Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: further reading

In Ann Patchett's new book State of Wonder, pharmaceutical research scientiest Dr. Marina Singh must go to Brazil in search of her former mentor, Dr. Annick Swenson, who has disappeared in the Amazon while working on an extremely valuable new drug. Readers join Marisa in this adventure-packed new novel as she sets off into the dangerous jungle in search of not only Dr. Swenson, but also answers to troubling questions about Marisa's friend's death, the state of company's future, and Marisa's own past.

Read State of Wonder already and couldn't get enough? Shelf Awareness also recommends Rachel King's The Sound of Butterflies for readers interested in Manaus, the Brazilian town where most of State of Wonder takes place. In this fictional murder mystery, readers can learn more about the early days of Manaus, which was built on the spoils of the rubber barons, who also funded the jewel box opera house that Patchett writes about in State of Wonder.

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

State of Wonder & Further Reading