Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
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- Create Date：2021-04-12 13:55:28
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Atul Gawande
- ISBN：1846685826
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Summary
Never before has aging been such an important topic。 For， even as medical advances push the boundaries of survival further each year， we have become profoundly detached from the reality of being mortal。
Here， Atul Gawande outlines a story that crosses the globe， as he explores the modern experience of mortality - what it's like to get old and die， how medicine has changed this and how it hasn't， where our ideas about death have gone wrong。
The systems that we have put in place to manage our mortality are manifestly failing; but， as Gawande reveals， it doesn't have to be this way。 The ultimate goal， after all， is not a good death， but a good life - all the way to the very end。
--back cover
Here， Atul Gawande outlines a story that crosses the globe， as he explores the modern experience of mortality - what it's like to get old and die， how medicine has changed this and how it hasn't， where our ideas about death have gone wrong。
The systems that we have put in place to manage our mortality are manifestly failing; but， as Gawande reveals， it doesn't have to be this way。 The ultimate goal， after all， is not a good death， but a good life - all the way to the very end。
--back cover
Reviews
Marcella R。 Zappia
，
InsightfulDr。 Gawande's book has been extremely helpful at a time in my life that I am caring for a parent。 I couldn't put the book down to be honest。 Well written with personal stories， research and factual history， Dr。 Gawande laces together the conundrum of end-of-life care and the concept of dignity。 That modern medicine misses the mark in not listening to a person's wishes but pushes information and the theory of extending one's life even if that life is spent in extensive pain with no qual InsightfulDr。 Gawande's book has been extremely helpful at a time in my life that I am caring for a parent。 I couldn't put the book down to be honest。 Well written with personal stories， research and factual history， Dr。 Gawande laces together the conundrum of end-of-life care and the concept of dignity。 That modern medicine misses the mark in not listening to a person's wishes but pushes information and the theory of extending one's life even if that life is spent in extensive pain with no quality。 If listened to， one may learn that many people want to not suffer but live with dignity until their last breath。 Well-being is the key word。 Between palliative care and hospice， a person can have a quality they never thought possible。 This book has changed my understanding and perspective。 Thank you Dr。 Gawande！ 。。。more
Alex
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Such an impactful book。 Really makes you re-think the system we have in place for taking care of the sick and elderly。 Inspiring and eye opening。 I would recommend this book to everyone in healthcare。
Grace Campos
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Favorite quotes from the book: - "Your competence gives you a secure sense of identity。"- "If independence is what we live for， what do we do when it can no longer be sustained？"- "The job of any doctor is to support quality of life by two things: as much freedom from the ravages of disease as possible and the retention of enough function for active engagement in the world。"- "It is not death that the very old tell me they fear。 It is what happens short of death -- losing their hearing， their me Favorite quotes from the book: - "Your competence gives you a secure sense of identity。"- "If independence is what we live for， what do we do when it can no longer be sustained？"- "The job of any doctor is to support quality of life by two things: as much freedom from the ravages of disease as possible and the retention of enough function for active engagement in the world。"- "It is not death that the very old tell me they fear。 It is what happens short of death -- losing their hearing， their memory， their best friends， their way of life。"- "They were never created to help people facing dependency in old age。 They were created to clear out hospital beds -- which is why they were called 'nursing' homes。"- "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。"- "。。。how we seek to spend our time may depend on how much time we perceive ourselves to have。 When you are young and healthy， you believe you will live forever。 You do not worry about losing any of your capabilities。。。when you see the future ahead of you as finite and uncertain -- your focus shifts to the here and now， to everyday pleasures and the people closest to you。 "- "Three plagues of nursing homes existence: boredom， loneliness， and helplessness。"- "I believe that the difference in death rates can be traced to the fundamental human need for a reason to live。"- "In place of boredom， they offer spontaneity。 In place of loneliness， they offer companionship。 In place of helplessness， they offer a chance to take care of another being。"- "The late， great philosopher Ronald Dworkin recognized that there is a second， more compelling sense of autonomy。 Whatever the limits and travails we face， we want to retain the autonomy -- the freedom -- to be the authors of our lives。 This is the very marrow of being human。"- "The battle of being mortal is the battle to maintain the integrity of one's life -- to avoid becoming so diminished or dissipated or subjugated that who you are becomes disconnected from who you were or who you want to be。"//ended at page 170 。。。more
Annie
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Really interesting， loved it！
