Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: Book Review: The people of Sparks

The people of Sparks
by Jeanne Dupruau
This is the sequel to the city of ember. It takes up right where the first book left off Lina and Doon are in a new world and learn why the city of ember was built. It is not the utopian city that Lina dreamed of but with some work maybe they can call it home. This was just as fast a read as the first one. I started reading the prequel the prophet of yonwood but have put it down. I don't generally like prequels and haven't been able to get past chapter one.

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

Book Review: The people of Sparks

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