Review of Dying Well
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Dylan Crippen
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- Latest Review: Dying Well by Susan Ducharme Hoben
Review of Dying Well
[Following is a volunteer review of "Dying Well" by Susan Ducharme Hoben.]
Dying Well: Our Story of Love and Loss by Susan Ducharme Hoben is the story of the author, her husband Bruce, and their family, traversing Bruce's cancer diagnosis and subsequent death. They had experienced serious illness before when Susan had battled breast cancer and survived several years before. She carries what she learned into Bruce's battle. They were familiar with which doctors to call and what to expect with staging and treatment plans. Bruce endures chemo and radiation and briefly goes into remission. Unfortunately, his cancer returns, more invasive than before, and the prognosis is bleak, even with treatment. He faces the possibility of being sickly and hooked to machines for the remainder of his life. He instead decides to forego treatment and live his life to the fullest until the very end. He wants to die peacefully in his home, surrounded by his family. Susan and Bruce have to break the news to extended family, close friends, and colleagues, and Susan has to face her future without the love of her life.
This book was exceptionally well written. Hoben created a beautiful memoir recounting every doctor's appointment and scan, and she explains the motivations behind each decision. Even more important, she imparts the essence that was Bruce. She talks about their love story, the raising of their family, their travels, and his kind-hearted disposition. I wept throughout the last 100 pages. I felt like I was losing a member of my own family, but I also felt like I would make the same medical decisions. There are a great many books in circulation that offer comfort when dealing with this type of tragedy through the lens of religion. The rawest part for me while reading was that neither Bruce nor Susan were necessarily religious, and they didn't know what to expect in the afterlife, or even if there was one. Even so, Bruce was not afraid to die. Whatever came next was going to be okay.
There is no constructive criticism that I can offer. The book was well-edited, and Hoben is a gifted author. Her story drew me in from the first page.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars, and I would happily give it more if I could. I feel truly honored to have read it.
This would be a great read for adults and teens. I wouldn't narrow the target audience any further because everyone is likely to experience loss, and we are all destined to die. Reading this book can further prepare you to make decisions about what you might like that rite of passage to look like if you have the privilege of the time to say goodbye to the people you love.
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Dying Well
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Dying Well: Our Story of Love and Loss by Susan Ducharme Hoben is the story of the author, her husband Bruce, and their family, traversing Bruce's cancer diagnosis and subsequent death. They had experienced serious illness before when Susan had battled breast cancer and survived several years before. She carries what she learned into Bruce's battle. They were familiar with which doctors to call and what to expect with staging and treatment plans. Bruce endures chemo and radiation and briefly goes into remission. Unfortunately, his cancer returns, more invasive than before, and the prognosis is bleak, even with treatment. He faces the possibility of being sickly and hooked to machines for the remainder of his life. He instead decides to forego treatment and live his life to the fullest until the very end. He wants to die peacefully in his home, surrounded by his family. Susan and Bruce have to break the news to extended family, close friends, and colleagues, and Susan has to face her future without the love of her life.
This book was exceptionally well written. Hoben created a beautiful memoir recounting every doctor's appointment and scan, and she explains the motivations behind each decision. Even more important, she imparts the essence that was Bruce. She talks about their love story, the raising of their family, their travels, and his kind-hearted disposition. I wept throughout the last 100 pages. I felt like I was losing a member of my own family, but I also felt like I would make the same medical decisions. There are a great many books in circulation that offer comfort when dealing with this type of tragedy through the lens of religion. The rawest part for me while reading was that neither Bruce nor Susan were necessarily religious, and they didn't know what to expect in the afterlife, or even if there was one. Even so, Bruce was not afraid to die. Whatever came next was going to be okay.
There is no constructive criticism that I can offer. The book was well-edited, and Hoben is a gifted author. Her story drew me in from the first page.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars, and I would happily give it more if I could. I feel truly honored to have read it.
This would be a great read for adults and teens. I wouldn't narrow the target audience any further because everyone is likely to experience loss, and we are all destined to die. Reading this book can further prepare you to make decisions about what you might like that rite of passage to look like if you have the privilege of the time to say goodbye to the people you love.
******
Dying Well
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: Dying Well by Susan Ducharme Hoben