Roblux Craft
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I did not expect to enjoy this book so much as it isn’t my usual genre。 。。。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Kelly
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I don’t even know where to begin with this book。 So very thought provoking！！！ I have been recommended this book by many friends。 I can see why！ I can’t stop thinking by about this book。 What matters in my life？ What do I want my life to look like in the end？ Where is my line in the sand？ I also realize I need to have some difficult conversations with my loved ones。 Highly recommend！！！！
Rena
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Great thoughtful book about how we die
Lukas
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Through innovations in medicine， society has obtained the tools to treat or even cure many diseases。 While death has not been one of those curable ills， medicine has contributed to the substantial rise in life expectancy over the decades。 More and more people reach high ages， giving additional weight to the questions of aging with dignity that medicine may be ill-equipped to address。 Specifically， while medicine typically focuses on preserving life， the main concern of many elderly is the qualit Through innovations in medicine， society has obtained the tools to treat or even cure many diseases。 While death has not been one of those curable ills， medicine has contributed to the substantial rise in life expectancy over the decades。 More and more people reach high ages， giving additional weight to the questions of aging with dignity that medicine may be ill-equipped to address。 Specifically， while medicine typically focuses on preserving life， the main concern of many elderly is the quality， rather than the quantity， of the life they have left to live。 This book's stories illustrate how we fail to meet the needs of the elderly， and what can be done to do better: From creating awareness about the needs of older patients among doctors to redesigning retirement homes to spark joy among their residents。 It also offers powerful stories about the tradeoff between minimizing health risks and maximizing personal freedom。 Eventually， we should aim to prioritize the fears and hopes of the elderly。 This may require accepting some of those risks and， eventually， accepting that life will always be finite。 。。。more
Heather Durham
，
I was gifted this book when my aging father fell ill， and had neither the time nor the presence of mind to read it before he died。 I'm reminded of the saying that the best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago。 The best time to read this book， for me， would have been twenty years ago。 But I'm so glad I've read it now。 In part to understand what my still living elder relatives and friends might face and to make sure the difficult but important conversations happen with them before it's too lat I was gifted this book when my aging father fell ill， and had neither the time nor the presence of mind to read it before he died。 I'm reminded of the saying that the best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago。 The best time to read this book， for me， would have been twenty years ago。 But I'm so glad I've read it now。 In part to understand what my still living elder relatives and friends might face and to make sure the difficult but important conversations happen with them before it's too late。 But additionally， to make sure I do the thinking myself， while I'm healthy and clear-headed， about how I want to face death if I'm fortunate enough to have some choice in the matter。 We all know this is important in theory， especially those of us pensive types for whom the general idea of death and dying is not particularly foreign。 However， Gawande's detailed insider view into the broken and excessively medicalized American systems around aging and terminal illness made clear how essential it is for us all to be proactive while we can， to ask the right questions and make our priorities clear。 When we don't， of course， those choices are made for us， often vastly and horrifically opposed to any we'd ever consider for ourselves。 。。。more
مريم سعيد
，
عايزة أقرأ الكتاب دا كده كل سنة مرة حتى أموت。
Iva Linhartová
，
A well written book that sparks thoughts and conversations you didn't think you'd have。 Especially as a fairly young reader I learned a lot from this book。 A well written book that sparks thoughts and conversations you didn't think you'd have。 Especially as a fairly young reader I learned a lot from this book。 。。。more
Alice
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Gawande is an American surgeon who writes about how the US has medicalized old age and dying， and how we are failing our elderly。 Also offers some hope and ideas for making aging better。
sunflower stargazer
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Being mortal is about the struggle humans have with coming to terms with the inevitable limits of life。 In modern society， death is a lonely， sterile and medical experience， often taking place in the hospital or alone in a nursing home。 Doctors， nurses and generally the medical world have lost sight of what matters in the end: not prolonging life for a few more hours on a ventilator。 In the author's words， "For human beings， life is meaningful because it is a story。 A story has a sense of a whol Being mortal is about the struggle humans have with coming to terms with the inevitable limits of life。 In modern society， death is a lonely， sterile and medical experience， often taking place in the hospital or alone in a nursing home。 Doctors， nurses and generally the medical world have lost sight of what matters in the end: not prolonging life for a few more hours on a ventilator。 In the author's words， "For human beings， life is meaningful because it is a story。 A story has a sense of a whole and its arc is determined by the significant moments。 （。。。） And in stories， endings matter。"。 Being mortal reads like a long monologue in which the author draws upon his personal experiences， those of patients， friends and family alike to build a captivating narrative on the essence of human nature。 I enjoyed it very much。 Less heartbreaking than When Breath Becomes Air， but no less powerful， although in a different manner。 It was less of a story of one's life than a call to humanity as a whole。 。。。more
