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Summary: this book actually made me wish i was dead
Review: i mean no disrespect to the author when i say that this book makes me wish i was dead.
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Summary: author JOEL ROTHSCHILD says this is a great read
Review: It's really just a forward to my own book Signals. A wonderful read but, let's go one step beyond death. In the genre of Life after Lifer or Many Lives Many Masters, Signals has your answer. Yet this book is a wonderfful warm up read.
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Summary: Amazingly detailed and unique viewpoint
Review: I found this book to be thrilling because it not only explained so much medical terminology, anatomy, and physiology in clear detail but also provided a unique vantage point for the reader. It enabled me to learn about the body's stages and the many twists and turns that it can make in dying. Its clear examples provided real human insight to various diseases, natural aging, and other terminally illnesses. I recommend anyone who wants to go into medicine read this before hand because the author himself is an M.D. provides a interesting viewpoint for both patient and doctor to relate to.
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Summary: edifying
Review: This book is of great value for those who are able to tackle the subject. What I wish to recommend is a book for those who have lost a beloved pet and fear that they will never be reunited; that there is no life after death for animals. This is not true and is not biblical, either. The idea of reuniting with a beloved petthat has passed (or leaving one behind and knowing you will reunite) can be very comforting to those who seriously ill. One book, The Soul of Your Pet, gives solid, credible evidence for animal afterlife; there are many recountings of those who have interacted with departed pets; it will sends skeptics reeling. An example is of a vet who for the first time is called to a ranch to treat a sick horse; when she is through she advises the owners to remove the second horse from the paddock; they tell her they don't have another horse; they ask her to describe it and it matches the description of an old white horse that had died a few months previously and which had bonded in life with the living horse-- hardly grief-induced as the owners don't see it. (it does not take 4-6 weeks to receive it; that is just a disclaimer on the amazon site) Another book which is beautifully and compassionately written is Cold Noses at the Pearly Gates. It will leave the reader expecting to reunite in Heaven with his or her beloved furry or feathered friend. Lastly. aheartwarming book written for children that adults will love even more is For Every Dog an Angel. An angel comes to pup at birth and remains with it throughout its life; it becomes its bridge to the Other Side when it is time, sometimes crosses back over to visit, and eventually the "forever person" and his or her "forever dog" (or any "forever pet") are joyfully reunited. We all know that interaction with pets can greatly increase the quality of life for those who are terminally ill and the idea that there need be no final goodbyes should bring happiness to so many.
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Summary: A flawed but potentially influencial expose
Review: Although great science books like those of Darwin and Freud profoundly influence society, not all influential science books are great. Surgeon Sherwin Nuland has drawn attention to the topic of death and dying in a format that is accessible to a large audience, and could lead to more informed debate about euthenasia and other end-of-life issues. Nuland informs the reader about the mechanisms of death in some depth, reducing the mystery and horror of the topic to the point that it can be dealt with rationally. The problem with the book is thematic uneveness. After the promising first chapter I expected to be forced into a cold hard look at that from which I usually hide my eyes. But Dr. Nuland is a charmingly emotional and empathetic fellow who can bear to look into the abyss only sporadically. For example, he spares no details in cataloging the effects of cancer on the organs, but then lapses into the literary in his comparison of tumor cells to unruly teenagers. Like everyone else he has dealt with deaths of his patients, friends and family with protective emotional constructs that pop up with increasing frequency as the book progresses. His description of the dying AIDS patient's loving support group was downright gooey. Dr. Nuland also strays from his main theme and into public policy, where he is not convincing. He identifies human villians in Medicine's approach to dying; the specialists who won't give up when the cause is lost. He wants to "encourage" med students through discouraging policies not to specialize (note that Nuland is a specialist). This, I suppose, will protect patients from doctors who are technically qualified to try too hard. Nuland's advocacy positions are cheery news to HMO's that want to reduce the cost of end-of-life care.
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Summary: To help those who need to understand...
Review: "How We Die" is a heart-felt, clear and human look at the inevitable. In my daily profession I may see death by any means imaginable. It is not the state of the already dead for whom I weep, but the obvious fears and uncertainties of the living. Dr. Nuland gives us the opportunity to gain a more open understanding of clinical processes to which we all will succumb, and an awareness of the common misunderstandings, mistaken decisions and confusing priorities we all share when we think of death. Agreeing with Dr. Nuland, I say we think of death much more than we are willing to admit, but are generally poorly prepared to deal with it. Dr. Nuland has enabled me to offer unusually effective comfort to the families and friends of the ill and the dead. Because of his writing, my treatment of patients and their families has dramatically shifted from a cold clinical approach to one that stresses an acceptance of the situation, an acknowledgement of the fears and uncertainties, and a human vision for the path that lay ahead.
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Summary: How We Die addresses a subject we fear but seldom explore.
Review: I vote for ventricular fibrillation. Of the major killers it appears to be the least painful. Afterall, as the author notes we all desire a dignified and graceful passing. I read the book just four weeks after the death of my mother to pancreatic cancer. It was a difficult read. I'm glad I read the book after her death rather than before. Otherwise I would have agonizingly awaited many of the final tortures that my mother was so blessedly spared.I'll read it again when I need a reality check.
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Summary: The truth about the inevitable
Review: Every person I know who has died has taught me something about the way each of us will face death. Dr. Nuland expertly describes what happens to the body as it goes through aids or cancer to that final end. Only when we stop being afraid to talk about death will we accept it. This book is a great help for those facing death and for those who are close to someone who is dying.
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Summary: Outstanding
Review: This book is truly outstanding in that the author tackles a very difficult subject and does so with grace and respect. Although it would have been easy (and of good shock-value) for him to stray into horrific detail, he did not do so. At the same time, he didn't sugarcoat it either. One gets the impression that he is simply laying it on the line - nothing more, nothing less. To those who found the book scary or tasteless, grab a clue...You don't need to be obsessed with death, but a good sense of its inevitable arrival may just help us all live a little better.
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Summary: palliative tranquility
Review: I would suggest that any one person in the business of the process of exsistence review this script for no other reason but to "gently" comprehend that the truant manifest we refer to as consciousness is medically fleeting. Perhaps that village that beckons us to another wood may summon prematurely at some point and within the confines of true introspection "Are we truly prepared to prostrate before our exit?" And in conclusion can we honestly face the impromptu and unwelcomed call of the vastness not known? Thank you Dr. Nuland. Bagley,Alabama
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