Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: Fish out of Agua: Reader Review

Fish out of agua : my life on neither side of the (subway) tracks by Michele Carlo

Rating: 5 out of 5 (excellent)

Review: Michelle writes about her experience being a red-haired, freckle-faced, Puerto-Rican and her life growing up in the Bronx. The book is written in Spanglish which I really enjoyed. I could also relate with many of her experiences. She went to NYCCC and so did I, she lived in the Bronx where my Aunt used to live, and she ate at La Carida - I've eaten there many times with my family in NYC. For those of us who live in two worlds - this is an excellent book and portrayal of many of the feelings we experience.

Reviewed by: e l

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

Genre: Adult Non-Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5

"Being Mortal is about the limitations of what modern medicine can provide for people as their lives draw to a close. Gawande argues that the objective of medicine should not merely be treatment and survival; medical care should also ensure dignity in death and having control over one's final moments. He argues that instead of aggressively fighting the inescapable realities of aging, we should ask the hard questions of ourselves and our loved ones -- What makes life worth living? When should we try to extend our lives, and when should we choose a better quality of our remaining days over extending their quantity?

This book is difficult to read. Not because of the way Gawande writes -- his style is highly engaging, and he never lapses into excessively scientific jargon or overly simplistic explanations -- but because of the tough subject matter. Gawande draws on his own experiences as a doctor and peppers his book with honest and humane stories of his patients, friends, and family; the stories he tells make the book more accessible, and also more heartbreaking. (And that's not a bad thing.)

No one likes to think about their loved ones', or their own, impending mortality. But it's important to have these hard conversations, because as Gawande says, "endings matter." - Amanda

Fish out of Agua: Reader Review

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