Courtney Armstrong
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Highly recommend。 So well written， so many thoughtful questions especially for anyone facing end of life decisions for themselves or someone else。
Stephanie Milam
，
“Being Mortal” needs to be at the top of your to-read list！ An honest， beautiful， and sometimes tragic look at the way both our society and healthcare system manages terminal illness and old age， this book has inspired me to have tough conversations with my own family。
Katie
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Absolutely phenomenal。 A must read for anyone in medicine， eldercare， or with an older or terminally ill loved one。
Jenn Oglesbee
，
Such an important and impactful read。 This book gave me a new lens for viewing aging and dying， and it will most certainly impact the conversations that I have with aging and ill family members。 It has helped me think differently about end of life， the role of medicine， the importance of the “dying role，” and what makes for a good life all the way until the end。 This is truly one of those books that everyone should read。
Kim Stephan
，
One of the most thought-provoking and humane books I have ever read。 It made me contemplate so many people in my life - my parents， my inlaws， myself （turning 50 has made me more conscious of my mortality） and my dear sister-in-law。 Especially her / I wish I had read this book before we helped her navigate her end of life experiences - we would have been better equipped to make more of her last days “the best possible day。”
Chris
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This has made dying easier。
Roy Madrid
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Incredible discussions on how western medicine can and does miss the mark quite frequently when it comes to caring rather than treating。 Very well-written and super easy to engage with。
Marylynne
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Very well written， and an important subject to think and talk about。
Laura Johanna Tuisk
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Raamat surmast ja suremisest， mis teeb elu ja elamise nii palju loogilisemaks ja ilusamaks。 Vanad eestlased sünnitasid （peaaegu） üksi kuskil nurgataguses saunas， aga surdi pühalikult keset tuba perekonna ja küla keskel。 Praegu võetakse sünnitusmajas perepalateid， aga surrakse kuskil kliinilises üksinduses。 Miks ja kus me vahepeal surmast võõrdusime？ See võiks olla meie kultuurituumis kohustuslik kirjandus seni， kuni tabustaatus sellelt teemalt maha saab jälle raputatud。 Kui sul on ainult üks na Raamat surmast ja suremisest， mis teeb elu ja elamise nii palju loogilisemaks ja ilusamaks。 Vanad eestlased sünnitasid （peaaegu） üksi kuskil nurgataguses saunas， aga surdi pühalikult keset tuba perekonna ja küla keskel。 Praegu võetakse sünnitusmajas perepalateid， aga surrakse kuskil kliinilises üksinduses。 Miks ja kus me vahepeal surmast võõrdusime？ See võiks olla meie kultuurituumis kohustuslik kirjandus seni， kuni tabustaatus sellelt teemalt maha saab jälle raputatud。 Kui sul on ainult üks natuke populaarteaduslik， natuke filosoofiline raamat， mida sa elu jooksul loed， siis olgu see ”Surelikkus”。 。。。more
Elizabeth Perez
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I liked The Checklist Manifesto much more。 I will have to think about this one before I rate it。 Right now I think it's a 2 or 3 stars。 It seemed the author put a lot of work into this book， but I just could not grasp some areas。 BTW this took so long to read because it was such a topic that I really needed to read bits at a time and just digest them。 I liked The Checklist Manifesto much more。 I will have to think about this one before I rate it。 Right now I think it's a 2 or 3 stars。 It seemed the author put a lot of work into this book， but I just could not grasp some areas。 BTW this took so long to read because it was such a topic that I really needed to read bits at a time and just digest them。 。。。more
Stella
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Being a health， aging and society graduate; I found this book very informative。 The book touches upon aging and what it looks like in the western and eastern world as well as how it's changed over the decades。 It also touches upon death and that physicians/other health care providers have to focus on what matters to the patient when determining treatment and end of life care。 The reason I didn't rate this book higher is because while the book was informative， it didn't quite capture my attention Being a health， aging and society graduate; I found this book very informative。 The book touches upon aging and what it looks like in the western and eastern world as well as how it's changed over the decades。 It also touches upon death and that physicians/other health care providers have to focus on what matters to the patient when determining treatment and end of life care。 The reason I didn't rate this book higher is because while the book was informative， it didn't quite capture my attention like I thought it would。 。。。more
Danica
