, and to do so in a way that
is important to us all. His book is so impressive that one can
believe that it may well contribute to that end... May it be
widely read and inwardly digested (Diana Athill Financial Times
2014-10-17)
Dr Gawande writes very well, his book Is
deeply humane and I learnt much from it (Theodor Dalrymple Times
2014-10-18)
Atul Gawande's wise and courageous book
raises the questions that none of us wants to think
about...Gawande's concern and dedication shine from every page...
that alliance of human feeling with medical knowledge aptly
symbolises this remarkable book (John Carey Sunday Times
2014-10-19)
There is an extraordinary ethical tone to
this book and it's a tone that increases and magnifies ... I was
in floods of tears, it was so beautifully told. I think this is
such an important book.... Everyone needs to read this book (Alex
Preston Saturday Review BBC Radio 4 2014-10-18)
a book
that everyone should read (Razia Iqbal Saturday Review BBC Radio
4 2014-10-18)
Beautifully written, humane, moving.
(Abigail Morris, Director of the Jewish Museum Saturday Review
BBC Radio 4)
This humane and beautifully written book
is a manifesto that could radically improve the lives of the aged
and the terminally ill (Leyla Sanai) --Independent 2014-10-25
it is to his tremendous credit that Gawande has turned his
attention to mortality. We need people of such outstanding
intelligence and compassion to consider the ever-growing problems
associated with our ageing population. (Cressida Connolly)
--Spectator 2014-11-01
his latest book, written with is customary warmth and panache, is
a plea to the medical profession and the rest of us to shift away
from simply fighting for longer life towards fighting for the
things that make life meaningful (Geraldine Bedell Observer
2014-11-02)
inspirational and humane, essential
reading.Irish Times
a fascinating blend of memoir,
research, philosophy and personal encounters with patients, he
crafts precise, scalpel-sharp prose, creating a powerful
narrative about end-of-life choices. --Sydney Morning Herald
Book Description
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From the international bestselling author of Better,
Complications and The Checklist Manifesto and Reith Lecturer
2014, a revolutionary and emotionally searing account of death,
dying and medicine.