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xmlHttp.send(null); idtohide = "loading"; document.getElementById("loading").style.display = 'block'; } function showall(lang) { $('relatedtagsarea'+lang).innerHTML = ''; if (!lang) { $('loader').show(); } var url = "/ajaxinc_showbooktags.php"; var params = "work=15069990&all=1&print=1&doit=1&lang="+lang; basic_ajax( url, params, function(r) { $('relatedtagsarea'+lang).innerHTML = r.responseText; if (!lang) { $('loader').hide(); } }); } function change_swapcolumnpreference(checkbox) { currentid = 'swapspan'; createXMLHttpRequest(); xmlHttp.onreadystatechange = handleStateChange; if (checkbox.checked) { var URL = "/ajax_changeswapcolumnprefs.php?checked=1" } else { var URL = "/ajax_changeswapcolumnprefs.php?checked=0"; } xmlHttp.open("GET", URL, true); xmlHttp.send(null); document.getElementById("swapspan").innerHTML = " (saving)"; } // following added csd because it got left out of redesign of works page. function loadlanguages(lang, lang2, lang_original) { currentid = 'languagediv'; //Ajax thing createXMLHttpRequest(); xmlHttp.onreadystatechange = handleStateChange; xmlHttp.open("GET", "/ajax_cardedit_loadlanguages.php?lang="+lang+"&lang2="+lang2+"&lang_original="+lang_original, true); xmlHttp.send(null); document.getElementById("loading").innerHTML = "Loading..."; } function loadScore(work) { var url = '/ajax_willilikeit.php?work=' + work; basic_ajax_updater(url, null, 'score'); return false; } function ajax_work_makeworkCloud(work, check) { var url = '/ajax_work_makeworkCloud.php?work=' + work + '&check=' + check; basic_ajax_updater( url, null, 'ajax_work_makeworkCloud' ); } var clickedISBN=''; var removeRelationshipConfirm = "Are you sure?"; function sizeImage() { var mainCoverWidth = $J('#mainCover').width(); var mainCoverHeight = $J('#mainCover').height(); if(mainCoverWidth == 1 && mainCoverHeight == 1) { var imageUrl = $J('#mainCover').attr('src'); var url = "/ajax_problemcoverreporter.php?cover="+imageUrl; basic_ajax_updater(url, null, 'problemcoverreporter'); } } function onchange_upgradeauthors() { var upgradeauthors = $('upgradeauthors').getValue(); 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Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.</div></div></div> </div><div id="gbss"> <h1>Results from Google Books</h1> <p>Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.</p> <div id="gbss_content"></div> </div><div class="content summary"><input type="hidden" name="cgtag_lb_title" value="CoverGuess Tags" id="cgtag_lb_title" class="" ><input type="hidden" name="work" value="15069990" id="work" class="" > <table class="wrapper" width="100%" border=0> <col width="160"> <col> <col width="210"> <tr> <td class="left"><div id="maincover"><a href="#" onclick="si_info('isbn_0805095152'); return false;"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/fugue21/magnifier-left.png" class="icon"></a><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0805095152.01._SX180_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0805095152.01._SX360_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0805095152.01._SX540_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" /></div><div class="leftnav workleftnav alwaysblue noline"><ul><li class="first selected"><a href="/work/15069990/summary">Main page</a></li> <li class="gap"><a href="/work/15069990/workdetails">Work details</a></li> <li class="gap"><a href="/work/15069990/reviews">Reviews</a> <span class="count">(292)</span></li> <li ><a href="/work/15069990/recommendations">Recommendations</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/15069990/members">Members</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/15069990/descriptions">Descriptions</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/15069990/conversations">Conversations</a> <span class="count">(566)</span></li> <li ><a href="/work/15069990/commonknowledge">Common Knowledge</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/15069990/popularity">Popularity</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/15069990/covers">Cover images</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/15069990/editions">Editions</a></li></ul></div> </td> <td class="middle" id="middleColumn"> <div id="loading">Loading...</div><div class="headsummary"><h1>Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End</h1><h2>by <a href="/author/gawandeatul">Atul Gawande</a><hr></h2><div class="authorsandseries"><h3><b>Other authors:</b> See the <a href="#otherauthors">other authors</a> section.</h3></div></div><div class="wslcontainer"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="wsltable"><tr class="wslheader"><td width="18%" class="firstchild">Members</td><td width="18%">Reviews</td><td width="18%">Popularity</td><td width="22%">Average rating</td><td width="25%" class="lastchild">Mentions</td></tr><tr class="wslcontent"><td valign="middle" class="firstchild"><a href="/work/15069990/members">5,597</a></td><td valign="middle"><a href="/work/15069990/reviews">292</a></td><td valign="middle"><a href="/work/15069990/popularity">1,948</a></td><td valign="middle"><nobr><a href="/work/15069990/members"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss9.gif" style="margin-bottom: -2px;"></a> <span class="dark_hint">(4.47)</span></nobr></td><td valign="middle" class="lastchild"><a href="/work/15069990/conversations">566</a></td></tr><tr class="wslcontent wslsummary"><td colspan="7" class="lastchild"><div class="showmore" id="u_d9690525" >Medicine has triumphed in modern times, transforming birth, injury, and infectious disease from harrowing to manageable. But in the inevitable condition of aging and death, the goals of medicine seem too frequently to run counter to the interest of the human spirit. Nursing homes, preoccupied <u class="showmore_hide">with safety, pin patients into railed beds and wheelchairs. Hospitals isolate the dying, checking for vital signs long after the goals of cure have become moot. Doctors, committed to extending life, continue to carry out devastating procedures that in the end extend suffering. Gawande, a practicing surgeon, addresses his profession's ultimate limitation, arguing that quality of life is the desired goal for patients and families. Gawande offers examples of freer, more socially fulfilling models for assisting the infirm and dependent elderly, and he explores the varieties of hospice care to demonstrate that a person's last weeks or months may be rich and dignified.