A Book About Dying Tells You How to Live
In 30 years, there will be as many people over 80 in the United States as there are under the age of 50. So notes Atul Gawande in his recently published book, Being Mortal, a book I cannot recommend highly enough. This should be mandatory reading for every American. Hell, every global citizen. Yes, it's about growing old and dying, and the social and ethical consequences of how we treat our aging population, which might not sound like ideal reading while enjoying a pumpkin spice latte and the changing weather. But we're all going to grow old, if we're lucky, and most of us will be caring for an aging person at some point in our lives, if we aren't already. For years, I've been lobbying for the phrase "Sandwich Generation" to be replaced with "Panini Generation," because anyone living it knows about the heat and pressure coming from both sides., And that's just one passage. My copy of Being Mortal is crisscrossed with yellow stripes. I won't be lending this one out any time soon. Maybe that's how I coax you into reading a book about death on a lovely autumn day because a book about aging and dying is, ultimately, a book about how to live. My hope is that the holidays arrive, you're sitting with your loved ones over the remnants of a big meal, and this book gives you the courage to say out loud "Tell me how you want to live."