Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: The Book Behind Argo

Argo, starring Ben Affleck, is currently one of the hottest must see movies. The movie is a dramatization of the real life 1980 joint secret operation between Canada and the CIA to extract six fugitive American diplomatic personnel out of Iran. As source material, the movie credits The Master of Disguise: My Secret Life in the CIA by Antonio J. Menendez. Written by the man masterminded the operation portrayed in the movie, the book is a thrilling in depth insight into the real life world of international espionage. In addition to opening up about the 1980 operation, Menendez details his operations from all over the world including East Asia and Moscow. Fans of the movie and of CIA history will want to check this one out!

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

The Book Behind Argo

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