Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: New Book Thief Trailer

20th Century Fox has released the first trailer for World War II drama The Book Thief, based on a novel of the same name by Markus Zusak. Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson star as a married couple living in Nazi Germany who foster a young girl named Liesel (Sophie Nélisse) while also hiding a Jewish refuge in their basement. Even though she can't read, Liesel steals her first book before arriving at her new home and bonds with her new father over learning to read, then proceeds to share her love of literature with others in her community. Adapted by screenwriter Michael Petroni and directed by Brian Percival, the drama lands in theaters on Nov. 15. Snag a copy of the book at your Community Library!

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

New Book Thief Trailer

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