</u><span class="showmore_showlink">… (<a href="#" onclick="showMore('u_d9690525');">more</a>)</span></div class="" ></td></tr></table></div><div id="workpagesort_10" class="quickedit light flipped"><div class="nav"><div class="sectionhead_rbutcontainer"><span style="font-size:9px;font-weight:normal;"><a value="all members" value="all members" class="func_lt2_display_ui lt2button btn ltbtn-button-float-right btn-tiny btn-default" type="button" role="button" href="/work/15069990/members/" ><span class="btntxt">all members</span></a></span></div><span class="navInfoTitle"><span class="divotBig" onclick="LibraryThing.work.handleSectionHide(this, 'members', 'u_a9b420a7', '0');"><span class="chdivot" style="font-size:9px;vertical-align:bottom;">▼</span></span>Members</span><span class="sectionTitleST"></span></div><div class="qelcontent" id="u_a9b420a7" style="display:block;"><table class="wstable" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tr><td class="label memberlistLabel"><span style="white-space:nowrap;text-align:right;">Recently added by</span></td><td class="wide memberlistvalue" id="u_9a7950a5">private library, <a href="/profile/Tfmosborne">Tfmosborne</a>, <a href="/profile/mlstweet">mlstweet</a>, <a href="/profile/lauraklemme">lauraklemme</a>, <a href="/profile/bookjockeymeg">bookjockeymeg</a>, <a href="/profile/Jeaney">Jeaney</a>, <a href="/profile/alonereed">alonereed</a>, <a href="/profile/dreamsindisco">dreamsindisco</a>, <a href="/profile/esgway">esgway</a>, <a href="/profile/Domenic_Boresta">Domenic_Boresta</a></td></tr></table></div></div><div id="workpagesort_20" class="quickedit light flipped"><div class="nav"><div class="sectionhead_rbutcontainer"><button id="u_afa2ffef_snb" value="numbers" value="numbers" class="func_lt2_display_ui lt2button btn ltbtn-button-float-right btn-tiny btn-default" type="button" role="button" onclick="tagcloud_showTagNumbers('u_afa2ffef'); 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Chen</a> <span class="by">(<a href="/profile/BookshelfMonstrosity">BookshelfMonstrosity</a>)</span><blockquote class="showmore" id="u_954ba99b" ><a href="/profile/BookshelfMonstrosity">BookshelfMonstrosity</a>: Written by experienced and dedicated physicians, these compelling books question American health care's emphasis on management and technique to the detriment of human relationships between doctors and patients, especially when <u class="showmore_hide">the patient's mortality is an important consideration.</u><span class="showmore_showlink">… (<a href="#" onclick="showMore('u_954ba99b');">more</a>)</span></blockquote class="" ></li><li><div class="thumbvoter" id="vote_6_152224"><span class="main"><i class="far fa-thumbs-up votethumb"></i><span class="gray">0</span><i class="far fa-thumbs-down votethumb"></i><span class="gray">0</span></span></div><a href="/work/31081378" data-workid="31081378" data-title="Briefly-Perfectly-Human" class="" >Briefly Perfectly Human</a> by <a href="/author/arthuralua">Alua Arthur</a> <span class="by">(<a href="/profile/teelgee">teelgee</a>)</span><blockquote class="" ><a href="/profile/teelgee">teelgee</a>: Memoir by a death doula; "Making an authentic life by getting real about the end."</blockquote class="" ></li></ol></div></div></div><div id="workpagesort_37" class="quickedit light flipped"><div class="nav"><span class="navInfoTitle"><span class="divotBig" onclick="LibraryThing.work.handleSectionHide(this, 'lists', 'u_037d3833', '0');"><span class="chdivot" style="font-size:9px;vertical-align:bottom;">▼</span></span>Lists</span></div><div class="qelcontent" id="u_037d3833" style="display:block"><div class="showmore" id="u_e3c5ce89"><div><a href="/list/305/all/Recommend-the-20-best-books-youve-read-in-the-last-five-years">Recommend the 20 best books you've read in the last five years</a> <span class="count">(99)</span></div><div><a href="/list/10613/all/Top-Five-Books-of-2015">Top Five Books of 2015</a> <span class="count">(11)</span></div><div><a href="/list/10028/all/Top-Five-Books-of-2014">Top Five Books of 2014</a> <span class="count">(59)</span></div><div class="showmore_showlink">» <a href="#" onclick="showMore('u_e3c5ce89')">16 more</a></div><div class="showmore_hide"><div><a href="/list/29/all/Non-Fiction-Worth-Reading">Non-Fiction Worth Reading</a> <span class="count">(74)</span></div><div><a href="/list/10625/all/Books-Read-in-2016">Books Read in 2016</a> <span class="count">(161)</span></div><div><a href="/list/11218/all/Books-recommended-by-Barack-Obama">Books recommended by Barack Obama</a> <span class="count">(39)</span></div><div><a href="/list/20335/all/Books-Read-in-2019">Books Read in 2019</a> <span class="count">(168)</span></div><div><a href="/list/42765/all/Top-Five-Books-of-2020">Top Five Books of 2020</a> <span class="count">(191)</span></div><div><a href="/list/11182/all/Books-Read-in-2017">Books Read in 2017</a> <span class="count">(234)</span></div><div><a href="/list/20276/all/Top-Five-Books-of-2018">Top Five Books of 2018</a> <span class="count">(259)</span></div><div><a href="/list/45644/all/Books-We-Love-to-Reread">Books We Love to Reread</a> <span class="count">(353)</span></div><div><a href="/list/45728/all/Books-That-Made-Us-Cry">Books That Made Us Cry</a> <span class="count">(159)</span></div><div><a href="/list/45521/all/Best-Audiobooks">Best Audiobooks</a> <span class="count">(150)</span></div><div><a href="/list/59/all/Books-That-Made-Me-Cry">Books That Made Me Cry</a> <span class="count">(174)</span></div><div><a href="/list/44744/all/Totally-Biased-List-of-Tookie%E2%80%99s-Favorite-Books">Totally Biased List of Tookie’s Favorite Books</a> <span class="count">(4)</span></div><div><a href="/list/537/all/Books-for-helping-to-cope-with-serious-illness%25252Fdying">Books for helping to cope with serious illness/dying</a> <span class="count">(18)</span></div><div><a href="/list/10626/all/Read-in-2016">Read in 2016</a> <span class="count">(21)</span></div><div><a href="/list/43144/all/Read-alike-From-here-to-eternity-by-Caitlin-doughty">Read-alike - 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That being said, I think it's an important one. Gawande uses people's stories with compassion to share the reality of how the end of life looks in the 21st century.<br><br>This is a hard book to read but worth sitting with. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_275686014" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_275686014"> </span> </span><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_275686014" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_275686014" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_275686014"> </span></span></span> <span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/mlstweet" target="_top">mlstweet</a> | Nov 22, 2024 | <a href="/review/275686014"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> </div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_275085190" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/15069990" data-workid="15069990" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0805095152.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0805095152.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0805095152.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>I can't add much about this book beyond what is described in its blurb.<br><br>It was fantastic--well-researched, well-written, thought-provoking, and covered everything I had questions about, including controversial topics like assisted suicide and where to draw the line.<br><br>The author wove in his family's personal story very well. I cried multiple times.<br><br>One intellectual highlight for me was the concept of "socioemotional selectivity theory"--the idea that one's desire for expanding one's network of relationships and focusing on future goals diminishes in the face of tragedy (and, typically, old age) and comes back again when there seems to be more hope for the future, as during a healthy youth or younger adulthood. