Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: A Prodigal Son in Lost December

Richard Paul Evans (bestselling author of The Christmas Box) has released another heart-warming book just in time for Christmas; Lost December retells the Biblical story of the prodigal son in modern times. When Luke Crisp graduates from business school, his wealthy father is ready to turn over the family business to his son. But Luke scorns his father's offer, cashes out his trust fund, and lives a life of reckless indulgence. When the money runs out, he secretly takes a low-level job at his father's Fortune 500 company, where he meets a struggling single mother and learns a valuable lesson about personal joy.

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

A Prodigal Son in Lost December

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