The End of Your Life Book Club question

Beautiful book for booklovers and for anyone who is experiencing the illness of a parent - some good resources,wonderful book suggestions and quotes to live by.

Akati--LOVE THIS--"Who say Reading is doing? Reading is living, Reading is enjoying life, and here Reading is an antonym of dying…
If you are a book lover, a must read book for you. "

I got this book because I was told I would be dead in a very short amounts of time. I read, so I thought I should look for a book about dying. Every one I looked at looked trite or maudlin, like I should hire a violinist to play while I read,

Will Schwalbe gave me something priceless. Reading really was the antonym of dying. I quit dying, and took reading to an entirely new level. I found a Facebook group that helped me survive until I could get to respiratory therapists who taught me to thrive.

Four years ago, when I picked up The End of Your Like Book Club, I couldn't make it across a room. I now take four good-sized dogs to the dog park on days I don't have rehab.

I wrote a book. In the book, I wrote "The dogs don't know they have Will Schwalbe to thank for the dog park."

I have been a life-long reader, but I did do understand what a profound thing reading is until I read this book, It's not about characters. It's not about dying. It is about the magic of reading, and communication between readers, which turns into a whole other thing.

Immediately after I finished this book, I sent Will an email (he's a Goodread's author) telling him how much I liked it. Okay, I'll admit it, I gushed over it. He sent me a sincere response making me adore him even more. I voted it my favorite memoir this year on Goodread's. What a lovely story he wrote, and what a dynamo mother!

I must offer the divergent viewpoint here -- I did not find this inspiring, or even interesting. I felt there were some unresolved issues between mother and son that the author still wasn't facing, although he was allowing them to sneak into the book simply by telling some of their pasts. Those issues were not positive, and nothing about the mother made me feel sympathetic to her beyond the sadness of her medical prognosis. Her good deeds? I might have felt better about them if I didn't also get the sneaking feeling they were a way for her, and maybe others in her family, to feel superior for their virtuousness. The frequent name-dropping added to that impression, for me. I gave up on the book at p. 75 when I felt there was not enough understanding and not much in the way of interesting characterization going on. Maybe I missed something, as a result, but this one unfortunately did not give me any reason to persevere with it.

Susan and Judith, I agree with you. I think if Will did not have the publishing connections he mentions, he would never have been able to get the book published by a major publisher. I am sure his mother was a wonderful woman, but I feel we have been reading all the things he wanted to tell her while she was still alive. I feel bad that I did not feel more.

This is one of my new all time favorite books. I loved the interaction between the mom and son, even if it sad that it didn't come until the end of her life. Some people never get it. I also saw the book as so inspirational. I know so many people who have a headache and act like they are dying. Mary Anne shows how one lives rather than how one dies. I would like to give this book to all the people I know who think life is tough. I found Mary Anne amazing!

Does anyone remember the name of the restaurant (bbq) in New York that they went to for his mom's birthday celebration?

I really liked the book because of hearing of the first hand expire nice of someone with cancer who tries to put on a brave face to the public. many people I have known with the disease have tried to hide it as long as they can. It also added a lot of new books to my list.

I am enjoying reading all the books Will and his mother read. They are some great reads.

What I loved about the book is the way he used the device of reading and books to explore his relationship with his mother. It was a beautiful tribute to her.

This book made me cry as these past few years have been intense for me when my father already had a quadruple bypass, had lung cancer surgery and then had a heart attack so I was pacing the hospital wards day in day out-in the ICU we thought we almost lost him so many times.The doctors told us to expect and be prepared for the worst.I didn't know what to do but pray. I realized I didn't know my dad at all. Ours was a father-daughter relationship and I didn't want to lose him before I knew him as an individual.Luckily he is still with us but needs care and has moved back overseas so him being away worries me on a daily basis.
In this way relating to this book was easy for me. I loved the stories Mary Ann had about doing good for others and how fortunate we are.I have also added some of the books mentioned in the book which I'm looking forward to reading as soon as I can.
I wish everyone going through the same experiences all the best.

He came to our library (Cincinnati) for an author visit. It was great to hear him talk about the book. I wouldn't say it was the best read ever but it was really good. I cant wait to read some of the books on the list.

I got so many good ideas for books to read from this book. What a wonderful mother and wonderful son. Their bond is admirable. I am suggesting this book to my book club. I would love to read it over again.

It took me awhile to really appreciate this book. I saw Mary Ann in my neighbor who died this summer from cancer but at a much younger age. Mary Ann was a remarkable woman. I know I will be reading some of the books that were discussed between mother and son.

Susan, I agree with you. It seemed as if every book mother and son read together was just a chance for the mother to give a lecture on her idea of how to be a good person. It was certainly a tribute to the mother but, other than her impossibly high standards of behavior, the book revealed little else about her or the author and there was little in the way of transformation or "aha" moments--two ingredients necessary when telling a story.

I was rather disappointed in it. I had hoped to find books that I would want to read; I didn't. I had hoped to gain some insight into books I had read; I didn't. I had hoped to feel something for the mother, but although I knew intellectually that she was an exceptional woman, I did not feel it.

Loved it. Very inspiring. Having to watch a parent to die from cancer I know what Will went through. Loved how strong and encouraging Mary Anne was to her family to help them cope with her death. Amazing woman.

One of the best books I have read!

My father recently passed from the same cancer Will's mother had and I almost felt like the book was directly speaking to me. It was like talking to a friend who was going through the same pain of knowing your parent has little time left. How do you make the most of the time you have left to enjoy your parent? I couldn't relate to alot of the books mentioned within, but what was most important to me was the relationship between Will and his mother and this terrible disease. That touched my heart on a very personal level.

I am glad this is the first book I read of 2013. Very good

I agree with this review. This book stayed with me for a long time. I immediately sent about an e-mail to my book clubs telling them to make sure this was on their personal lists. I am so glad that there was an appendix with the titles of the books that were mentioned and read. If I read even an nth of them.....

I also loved how the mother went on with her mission of opening a library in Kenya some time after her diagnosis.

This time Will Schwalbe wrote an amazing story interwoven with all themes of emotions, devotion, and relation within. In the World crammed with distrust, sarcasm this is an inspiring story of a son and his mother circulating around book club with all optimism, naturalness. This is what we realized on going through this book.

What are you reading???

We are not asking you this, actually son asks his mother Mary Anne while sitting in the waiting room of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. His mother is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, almost fatal, no more chance of seeing life beyond. Son and mother both open a "Book Club" and both slams their relationship in spite of the fact that mother is running short of life. For the next couple of years they read and discuss so many of things on spirituality, drama, comedy, poetry, mystery everything. Throughout the book, they constantly teach us, amaze us, and realize us how powerful the book is…Rediscovering their lives, they share concerns to each other. While reading no one is patient they are celebrating their life expressing gratitude to it….

Who say Reading is doing? Reading is living, Reading is enjoying life, and here Reading is an antonym of dying…
If you are a book lover, a must read book for you.