Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: Presidential Thrillers

If the anticipation of tomorrow night's elections isn't thrilling enough for you, check out one f these presidential thrillers guaranteed to make you heart race.

The First Patient by Michael Palmer: Dr. Gabe Singleton is concerned that his new patient might be going insane. Treatment is complicated by the fact that his new patient happens to be the leader of the free world.

Ultimatum by Matthew Glass: Imagine taking the oath of office and then discovering the country you now lead teeters on the brink of climate disaster with hurricanes, droughts, and wildfires sweeping the land. Will the new President be able to avoid total devastation?

The Run by Stuart Woods: The president's stroke and vice-president's Alzheimer's disease puts Senator Will Lee on the short list for the Oval Office...and a target on his back.

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

Presidential Thrillers

No comments:

Post a Comment