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss10.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_275085190" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_275085190"> </span> </span><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_275085190" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_275085190" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_275085190"> </span></span></span> <span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/word.owl" target="_top">word.owl</a> | Nov 12, 2024 | <a href="/review/275085190"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> </div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_273627860" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/15069990" data-workid="15069990" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0805095152.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0805095152.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0805095152.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>I'm 60 and feeling myself getting older, my mom is 80 and terrifically fit but willing to talk about the future, so as soon as she was done reading it I dived in so we could talk about the things the author explores. I'm visiting her, so it was easy to have the conversations, and we're both very clear now. Next I'll get my husband to read it... there are so many different ideas about what 'quality of life' and 'dignified end' and 'extraordinary measures' mean.<br><br>Probably the best thing I learned is how wonderful hospice care can be. Sometimes patients even live longer with it, because they don't have the stress & trauma of all the treatments one gets if one is institutionalized. And yes, nursing home residents do feel as if they're incarcerated just for being old, because they lose control of their schedule, their privacy, their menus, their activities.<br><br>Also, these conversations should be held with all family members periodically. Young people can get cancer, too. And other diseases and accidents can happen. <br><br> Fantastic book. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss10.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_273627860" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_273627860"> </span> </span><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_273627860" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_273627860" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_273627860"> </span></span></span> <span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/Cheryl_in_CC_NV" target="_top">Cheryl_in_CC_NV</a> | Oct 18, 2024 | <a href="/review/273627860"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> </div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_273418227" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/15069990" data-workid="15069990" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0805095152.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0805095152.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0805095152.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Gawande, a surgeon and noted science writer, looks here at the way medical practice and cultural expectations in contemporary society deal with the closing years of life, and how our efforts so often bring unnecessary stress to patients and their families. “Medical science,” he writes, “has rendered obsolete centuries of experience, tradition, and language about our mortality and created a new difficulty for mankind: how to die.”<br><br>Gawande points out that we live in “a society that faces the final phase of the human life cycle by trying not to think about it.” And when we do think about it, as a culture, as a member of the medical establishment, or as an individual, our solutions too often address the wrong issues and come up with solutions that don’t address the essential question – how to make life worth living for those who are weak and frail and can no longer fend for themselves.<br><br>The work takes a look at the three responses most common in our culture – multi-generational households, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes, then provides examples or case studies pointing out the best and worst outcomes of each. He cites innovative and alternative living situations that stress autonomy of the residents and strive to provide the best quality of life for each individual. <br><br>He then spends a great deal of time – nearly a third of the book – on the value and growing acceptance of a fourth response, the modern concept of in-home hospice. Hospice, as his research revealed, is not “doing nothing”. As one practitioner explains, it’s a shift in priorities, focusing on freedom from pain, maintaining mental awareness, and helping the patient choose what is most important to them in their final days and what they are willing to give up in order to achieve it.<br><br>At base, Gawande is discussing the concept of <i>ars moriendi</i> – the art of dying, and he’s doing it with compassion and perception.<br><br><i>Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End</i>, is a thoughtful and important work. Serious without being morbid, it reminds us of the journey we all must eventually make, and provides guideposts to making it with grace and dignity. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss10.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_273418227" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_273418227"> </span> </span><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_273418227" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_273418227" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_273418227"> </span></span></span> <span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/LyndaInOregon" target="_top">LyndaInOregon</a> | Oct 14, 2024 | <a href="/review/273418227"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> </div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_272473261" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/15069990" data-workid="15069990" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0805095152.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0805095152.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0805095152.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Atul Gawande is a surgeon who has taken a look at modern medicine and its contradictions; focusing on the premise of saving and extending life at the risk of making life unendurable or unacceptable for the individual. He uses real life situations to look at end of life options: nursing homes, palliative care, active medical procedures and alternatives. We are all mortal and that makes this book relevant for everyone. Highly recommended. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss10.