Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: Halloween Reads: Horror Classics

Horror classics are called "classics" for a reason. Their stories and words transcend time and place. Check out these horrible tales that are among the best the written word has to offer.

Inferno by Dante (14th century): While this does not fit the modern day vision of horror, the first installment in Dante's Divine Comedy is as close to horror that a literary work could get in the Middle Ages. The epic poem tells of a journey around the nine circles of Hell.

Turn of the Screw by Henry James (1898): A ghost story crossed with a psychological thriller, this story tells of two orphan children under the care of a young governess who discovers the estate is haunted by ghosts.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886): A reflection of the duality of human nature, the story focuses on the alter ego of enigmatic physician Henry Jekyll, who's last will and testament leaves everything to Edwin Hyde, much to his lawyer's puzzlement.

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

Halloween Reads: Horror Classics

No comments:

Post a Comment