Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: devils right hand

If the intersection of the real world and the supernatural thrills you, you may enjoy the new book The Devil's Right Hand: The Tragic Story of the Colt Family Curse by M. William Phelps. The legacy of the Colt family of gunmakers is largely remembered for a lurid murder case that inspired Edgar Allan Poe's story "The Oblong Box," but it encompassed much more. Part historical true-crime, part family biography and cultural history, The Devil's Right Hand is a stirring narrative about a darkly cursed American dynasty.

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

Family curse explored 'The Devil's Right Hand'