RaveThe New York Times Book Review...a valuable contribution to the growing literature on aging, death and dying. It contains unsparing descriptions of bodily aging and the way it often takes us by surprise. Gawande is a gifted storyteller, and there are some stirring, even tear-inducing passages here. The writing can be evocative ... The stories give a dignified voice to older people in the process of losing their independence. We see the world from their perspective, not just those of their physicians and worried family members ... One of his most provocative arguments is that hard-won health and safety reporting requirements for elder care facilities might satisfy family members, but ignore what really matters to the residents in question ... Some of the ideas, however, strain credibility, such as that an increase in people dying in the home in America beginning in the 1990s might reflect a stage when a \'country’s income climbs to the highest levels\' ... Gawande offers a succinct discussion of euthanasia at the end of the book ... He is just asking us to commit ourselves to creating better options and making choices with the goal of a purposeful life in mind.
