Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
The writing is simple; the subject emotionally overwhelming. The book eases the reader into life's grim realities we all have to contend with—old age, disease, decrepitude, and death. If suffering is likely to precede death and, in those final stages, you are expected to make tough decisions for yourself or on behalf of your loved ones, you would do well to read the book. The author speaks to the medical fraternity and to those who look up to it to fight mortality. A targeted medical intervention or a technically successful surgery may bring professional/academic satisfaction to the medical practitioner, but for the terminally ill or those in their ripe old age, it usually comes at the cost of autonomy and quality of life. This hardly concerns the doctor if he is able to fix up the 'actual' problem. The doctor treats the patient’s problem as a challenge to his competence and speaks with the pride of a qualified medical practitioner. To his patients, he gives an objective e