CHOOSING TO LIVE, CHOOSING TO DIE

A multifaceted exploration of the complex issues surrounding medical assistance in dying.

Through a combination of narrative, facts, quotations, provocative questions, case studies, and captioned full-color photographs, this book encourages readers to ponder whether medical assistance in dying can be an appropriate option for some. The author describes her own family’s experience with the challenges of honoring end-of-life wishes before presenting topics such as hospice care, legal issues, ethical concerns, the nature of suffering, and the challenges of being asked to help someone die, and more, including a somewhat thin last chapter on what it means to have a good death. Choppy and meandering by design—the author explains that the structure leads readers along a winding path—it may be more suitable for dipping into than reading cover to cover. Variations of the phrase “committing suicide” are used, although this terminology is now often viewed as pejorative. The absence of footnotes or endnotes in favor of a general list of references limits its usefulness for report writers. While the text is broken up with informative sidebars, the font used for the case studies is punishingly small. Focusing primarily on the Western world, despite noting in passing that Japan has the world’s largest right-to-die group, this is a frank, dispassionate, and accessible guide that respects the ability of teen readers to understand the nuances surrounding a complex topic.

A thought-provoking, easy-to-understand resource.