Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: left neglected

Did you notice the library's new Jodi Picoult read-alike book display downstairs in the fiction section? Jodi Picoult writes about suburban, middle class families who are torn apart by controversial issues such as designer babies (My Sister's Keeper), organ transplants (Change of Heart), and teen suicide (The Pact). For fans who can't get enough of Picoult (a Suffolk County native), the display of spotlighted read-alikes include Lisa Unger's Fragile, about a woman whose rebellious teenage son's girlfriend goes missing under suspicious circumstances, Barbara Delinsky's Not My Daughter, in which a pregnancy pact between three teenaged girls puts their mothers' love to the ultimate test, or Lisa Genova's Left Neglected, about a career-driven young mother who struggles through an uncertain recovery after a traumatic brain injury. In Anna Quindlen's Every Last One, an ordinary suburban family is shattered by the unanticipated, violent consequences of seemingly casual decisions, while in Debra Ginsberg's The Neighbors are Watching, the dark side of suburbia is revealed, showing a place where everyone has something to hide. Got any other read-alike suggestions? Please comment!

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 to read if you like Jodi Picoult