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_272473261" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_272473261"> </span> </span><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_272473261" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_272473261" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_272473261"> </span></span></span> <span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/Linda-C1" target="_top">Linda-C1</a> | Sep 26, 2024 | <a href="/review/272473261"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> </div></div></div><div class='reviewnav'><div class="right"><strong><a href="#" onclick="loadReviewsIntoContainer('',0,3,3,'wp_reviews',5,'','15069990','',false, null, 'profile');return false;">date<span class="sortArrow"> ▼</span></a></strong> | <a href="#" onclick="loadReviewsIntoContainer('',0,2,3,'wp_reviews',5,'','15069990','',false, null, 'profile'); return false;">votes</a></div>Showing 1-5 of 295 (<a href="#" onclick="loadReviewsIntoContainer('',5,0,3,'wp_reviews',5,'','15069990','', false, null, 'profile'); return false;">next</a> | <a href="#" onclick="loadReviewsIntoContainer('',0,0,3,'wp_reviews',10000,'','15069990','', false, null, 'profile'); return false;">show all</a>)</div></div></div></div></div></div><div id="workpagesort_53" class="quickedit light flipped"><div class="nav"><div class="sectionhead_rbutcontainer" style="float: right;"><span class="sectionTitleHelp"><span class="sectionTitleHelp"><a href="https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/Published_Reviews" class="blacklink" title="Help"><img style="vertical-align:middle;" class="helpIcon" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/helpq.png" alt="?"></a></span></span></div> <a name="publishedreviews"></a><span class="navInfoTitle"><span class="divotBig" onclick="LibraryThing.work.handleSectionHide(this, 'mediareviews', 'u_3628408f', '0');"><span class="chdivot" style="font-size:9px;vertical-align:bottom;">▼</span></span>Published reviews</span></div><div class="qelcontent" id="u_3628408f" style="display:block;"><div id="mediareviews_container"><div id="mediareviews"><table class="sa_tools" id="u_f0360060_link"><tr><td id="left">1 review</td><td id="center"><a href="#" onclick="LibraryThing.mediareviews.edit({'workid':'15069990'});return false;">add a review</a></td><td id="right"> thingScore <a href="https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/Published_Reviews"><span class="mre_score mre_score_good">100</span></a></td></tr></table><div class="bookReview" mr_id="40579" style="font-size:12px;"><span style="float: right; margin: 5px 0px 5px 6px;"><span id="rate-u_50f6fc4e" title="9.0 Stars" aria-title="9.0 Stars" class="rating rating-style-2 " data-fn="ratingWidget_fromSettingsA" ><img class="thumb_rating" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/mr-uu.gif" /></span></span><div id="brtext_40579" class="commentText">His new book, “Being Mortal,” is a personal meditation on how we can better live with age-related frailty, serious illness and approaching death.<br><br>It is also a call for a change in the philosophy of health care. Gawande writes that members of the medical profession, himself included, have been wrong about what their job is. Rather than ensuring health and survival, it is “to enable well-being.”</div><div class="commentFooter" style="clear: right;"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="mredit">added by <a href="/profile/melmore">melmore</a> | <a title="edit review" href="#" onclick="LibraryThing.mediareviews.edit({'mr_id':'40579', 'workid':'15069990'});return false;">edit</a></span></span><span class="controlItems"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/09/books/review/atul-gawande-being-mortal-review.html?_r=0" target="_top" class="nowrap"><span class="nowrap mre_source">New York Times</span>, <span class="nowrap">Sheri Fink</span></a> <span rawdate="1415250000" class="nowrap">(Nov 6, 2014)</span></span></div><div style="clear:both;height:1px;"> </div></div></div></div> </div></div></div><div id="workpagesort_56" class="quickedit light flipped"><div class="nav"><a name="otherauthors"></a><span class="navInfoTitle"><span class="divotBig" onclick="LibraryThing.work.handleSectionHide(this, 'otherauthors', 'u_b6feed30', '0');"><span class="chdivot" style="font-size:9px;vertical-align:bottom;">▼</span></span>Other authors</span></div><div class="qelcontent" id="u_b6feed30" style="display:block;"><div id="otherauthors_container"><p style="margin-top: 5px !important;"><a href="javascript:otherauthors_edit(15069990)">» Add other authors (8 possible)</a></p><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" class="otherauthor"><tr class="head"><td>Author name</td><td>Role</td><td>Type of author</td><td>Work?</td><td>Status</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/author/gawandeatul">Gawande, Atul</a></td><td>—</td><td>primary author</td><td>all editions</td><td>confirmed</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/author/petkoffrobert">Petkoff, Robert</a></td><td>Narrator</td><td>secondary author</td><td>some editions</td><td>confirmed</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/author/praderaalejandro-1">Pradera, Alejandro</a></td><td>Translator</td><td>secondary author</td><td>some editions</td><td>confirmed</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/author/roumlckelsusanne">Röckel, Susanne</a></td><td>Übersetzer</td><td>secondary author</td><td>some editions</td><td>confirmed</td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="workpagesort_57" class="quickedit light flipped"><div class="nav"><span class="navInfoTitle"><span class="divotBig" onclick="LibraryThing.work.handleSectionHide(this, 'relationships', 'u_8edc34de', '0');"><span class="chdivot" style="font-size:9px;vertical-align:bottom;">▼</span></span>Series and work relationships</span></div><div class="qelcontent" id="u_8edc34de" style="display:block;"><div id="seriesforwork_container"></div><div id="relationships_container"></div></div></div><div id="workpagesort_59" class="quickedit light flipped"><div class="nav"><span class="navInfoTitle"><span class="divotBig" onclick="LibraryThing.work.handleSectionHide(this, 'newaward', 'u_e714e803', '0');"><span class="chdivot" style="font-size:9px;vertical-align:bottom;">▼</span></span>Awards and Honors</span></div><div class="qelcontent" id="u_e714e803" style="display:block;"><div id="newawardforwork_container"><h2>Awards</h2><div id="u_ac3c8c7c" class="lt_itemlist"><div class="ltil_item " ><div><a href="/award/283/Los-Angeles-Times-Book-Prize" class="" >Los Angeles Times Book Prize</a> (<a href="/award/283.5/Los-Angeles-Times-Book-Prize-Finalist">Finalist</a> – <a href="/award/283.0.3018/Los-Angeles-Times-Book-Prize-Current-Interest">Current Interest</a> – <a href="/award/283.0.0.2014/Los-Angeles-Times-Book-Prize-2014">2014</a>)</div></div><div class="ltil_item " ><div><a href="/award/41/Audie-Award" class="" >Audie Award</a> (<a href="/award/41.5/Audie-Award-Finalist">Finalist</a> – <a href="/award/41.0.10/Audie-Award-Non-Fiction">Non-Fiction</a> – <a href="/award/41.0.0.2015/Audie-Award-2015">2015</a>)</div></div><div class="ltil_item " ><div><a href="/award/1149/Baillie-Gifford-Prize-for-Non-Fiction" class="" >Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction</a> (<a href="/award/1149.3/Baillie-Gifford-Prize-for-Non-Fiction-Longlist">Longlist</a> – <a href="/award/1149.0.0.2014/Baillie-Gifford-Prize-for-Non-Fiction-2014">2014</a>)</div></div><div class="ltil_item " ><div><a