RaveThe Globe and Mail (CA)Gawande...doesn\'t even mention assisted suicide until the final chapter, and then only as a brief aside (he\'s not particularly enthusiastic about it). Instead, his primary concern is how we spend the time allotted to us, whether it\'s hours, weeks, or even years, once it becomes clear the sands have almost run out ... The central message of the book is that we need to talk, early and often, about what end-of-life treatments and trade-offs we consider desirable or tolerable ... The most poignant storytelling in the book deals with Gawande\'s own father, who also develops a spinal tumour ... widespread and lasting change in our attitudes to being mortal is possible. Maybe Gawande, who wields outsized cultural influence, can trigger it.
