Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: June 2010

Our June Book Discussion was Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, and one of the questions that was asked was, "What book would you want to save from burning-- the book that you would memorize and share with others?"

Here are some of their answers:
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Big Orange Splot by Daniel M. Pinkwater
1984 by George Orwell

What book would you save? Tell us here.

I would save The Shadow of the Wind - it's a celebration of books with a mystery thrown in for good measure. -Kathy

I WOULD SAVE AS GOD COMMANDS BY NICCOLO AMMANITI. I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN. WELL WRITEN WITH A SURPRISE ENDING -anonymous

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

What Book Would You Save?