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Named a Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post, The New York Times Book Review, NPR, and Chicago Tribune, now in paperback with a new reading group guideMedicine has triumphed in modern times, transforming the dangers of childbirth, injury, and disease from harrowing to manageable. But when it comes to the inescapable realities of aging and death, what medicine can do often runs counter to what it should.Through eye-opening research and gripping stories of his own patients and family, Gawande reveals the suffering this dynamic has produced. Nursing homes, devoted above all to safety, battle with residents over the food they are allowed to eat and the choices they are allowed to make. Doctors, uncomfortable discussing patients' anxieties about death, fall back on false hopes and treatments that are actually shortening lives instead of improving them.In his bestselling books, Atul Gawande, a practicing surgeon, has fearlessly revealed the struggles of his profession. Here he examines its ultimate limitations and failures―in his own practices as well as others'―as life draws to a close. Riveting, honest, and humane, Being Mortal shows how the ultimate goal is not a good death but a good life―all the way to the very end.

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End is a thought-provoking exploration of the challenges of end-of-life care. In this powerful book, surgeon and writer Atul Gawande confronts the realities of mortality and offers insights into how we can better care for ourselves and our loved ones as we face death.

Gawande begins by sharing his own experiences with death, both as a doctor and as a son. He describes the challenges of caring for patients who are terminally ill, and he reflects on the ways in which our medical system often fails to meet the needs of dying people.

Gawande argues that we need to change the way we think about death. He believes that we should focus on quality of life, rather than quantity of life. He also emphasizes the importance of communication, both between doctors and patients and between patients and their families. Only through open and honest communication can we ensure that people are receiving the care that they want and need.

Being Mortal is a must-read for anyone who is interested in the challenges of end-of-life care. Gawande's thoughtful and compassionate insights will change the way you think about death and dying.

Here are some of the key lessons from Being Mortal:

• Focus on quality of life, not quantity of life.
• Death is a natural part of life.
• Communication is key.
• Dying people need to be treated with dignity and respect.
• We need to change the way we think about death and dying.

Being Mortal is a powerful and moving book that will stay with you long after you finish reading it. Gawande's insights are essential for anyone who is facing the challenges of end-of-life care, either for themselves or for a loved one.