Being Mortal
by Atul Gawande · first published 2014
79% recommend21% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Humane look at aging, end-of-life care, and the overmedicalization of death, with real family stories. Helps readers face mortality and weigh quality of life against extending it; suits anyone with aging relatives.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End is a 2014 non-fiction book by American surgeon Atul Gawande. The book addresses end-of-life care, hospice care, and also contains Gawande's reflections and personal stories. He suggests that medical care should focus on well-being rather than survival. Being Mortal has won awards, appeared on lists of best books, and been featured in a documentary.
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…be intubated. I also know that death is a taboo and it takes a certain kind of philosophical wisdom to think and speak about it. I value that a lot now, and as someone else recommended Atul Gawande's Being Mortal should be read by anyone who might die.
on “We’re Bad at Death” ↗…nursing home. From what I understand, there are many cultures that instead take in the elderly into their own homes or try to keep them in their own home. I remember reading a good book on the subject, _Being Mortal_ by Dr. Gawande, a few years back. It was an eye-opener to the realities of how we treat end-of-life care in the U.S.
on “1/4 Covid Deaths Are in Nursing Homes” ↗I recommend reading "Being Mortal" by Atul Gawande to get a good sense of how hopeless "curing aging" is. Although that's not the focus of the book it does a wonderful job describing the challenge. The way it reads to me as a lay person,…
on “New universe of miniproteins is upending cell biology and genetics” ↗There was a very good book, Being Mortal, where one of the points is that from the point of view of a doctor working with old people our bodies slowly but surely degrade until we are no longer to get on with our lives. So one aspect of life…
on “In the search to stall aging, biotech startups are out for blood” ↗…'We Are Not Ourselves' by Matthew Thomas 50. 'When Mystical Creatures Attack' by Kathleen Founds Category: NONFICTION 1. 'American Mirror: The Life And Art Of Norman Rockwell' by Deborah Solomon 2. 'Being Mortal: Medicine And What Matters In The End' by Atul Gawande 3. 'Building A Better Teacher: How Teaching Works (and How To Teach It To Everyone)' by Elizabeth Green 4. 'Can’t We Talk About Something More…
on “Notable Books of 2014” ↗…- Very disappointing and predictable - Library of Souls: Ransom Riggs - Easy but engrossing book - Ruby Under a Microscope: Pat Shaughnessy - I find his style of explaining things very accessible - Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End: Atul Gawande - It's a hard subject to think about but helped me to understand that prolonging life and continuing treatment shouldn't necessarily be the end goal…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?” ↗…more years of life. I would not seek full treatment. Knowing this makes me at peace with anything that can happen, more than anything else we could do. I was inspired largely by Atul Gawande's book "Being Mortal" - where he talks about and discusses ways that we can figure out how to live our life at the end, rather than be worried about death.
on “I Lied When I Said We Did Everything We Could” ↗He may have been choosing quality over quantity. Thinking of deaths of people I've known; dying at home in bed seems preferable to most. "Being Mortal" by Atul Gawande is an excellent book on this subject.
on “Bike crash left Spokane man unconscious, so his Apple Watch called 911” ↗…felt like it was a money grab by doctors. Their end of life oncology treatment cost the insurance company a couple hundred thousand dollars each On that subject I very strongly recommend Atul Gawande's "Being Mortal". > I felt like it was a money grab by doctors. I don't think that's what it is, and Gawande's book (where he speaks as both a surgeon and having had relatives — including parents — go through this)…
on “Chemo Truthers Are the New Anti-Vaxxers” ↗Sorry to hear about your family member's bad experience, but glad to hear they're on the mend. I'd highly recommend Atul Gawande's book Being Mortal which has a lot to say about doctor hubris in treating the terminally ill. He describes how the patient should guide the treatment based on their own preferences, informed by the doctor's expertise.
on “A doctor who championed hand-washing and briefly saved lives (2015)” ↗…well with my dad other than some expected age-related slowdowns in memory and processing, at least from my perspective. I can’t imagine what it would be like to deal with this so early in life. I read “Being Mortal” by Atul Gawande this year and it was very helpful in some of the conversations I’ve since had with my family about the future and how we should think about death. I wouldn’t have had the courage to ask…
on “'I am mine': Alzheimer's at 41 (2018)” ↗No direct answers, afraid, but wanted to mention a related book on this topic: I recently got Being Mortal[1], by Atul Gawande, that tackles the difficult topic of how to gracefully navigate end of life / palliative care discussions. [1] "Being Mortal — Medicine and What Matters in the End" — http://atulgawande.com/book/being-mortal/
on “Ask HN: Advice about aging parents” ↗Atul Gawande - Better or Being Mortal Non-technical but very interesting and emotive to most people. Healthcare analytics
on “Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?” ↗Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, by Atul Gawande http://www.amazon.com/Being-Mortal-Medicine-What-Matters/dp/...
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?” ↗Being Mortal - Atul Gawande. Really surprisingly good book if you are interested in aging, healthcare, etc.
on “Ask HN: What are some good books you have recently read?” ↗