Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: Happy Birthday Margaret Atwood

Today, November 18, is Margaret Atwood's Birthday!

As the author of over 30 books, "Margaret Atwood's literary fiction often incorporates mythical/fairy tale images into past, present, and future worlds that remain recognizably modern. Her protagonists are primarily women (often artists or writers) in difficult situations but who are never passive victims. Graceful, polished prose describes complex characters and story lines. There is always more beneath the surface, which allows readers to appreciate her novels on a variety of levels. Atwood weaves serious feminist concerns into highly readable stories, leavened by wit and humor." (NoveList)

Here are a selection of Atwood's novels available at the library.

Stone Mattress: Nine Tales by Margaret Atwood

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood

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

Happy Birthday Margaret Atwood

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