PositiveThe San Francisco ChronicleThrough both solid research and brilliant storytelling, Gawande invites us to sit at the bedsides of his former patients, friends and family members whose final days were fraught with more pain and suffering, both emotional and physical, than might have otherwise been necessary ... In vivid and heart-wrenching detail, he describes the final days of patients who were in such denial of their imminent deaths that they, or their families, demand futile life-saving measures ... Gawande is thoughtful in his assessment of myriad economic, political and social structures that stand in the way of supporting individuals who wish to live productively in their twilight years — and who hope for a \'good death\' when it is their time ... While he offers suggestions for change, his prescriptions are at times embedded in the narratives in such a way that they get lost in the pathos. Because of this, some readers may come away with the idea that all hope is lost ... a checklist of the concrete steps a person might take to begin these difficult discussions with one’s doctors, caregivers and family members would have been a helpful addition to Gawande’s new book ... Gawande’s urgent and needed call to action is most appreciated.
