Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: emily and einstein

Love inspirational dog stories? In the new Christian fiction book The Dog that Talked to God, a middle-aged widow named Mary Fassler adopts a miniature schnauzer with the surprising ability to speak. With the help of her canine companion's simple faith, Mary sorts through the Job-worthy mess of her life. For other books like The Dog that Talked to God, try Emily and Einstein, a secular story about a widow with a loveable dog, or The Art of Racing in the Rain, written from the point of view of a dying dog who meditates on the wisdom of his widowed master.

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 Dog that Talked to God' and other inspirational canines