Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: Robopocalypse: Book to Movie

Recently, this blog highlighted the debut novel Robopocalypse, correctly predicting that it was a book with big potential. In fact, the book has gone on to climb the New York Times bestseller list, and it's being turned into a movie directed by none other than Steven Spielberg. Although the premise (an evil artificial intelligence leads a robot revolution against humankind) is not particularly original, author Daniel H. Wilson's technical background (he holds a doctorate in robotics from Carnegie Mellon University) lends authenticity to the story. Click here for the full text of an interview with the author. The forthcoming film adaptation is scheduled for release on Independence Day weekend in 2013.

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

Robopocalypse: Book to Movie

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