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Liked It “This is a must read for everyone. It will help you with making end of life decisions.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Attempting to demythologize the process of dying, Nuland explores how we shall die, each of us in a way that will be unique. Through particular stories of dying--of patients, and of his own family--he examines the seven most common roads to death.”
Tony wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“I knew when I checked this one out from the funeral home it wasn't going to be fun reading. I did really learn a lot and I think it helped me to understand many of the clients in the nursing homes we visit for pet therapy. It also makes you think about how we, as Americans, don't want to talk about or see the end stages of life. It's not very often the peaceful leaving that we like to picture. It was very medical in nature, but understandable. ”
Paula K wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This is a must read for everyone. It will help you with making end of life decisions.”
Timothy E wrote this review Monday, October 26 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“The book covers the ways in which different terminal events cause the body to shut down. Nuland uses technical language to discribe the events occurring but has an underlying theme about the ways in which people die and how the medical practice of solving the “Riddle” at the heart of the terminal event may lesson the patients likelyhood of dying naturally. He goes through many cases and found the myth of “death with dignity” missing. Most deaths occur after long periods of pain and continued loss of functionaliy. He sees a worrying trend towards trying to prolong life without measuring the quality of it. Interesting reflection on hope and the definition of hope. One can see it as hope for a cure that allieviates the cause of death, but that’s not always practical. “I will seek hope…in the way I try to live my life, so that those who value what I am will have profited by my time on earth and be left with comforting recollections of what we have meant to one another”. “The greatest dignity to be found in death is the dignity of the life that preceeded it.” ”
Jim G wrote this review Saturday, October 17 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This is a frightening and very well-written book. Not for everyone.”
Lindenalia wrote this review Tuesday, October 6 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“a subject that affects all penned with the precision of a surgeon”
david s wrote this review Saturday, September 19 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A really interesting way to view how our body march to its end. ”
Jurja C wrote this review Friday, June 19 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This was a bit of a challenge. There were times I found the information difficult to process, yet I gained insight into how our life processes are totally interconnected. There was much I could apply in recalling the aging and demise of my own parents. Knowing what happens in these processes helps provide a foundation of understanding.”
Jeanetta M wrote this review Friday, May 8 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This book is amazing. A physician writes with candor and in an approachable way..about the most difficult of subjects. Fascinating and so well-written. Really focuses on the need to be informed about the practice of medicine and the workings of your own body to live and die well. The point is, you can't know how you will die, but the best you can do to ensure a "good death" is to make sure you have a good life. ”
Kelly F wrote this review Saturday, April 18 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A very hard book to read, but once you learn it read Nuland, it's great stuff.”
Jacob Casey wrote this review Sunday, March 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