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Really neat book full of very interesting facts and great things to think about regarding aging and dying and the way to approach these subjects with ourselves and loved ones。 The first third was pretty depressing to me as I reach middle age and realize it’s all downhill from here！ But I found the whole thing fascinating。 Loved the whole Eden theory and the concept of adding meaning to the lives of our aging loved ones， not just keeping them safe or alive。
Juhi
，
“Being mortal is about the struggle to cope with the constraints of our biology， with the limits set by genes and cells and flesh and bone。”This is an amazing book which made me think about death， aging and the reasons for being alive。 Atul Gawande draws from his personal and professional life to share with us his learning about aging， dignity， death and what determines a good life。 We all know that we are going to die but of course we don’t think about it as something real。 We also don’t confro “Being mortal is about the struggle to cope with the constraints of our biology， with the limits set by genes and cells and flesh and bone。”This is an amazing book which made me think about death， aging and the reasons for being alive。 Atul Gawande draws from his personal and professional life to share with us his learning about aging， dignity， death and what determines a good life。 We all know that we are going to die but of course we don’t think about it as something real。 We also don’t confront the fact that with advancement in medicine， many of us will be old and in need of help for years even decades。 What would life mean in a situation like that！ It’s not just survival and safety but what makes life worth living。 I am glad to have read this book。 Hope you all read it too。 。。。more
Ashley
，
Although this book can be found on a lot of reading lists for medical students， no medical background is required to appreciate its poignant message。 It offers an intensely thought-provoking exploration of mortality， aging， and the modern medical experience。 It's honest and straightforward while still being filled with compassion and honoring the inevitability of our own mortality。 I particularly enjoyed the way the author never explicitly stated that one manner of a life's end is more valid tha Although this book can be found on a lot of reading lists for medical students， no medical background is required to appreciate its poignant message。 It offers an intensely thought-provoking exploration of mortality， aging， and the modern medical experience。 It's honest and straightforward while still being filled with compassion and honoring the inevitability of our own mortality。 I particularly enjoyed the way the author never explicitly stated that one manner of a life's end is more valid than another， but instead provided a number of tales with different endings， highlighting their unique triumphs and downfalls。 While mortality isn't a particularly hot topic in literature， I would recommend this book to anyone interested in contemplating and addressing the aging process of themselves or their loved ones。 。。。more
Kimberley
，
An important book that everyone should read because everyone is mortal and everyone will age and everyone will die。 And so will everyone's parents and loved ones。 And the way aging and dying has been medicalized in post-modernity is grotesque and absurd。 More humane ways through palliative care and hospice are what Gawande discovered in his research。 I'll share a quote: "We've been wrong about what our job is in medicine。 We think our job is to ensure health and survival。 But really it is larger An important book that everyone should read because everyone is mortal and everyone will age and everyone will die。 And so will everyone's parents and loved ones。 And the way aging and dying has been medicalized in post-modernity is grotesque and absurd。 More humane ways through palliative care and hospice are what Gawande discovered in his research。 I'll share a quote: "We've been wrong about what our job is in medicine。 We think our job is to ensure health and survival。 But really it is larger than that。 It is to enable well-being。 And well-being is about the reasons one wishes to be alive。 Those reasons matter not just at the end of life， or when debility comes， but all along the way。" I hope our medical communities discard their arcane practices and take up this larger approach to life and death。 。。。more
Timothy Mikulski
，
Any book that can make me fundamentally change my thinking or that can spur me to take action of some sort in my life is automatically a great book in my mind。 This book has done both， and I’m grateful to have read it。 Dr。 Gawande is an incredible writer， and in this book he draws attention to an area of medicine that is so vital and yet often neglected - palliation and care， rather than simple treatment of disease。 Many medical schools and physician as these days purport “treating the whole per Any book that can make me fundamentally change my thinking or that can spur me to take action of some sort in my life is automatically a great book in my mind。 This book has done both， and I’m grateful to have read it。 Dr。 Gawande is an incredible writer， and in this book he draws attention to an area of medicine that is so vital and yet often neglected - palliation and care， rather than simple treatment of disease。 Many medical schools and physician as these days purport “treating the whole person，” but Dr。 Gawande truly walks the walk in this regard。 I think this is necessary reading for any prospective physician， and the ideas and sincere compassion found throughout the book should be adopted by all providers - if more healthcare workers thought this way， we would all be healthier and happier。 。。。more
Emily
，