href="/award/1367/Books-for-a-Better-Life-Award" class="" >Books for a Better Life Award</a> (<a href="/award/1367.1/Books-for-a-Better-Life-Award-Winner">Winner</a> – <a href="/award/1367.0.0.2014/Books-for-a-Better-Life-Award-2014">2014</a>)</div></div><div class="ltil_item " ><div><a href="/award/678/The-Economist-Best-Books" class="" >The Economist Best Books</a> (<a href="/award/678.0.0.273002/The-Economist-Best-Books-2014-2">2014.2</a>)</div></div><div class="ltil_item " ><div><a href="/award/257/Indies-Choice-Book-Award" class="" >Indies Choice Book Award</a> (<a href="/award/257.1/Indies-Choice-Book-Award-Winner">Winner</a> – <a href="/award/257.0.3368/Indies-Choice-Book-Award-Adult-Nonfiction">Adult Nonfiction</a> – <a href="/award/257.0.0.2015/Indies-Choice-Book-Award-2015">2015</a>)</div></div></div><h2>Distinctions</h2><div id="u_bc0e5939" class="lt_itemlist"><div class="ltil_item " ><div><a href="/award/316/Amazons-Best-Books-of-the-Month" class="" >Amazon's Best Books of the Month</a> (<a href="/award/316.0.0.199631/Amazons-Best-Books-of-the-Month-October-2014">October 2014</a>)</div></div><div class="ltil_item " ><div><a href="/award/18/Amazon-com-Best-Books" class="" >Amazon.com Best Books</a> (<a href="/award/18.0.8/Amazon-com-Best-Books-Nonfiction">Nonfiction</a> – <a href="/award/18.0.0.2015/Amazon-com-Best-Books-2015">2015</a>)</div></div><div class="ltil_item " ><div><a href="/award/232/Booklist-Editors-Choice-Adult-Books" class="" >Booklist Editor's Choice: Adult Books</a> (<a href="/award/232.0.3245/Booklist-Editors-Choice-Adult-Books-Health-Medicine">Health & Medicine</a> – <a href="/award/232.0.0.2014/Booklist-Editors-Choice-Adult-Books-2014">2014</a>)</div></div><div class="ltil_item " ><div><a href="/award/15142/NPR-Books-We-Love" class="" >NPR: Books We Love</a> (<a href="/award/15142.0.0.2014/NPR-Books-We-Love-2014">2014</a>)</div></div><div class="ltil_item " ><div><a href="/award/733/The-Observer-Book-of-the-Year" class="" >The Observer Book of the Year</a> (<a href="/award/733.0.1439/The-Observer-Book-of-the-Year-Science">Science</a> – <a href="/award/733.0.0.2014/The-Observer-Book-of-the-Year-2014">2014</a>)</div></div><div class="ltil_item " ><div><a href="/award/202/San-Francisco-Chronicle-Best-Book-of-the-Year" class="" >San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year</a> (<a href="/award/202.0.8/San-Francisco-Chronicle-Best-Book-of-the-Year-Nonfiction">Nonfiction</a> – <a href="/award/202.0.0.2014/San-Francisco-Chronicle-Best-Book-of-the-Year-2014">2014</a>)</div></div></div><h2>Notable Lists</h2><div id="u_47cf1600" class="lt_itemlist"><div class="ltil_item " ><div><a href="/award/486/100-Best-Books-of-2010-2015-by-The-Oyster-Editors" class="" >100 Best Books of 2010-2015 by The Oyster Editors</a></div></div><div class="ltil_item " ><div><a href="/award/579/16-Of-The-Best-Science-Books-of-All-Time" class="" >16 Of The Best Science Books of All Time</a></div></div><div class="ltil_item " ><div><a href="/award/630/55-Nonfiction-Books-to-Read-in-a-Lifetime" class="" >55 Nonfiction Books to Read in a Lifetime</a></div></div><div class="ltil_item " ><div><a href="/award/1448/70-iconic-Indian-books" class="" >70 iconic Indian books</a></div></div><div class="ltil_item " ><div><a href="/award/608/BuzzFeed-Best-Books" class="" >BuzzFeed Best Books</a> (<a href="/award/608.0.8/BuzzFeed-Best-Books-Nonfiction">Nonfiction</a> – <a href="/award/608.0.0.2014/BuzzFeed-Best-Books-2014">2014</a>)</div></div><div class="ltil_item " ><div><a href="/award/279/Chicago-Public-Library-Best-of-the-Best-Adults" class="" >Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Adults</a> (<a href="/award/279.106/Chicago-Public-Library-Best-of-the-Best-Adults-Selection">Selection</a> – <a href="/award/279.0.8/Chicago-Public-Library-Best-of-the-Best-Adults-Nonfiction">Nonfiction</a> – <a href="/award/279.0.0.2014/Chicago-Public-Library-Best-of-the-Best-Adults-2014">2014</a>)</div></div><div class="ltil_item " ><div><a href="/award/423/Globe-and-Mail-Top-100-Book" class="" >Globe and Mail Top 100 Book</a> (<a href="/award/423.0.8/Globe-and-Mail-Top-100-Book-Nonfiction">Nonfiction</a> – <a href="/award/423.0.0.2014/Globe-and-Mail-Top-100-Book-2014">2014</a>)</div></div></div></div></div></div><div id="workpagesort_60" class="quickedit light flipped"><div class="nav"><div class="sectionhead_rbutcontainer"><a value="view history" value="view history" class="func_lt2_display_ui lt2button btn btn-tiny btn-default" type="button" role="button" href="/commonknowledge/changelog.php?item=15069990&type=1" ><span class="btntxt">view history</span></a></div><span class="navInfoTitle"><span class="divotBig" onclick="LibraryThing.work.handleSectionHide(this, 'ck', 'u_b6b2e597', '0');"><span class="chdivot" style="font-size:9px;vertical-align:bottom;">▼</span></span>Common Knowledge</span><span class="sectionTitleST"></span></div><div class="qelcontent" id="u_b6b2e597" style="display:block;"><div id="fwikiContainerTablediv"><table class="fwikiContainerTable ch1 " fn="inlineWikiItemsContent"> <tr> <td COLSPAN="2"> <div class="fwikiHint fwikiTopHint"><div class="fwikiWarningHint">You must <a href="/">log in</a> to edit Common Knowledge data.</div> For more help see the <a href="https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/Common_Knowledge">Common Knowledge help page</a>. </div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" class="fwikiLabel"><a name="ck_canonicaltitle"></a>Canonical title</td> <td><table class="fwikiGroup"><tr><td class='fwikiField' id='u_719fa475' itemType='1' itemNum='15069990' fieldType='21' name='u_719fa475' allowmultiple='0' hasHistory = '1' fieldName = 'canonicaltitle' uitype = '1' ltlang='eng' hint = 'Authoritative title for a work in the language of the site you are on' ><div class='fwikiItem divcanonicaltitle'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" ><a href="/commonknowledge/search.php?q=Being+Mortal%3A+Medicine+and+What+Matters+in+the+End&f=21&exact=1&type=1">Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End</a> </div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> </td><td class='fwikiItemControls'></td></td></tr></table></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" class="fwikiLabel"><a name="ck_originaltitle"></a>Original title</td> <td><table class="fwikiGroup"><tr><td class='fwikiField' id='u_cfc75b14' itemType='1' itemNum='15069990' fieldType='41' name='u_cfc75b14' allowmultiple='1' hasHistory = '1' fieldName = 'originaltitle' uitype = '1' ltlang='eng' hint = 'The original title in the original language' ><div class='fwikiItem divoriginaltitle'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" ><a href="/commonknowledge/search.php?q=Being+Mortal%3A+Medicine+and+What+Matters+in+the+End&f=41&exact=1&type=1">Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End</a> </div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> </td><td class='fwikiItemControls'></td></td></tr></table></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" class="fwikiLabel"><a name="ck_alternativetitles"></a>Alternative titles</td> <td><table class="fwikiGroup"><tr><td class='fwikiField' id='u_3e78b8da' itemType='1' itemNum='15069990' fieldType='42' name='u_3e78b8da' allowmultiple='1' hasHistory = '1' fieldName = 'alternativetitles' uitype = '1' ltlang='eng' hint = 'Avoid titles already listed as the Canonical or Original titles as well as foreign-language titles available on the "Details" tab.' ><div class='fwikiItem divalternativetitles'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" ><a href="/commonknowledge/search.php?q=Being+Mortal%3A+Illness%2C+Medicine%2C+and+What+Matters+in+the+End&f=42&exact=1&type=1">Being Mortal: Illness, Medicine, and What Matters in the End</a> </div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> </td><td class='fwikiItemControls'></td></td></tr></table></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" class="fwikiLabel"><a name="ck_originalpublicationdate"></a>Original publication date</td> <td><table class="fwikiGroup"><tr><td class='fwikiField' id='u_c666aa84' itemType='1' itemNum='15069990' fieldType='16' name='u_c666aa84' allowmultiple='1' hasHistory = '1' fieldName = 'originalpublicationdate' uitype = '1' ltlang='eng' hint = '1952-12-30, 1933-10, 1902, or 120 BCE' ><div class='fwikiItem divoriginalpublicationdate'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" ><a href="/commonknowledge/search.php?q=2014-10-07&f=16&exact=1&type=1">2014-10-07</a> </div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> </td><td class='fwikiItemControls'></td></td></tr></table></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" class="fwikiLabel"><a name="ck_characternames"></a>People/Characters</td> <td><table class="fwikiGroup"><tr><td class='fwikiField' id='u_3685137b' itemType='1' itemNum='15069990' fieldType='3' name='u_3685137b' allowmultiple='1' hasHistory = '1' fieldName = 'characternames' uitype = '1' ltlang='eng' hint = 'Enter each character's name in a separate box. Examples: Hermione Granger, Andrew Jackson, Oberon, St. Paul of Tarsus, or Zeus (Deity)' ><div class='fwikiItem divcharacternames'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" ><a href="/character/Keren+Brown+Wilson">Keren Brown Wilson</a></div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> </td><td class='fwikiItemControls'></td></td></tr></table></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" class="fwikiLabel"><a name="ck_placesmentioned"></a>Important places</td> <td><table class="fwikiGroup"><tr><td class='fwikiField' id='u_30a80bd8' itemType='1' itemNum='15069990' fieldType='2' name='u_30a80bd8' allowmultiple='1' hasHistory = '1' fieldName = 'placesmentioned' uitype = '1' ltlang='eng' hint = '"Boston, Massachusetts, USA", "London, England", "The Plaza Hotel, New York, New York, USA", "Hogwarts", "Alpha Centauri", "Hell"' ><div class='fwikiItem divplacesmentioned'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" ></div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> </td><td class='fwikiItemControls'></td></td></tr></table></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" class="fwikiLabel"><a name="ck_events"></a>Important events</td> <td><table class="fwikiGroup"><tr><td class='fwikiField' id='u_b425e5a8' itemType='1' itemNum='15069990' fieldType='34' name='u_b425e5a8' allowmultiple='1' hasHistory = '0' fieldName = 'events' uitype = '1' ltlang='eng' hint = 'Great Fire of London (1666), Battle of the Bulge (1944|1945), Assassination of John F. Kennedy (1963-11-22), Battle of Hoth' ><div class='fwikiItem divevents'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" ></div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> </td><td class='fwikiItemControls'></td></td></tr></table></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" class="fwikiLabel"><a name="ck_movies"></a>Related movies</td> <td><table class="fwikiGroup"><tr><td class='fwikiField' id='u_d4e2b6ac' itemType='1' itemNum='15069990' fieldType='37' name='u_d4e2b6ac' allowmultiple='1' hasHistory = '1' fieldName = 'movies' uitype = '1' ltlang='eng' hint = 'Blade Runner (1982), The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Three Musketeers (1993)' ><div class='fwikiItem divmovies'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" editVal="Being Mortal (2015 | tt4277312)" ><a href="/commonknowledge/search.php?q=Being+Mortal&f=37&exact=1&type=1">Being Mortal</a> <span class="fwikiAutoLinks">(<a class="fwikiAutoLink" href="/commonknowledge/search.php?q=2015">2015</a> | <a class="fwikiAutoLink imdblink" target="_top" href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4277312/">IMDb</a>)</span></div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> </td><td class='fwikiItemControls'></td></td></tr></table></td> </tr>     <tr> <td valign="top" class="fwikiLabel"><a name="ck_epigraph"></a>Epigraph</td> <td><table class="fwikiGroup"><tr><td class='fwikiField' id='u_4dca93bf' itemType='1' itemNum='15069990' fieldType='28' name='u_4dca93bf' allowmultiple='1' hasHistory = '1' fieldName = 'epigraph' uitype = '3' ltlang='eng' hint = 'The work's epigraph, "a phrase, quotation, or poem that is set at the beginning of a document or component." ' ><div class='fwikiItem divepigraph'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextLong fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" >I see it now—this world is swiftly passing.<br>—the warrior Karna, in the <i>Mahabharata</i><br><br>They come to rest at any kerb:<br>All streets in time are visited.<br>—Philip Larkin, "Ambulances"</div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> </td><td class='fwikiItemControls'></td></td></tr></table></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" class="fwikiLabel"><a name="ck_dedication"></a>Dedication</td> <td><table class="fwikiGroup"><tr><td class='fwikiField' id='u_c375133a' itemType='1' itemNum='15069990' fieldType='30' name='u_c375133a' allowmultiple='1' hasHistory = '1' fieldName = 'dedication' uitype = '3' ltlang='eng' hint = 'Author's dedication' ><div class='fwikiItem divdedication'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextLong fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" ><i>To Sara Bershtel</i></div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> </td><td class='fwikiItemControls'></td></td></tr></table></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" class="fwikiLabel"><a name="ck_firstwords"></a>First words</td> <td><table class="fwikiGroup"><tr><td class='fwikiField' id='u_e54d1922' itemType='1' itemNum='15069990' fieldType='25' name='u_e54d1922' allowmultiple='1' hasHistory = '1' fieldName = 'firstwords' uitype = '3' ltlang='eng' hint = 'The first sentence of the work.' ><div class='fwikiItem divfirstwords'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextLong fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" >I learned about a lot of things in medical school, but mortality wasn't one of them.