Description
"A thoroughly researched and compelling mix of personal narrative and hard-nosed reporting that captures just how flawed care at the end of life has become." (Abraham Verghese, T he New York Times Book Review).
This groundbreaking blend of memoir and investigative reporting--hailed as "Notable Book of the Year" by The New York Times--ponders the "Good Death" and the forces that stand in its way.
Katy Butler was living thousands of miles away when her old but seemingly vigorous father suffered a crippling stroke. She flew East and in time became her parents' part-time caregiver, thoroughly re-embroiled in the childhood family dynamics she thought she'd left behind. Her father's natural suffering was bad enough. But in time she saw it prolonged by an advanced medical device -- a pacemaker -- that kept his heart going while doing nothing to prevent his slide into dementia, near-blindness, and misery. When he said, "I'm living too long,"
5 reviews for Knocking on Heaven's Door: The Path to a Better Way of Death