Book cover of Modern Death: How Medicine Changed the End of Life

Book description

"Warraich's elegant and poignant book takes us on an unforgettable journey....He succeeds in humanizing a complex topic." ―Siddhartha Mukherjee, New York Times bestselling author of The Gene

There is no more universal truth in life than death. No matter who you are, it is certain that one day you will…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Modern Death as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Before I read this book I hadn’t understood the many different ways that scientists have defined “death.” (Are you dead when your heart stops? When you stop breathing? When your brain function ends?)

Reading this gave me a much deeper understanding of the medical, legal, and ethical issues around declaring someone dead, while also helping me understand that the body is always dying even as it is healing itself and thriving.

I loved the historical view of death and the exploration of interventions like mechanical ventilation and CPR. I loved Warraich’s ability to make complicated medical or biological concepts understandable…

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Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

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