</div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> </td><td class='fwikiItemControls'></td></td></tr></table></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" class="fwikiLabel"><a name="ck_quotations"></a>Quotations</td> <td><table class="fwikiGroup"><tr><td class='fwikiField fwikiGroup' id='u_08dde167' itemType='1' itemNum='15069990' fieldType='27' name='u_08dde167' allowmultiple='1' hasHistory = '1' fieldName = 'quotations' uitype = '3' ltlang='eng' hint = 'Well-known, relevant or interesting quotations from the work; Quotation marks are unnecessary.' ><div class='fwikiItem divquotations'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextLong fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" >Modern scientific capability has profoundly altered the course of human life. People live longer and better than at any other time in history. But scientific advances have turned the processes of aging and dying into medical experiences, matters to be managed by health care professionals. And we in the medical profession have proved alarmingly unprepared for it.</div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> <div class='fwikiItem divquotations'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextLong fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" >In other words, our decision making in medicine has failed so spectacularly that we have reached the point of actively inflicting harm on patients rather than confronting the subject of mortality. If end-of-life discussions were an experimental drug, the FDA would approve it.</div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> <div class='fwikiItem divquotations'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextLong fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" >The simple view is that medicine exists to fight death and disease, and that is, of course, its most basic task. Death is the enemy. But the enemy has superior forces. Eventually, it wins. And in a war that you cannot win, you don't want a general who fights to the point of total annihilation. You don't want Custer. You want Robert E. Lee, someone who knows how to fight for territory that can be won and how to surrender it when it can't, someone who understands that the damage is greatest if all you do is battle to the bitter end.</div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> <div class='fwikiItem divquotations'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextLong fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" >… our driving motivations in life, instead of remaining constant, change hugely over time and in ways that don’t quite fit Maslow’s classic hierarchy. In young adulthood, people seek a life of growth and self-fulfillment, just as Maslow suggested. Growing up involves opening outward. We search out new experiences, wider social connections, and ways of putting our stamp on the world. When people reach the latter part of adulthood, however, their priorities change markedly. Most reduce the amount of time they spend pursuing achievement and social networks. They narrow in. Given the choice, young people prefer meeting new people to spending time with, say, a sibling; old people prefer the opposite. Studies find that as people grow older they interact with fewer people and concentrate more on spending time with family and established friends. They focus on being rather than doing and on the present more than the future.</div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> <div class='fwikiItem divquotations'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextLong fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" >Life is choices, and they are relentless. No sooner have you made one choice than another is upon you.</div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> <div class="itemnumberoverflow" id="link_u_a50b5e3e">(<a href="javascript:showHiddenfieldcontent('u_a50b5e3e')">show all 7 items</a>)</div><div id="u_a50b5e3e" style="display: none;"><div class='fwikiItem divquotations'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextLong fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" >What were her biggest fears and concerns? What goals were most important to her? What trade-offs was she willing to make, and what ones was she not?</div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> <div class='fwikiItem divquotations'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextLong fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" >When our time is limited and we are uncertain about how best to serve our priorities, we are forced to deal with the fact that both the experiencing self and the remembering self matter. We do not want to endure long pain and short pleasure. Yet certain pleasures can make enduring suffering worthwhile. The peaks are important, and so is the ending.</div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> </div></td><td class='fwikiItemControls'></td></td></tr></table></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" class="fwikiLabel"><a name="ck_lastwords"></a>Last words</td> <td><table class="fwikiGroup"><tr><td class='fwikiField' id='u_bb06595c' itemType='1' itemNum='15069990' fieldType='26' name='u_bb06595c' allowmultiple='1' hasHistory = '1' fieldName = 'lastwords' uitype = '3' ltlang='eng' hint = 'The last sentence of the work. Content will be hidden unless clicked.' ><div class='fwikiItem divlastwords'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextLong fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" id="u_42d8b55c" style="display: none; min-height:12px;" >No more breaths came.</div><a href="javascript:showHiddenfieldcontent('u_42d8b55c')" id="link_u_42d8b55c">(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)</a><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> </td><td class='fwikiItemControls'></td></td></tr></table></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" class="fwikiLabel"><a name="ck_disambiguation"></a>Disambiguation notice</td> <td><table class="fwikiGroup"><tr><td class='fwikiField' id='u_86a48917' itemType='1' itemNum='15069990' fieldType='13' name='u_86a48917' allowmultiple='0' hasHistory = '0' fieldName = 'disambiguation' uitype = '3' ltlang='eng' hint = 'Clarifications to be used by future combiners and separators, or just as information.' ><div class='fwikiItem divdisambiguation'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextLong fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" ></div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> </td><td class='fwikiItemControls'></td></td></tr></table></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" class="fwikiLabel"><a name="ck_series"></a>Publisher's editors</td> <td><table class="fwikiGroup"><tr><td class='fwikiField' id='u_650293bc' itemType='1' itemNum='15069990' fieldType='1' name='u_650293bc' allowmultiple='1' hasHistory = '0' fieldName = 'literaryeditors' uitype = '1' ltlang='eng' hint = 'Publisher's or acquiring editor' ><div class='fwikiItem divliteraryeditors'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" ></div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> </td><td class='fwikiItemControls'></td></td></tr></table></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" class="fwikiLabel"><a name="ck_blubers"></a>Blurbers</td> <td><table class="fwikiGroup"><tr><td class='fwikiField fwikiGroup' id='u_1ff969f8' itemType='1' itemNum='15069990' fieldType='29' name='u_1ff969f8' allowmultiple='1' hasHistory = '1' fieldName = 'blurbers' uitype = '1' ltlang='eng' hint = 'Who blurbed the book? A blurb is defined as a super-short