Being Mortal 1st Atul Gawande by Atul Gawande 9781847657862, 1847657869 instant download after payment.

"One of the triumphs of Being Mortal is in its language: Because these subjects are so difficult, people all too often invoke treacly platitudes or, in the case of the ludicrous 'death panels' controversy, toxic, fear-driven catchphrases. Gawande's writing is clear and concise yet gentle and humane. And most important, honesty. He finds a way to talk about death and dying safely."  -  Jennifer Day, The Chicago Tribune

Medicine has triumphed in modern times, transforming the dangers of childbirth, injury, and disease from harrowing to manageable. But when it comes to the inescapable realities of aging and death, what medicine can do often runs counter to what it should.  Through eye-opening research and gripping stories of his own patients and family, Gawande reveals the suffering this dynamic has produced. 

"Gawande begins by contrasting the final years of his wife’s grandmother in America with those of his own grandfather in India. These two stories illustrate the central paradox that runs throughout Being Mortal: Sophisticated medical care does not guarantee and often actually prevents a good end of life... "  -  Suzanne Koven, The Boston Globe

Nursing homes, devoted above all to safety, battle with residents over the food they are allowed to eat and the choices they are allowed to make. Doctors, uncomfortable discussing patients’ anxieties about death, fall back on false hopes and treatments that are actually shortening lives instead of improving them. And families go along with all of it.

Riveting, honest, and humane, Being Mortal shows that the ultimate goal is not a good death but a good life — all the way to the very end.