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Being Mortal – Atul Gawande
Book on CD narrated by Robert Petkoff
5*****

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!




My full review HERE But skip the review and just read this book!

Agree that this is an important book for everyone with access to modern technology- driven medicine to read. What a difference there is in "can something be done?" and "should something be done?" Thanks for a great review.

"Stop reading this review and read this book." I agree 1,000% This book was eye-opening for me. And very consoling.