review, done before the book is published or reviewed professionally. As Rachael Donadio wrote, "Book blurbs are a tangled mass of friendships, rivalries, favors traded and debts repaid, not always in good faith." This field aims to capture that tangle! <b>Note:</b> Please enter only the names of people, not publications. Use the form: Lastname, Firstname.' ><div class='fwikiItem divblurbers'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" ><a href="/commonknowledge/search.php?q=Gladwell%2C+Malcolm&f=29&exact=1&type=1">Gladwell, Malcolm</a> </div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> <div class='fwikiItem divblurbers'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" ><a href="/commonknowledge/search.php?q=Sacks%2C+Oliver&f=29&exact=1&type=1">Sacks, Oliver</a> </div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> <div class='fwikiItem divblurbers'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" ><a href="/commonknowledge/search.php?q=Boo%2C+Katherine&f=29&exact=1&type=1">Boo, Katherine</a> </div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> </td><td class='fwikiItemControls'></td></td></tr></table></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" class="fwikiLabel"><a name="ck_originallanguage"></a>Original language</td> <td><table class="fwikiGroup"><tr><td class='fwikiField' id='u_98e55203' itemType='1' itemNum='15069990' fieldType='58' name='u_98e55203' allowmultiple='1' hasHistory = '1' fieldName = 'originallanguage' uitype = '1' ltlang='eng' hint = '' ><div class='fwikiItem divoriginallanguage'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" ><a href="/commonknowledge/search.php?q=English&f=58&exact=1&type=1">English</a> </div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> </td><td class='fwikiItemControls'></td></td></tr></table></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" class="fwikiLabel"><a name="ck_canonicalddc"></a>Canonical DDC/MDS</td> <td><table class="fwikiGroup"><tr><td class='fwikiField' id='u_72eb96d1' itemType='1' itemNum='15069990' fieldType='61' name='u_72eb96d1' allowmultiple='1' hasHistory = '0' fieldName = 'canonicalddc' uitype = '1' ltlang='eng' hint = 'Best consensus choice within the Melvil Decimal Classification System' ><div class='fwikiItem divcanonicalddc'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" ></div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> </td><td class='fwikiItemControls'></td></td></tr></table></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" class="fwikiLabel"><a name="ck_canonicallcc"></a>Canonical LCC</td> <td><table class="fwikiGroup"><tr><td class='fwikiField' id='u_4e0dbbd1' itemType='1' itemNum='15069990' fieldType='66' name='u_4e0dbbd1' allowmultiple='1' hasHistory = '1' fieldName = 'canonicallcc' uitype = '1' ltlang='eng' hint = 'Best consensus choice within the Library of Congress Classification system' ><div class='fwikiItem divcanonicallcc'><div class='fwikiItemText fwikiItemTextUnknownUser'><div class="fwikiAtomicValue" style="min-height:12px;" ><a href="/lcc/R726.8+G39">R726.8 G39</a></div><img style="float:left;" src='https://image.librarything.com/pics/transdot.gif' height='12px' width='1px' alt=''></div></div> </td><td class='fwikiItemControls'></td></td></tr></table></td> </tr> </table></div></div></div><div id="workpagesort_65" class="quickedit light flipped"><a class="nooffset" name="references"></a><div class="nav"><span class="navInfoTitle"><span class="divotBig" onclick="LibraryThing.work.handleSectionHide(this, 'references', 'u_37e0888c', '0');"><span class="chdivot" style="font-size:9px;vertical-align:bottom;">▼</span></span>References</span></div><div class="qelcontent references alwaysblue" id="u_37e0888c" style="display:block;"><p>References to this work on external resources.</p><h2><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/favicon_wikipedia.gif" class="icon">Wikipedia in English (1)</h2><div class="showmore" id="1028721788"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" class="autotable"><tr><td style="width: 33%"><p><a href="#" onclick="return load_externalresources(14303885);" rel="nofollow">List of The Daily Show episodes (2014)</a></p></td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="workpagesort_80" class="quickedit light flipped"><div class="nav"><span class="navInfoTitle"><span class="divotBig" onclick="LibraryThing.work.handleSectionHide(this, 'desc', 'u_dff993c0', '0');"><span class="chdivot" style="font-size:9px;vertical-align:bottom;">▼</span></span>Book descriptions</span></div><div class="qelcontent" id="u_dff993c0" style="display:block;">Medicine has triumphed in modern times, transforming birth, injury, and infectious disease from harrowing to manageable. But in the inevitable condition of aging and death, the goals of medicine seem too frequently to run counter to the interest of the human spirit. Nursing homes, preoccupied with safety, pin patients into railed beds and wheelchairs. Hospitals isolate the dying, checking for vital signs long after the goals of cure have become moot. Doctors, committed to extending life, continue to carry out devastating procedures that in the end extend suffering. Gawande, a practicing surgeon, addresses his profession's ultimate limitation, arguing that quality of life is the desired goal for patients and families. Gawande offers examples of freer, more socially fulfilling models for assisting the infirm and dependent elderly, and he explores the varieties of hospice care to demonstrate that a person's last weeks or months may be rich and dignified.</div></div><div id="workpagesort_25" class="quickedit light"><div class="nav"><span class="navInfoTitle"><span class="divotBig" onclick="LibraryThing.work.handleSectionHide(this, 'libdesc', 'u_6f0194d6', '0');"><span class="chdivot" style="font-size:9px;vertical-align:bottom;">▼</span></span>Library descriptions</span></div><div class="qelcontent" id="u_6f0194d6" style="display:block;"><p>No library descriptions found.</p></div></div><div id="workpagesort_70" class="quickedit light flipped"><div class="nav"><div class="sectionhead_rbutcontainer"><span class="sectionTitleHelp"><a href="https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/Common_Knowledge#LibraryThing_members.27_description" class="blacklink" title="Help"><img style="vertical-align:middle;" class="helpIcon" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/helpq.png" alt="?"></a></span></div><span class="navInfoTitle"><span class="divotBig" onclick="LibraryThing.work.handleSectionHide(this, 'ckdesc', 'u_e0014951', '0');"><span class="chdivot" style="font-size:9px;vertical-align:bottom;">▼</span></span>LibraryThing members' description</span></div><div class="qelcontent" id="u_e0014951" style="display:block;"> <div class="workSection"> <table class="fwikiContainerTable ch2"> <tr> <td valign="top" class="fwikiLabel">Book description</td> <td><table class="fwikiGroup"><tr><td class='fwikiField' id='u_d66aca3a' itemType='1' itemNum='15069990' fieldType='14' name='u_d66aca3a' allowmultiple='0' hasHistory = '0' fieldName = 'description' uitype = '3' ltlang='eng' hint = 'This is a general description. 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