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| Author: Sherwin B. Nuland
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy Used: $0.92
You Save: $14.03 (94%)
New (49) Used (116) Collectible (6) from $0.92
Avg. Customer Rating:  65 reviews
Sales Rank: 14940
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.7
ISBN: 0679742441
Dewey Decimal Number: 616.078
EAN: 9780679742449
ASIN: 0679742441
Publication Date: January 15, 1995
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Standard used condition.
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| Customer Reviews:
 How We Live May 24, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Nuland's "How We Die" is, ostensibly, about death and the means by which the great majority of us will take our exit; toward this end, Nuland excels. Nuland also manages, however, to subtly position death's predecessor -- life -- front and center by concluding that "The dignity that we seek in dying must be found in the dignity with which we have lived our lives. Ars moriendi is ars vivendi. The art of dying is the art of living...It is not in the last weeks or days that we compose the message that will be remembered, but in all the decades that preceded them. Who has lived in dignity, dies in dignity." Nuland is a talented writer and he delivers a work that is nothing short of honest, accessible, and insightful. Highly recommended for those preoccupied with life...and death.
 More than merely informative May 7, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Dr. Nuland explains the dying process in detail, without sugar coating or sentimentality, in a way that is understandable to the general reader. More importantly, he shares his reflections on this process as a human being and as a doctor. The reader comes away from the book with information and wisdom not easily gained through other means. As someone loooking to revise his living will, I found the book immensely helpful. I should add that I was particularly impressed by Dr. Nuland's humility and his avoidance of all preaching. In so doing he credits his reader with intelligence and challenges him or her to think deeply.
A Harsh Subject Put Forth Somewhat Gently March 23, 2007
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
This book will put to rest any idea of a 'good death.' It gives all the details, in a non-gory fashion, of all the major causes of death in this day and age. Mr. Nuland is an eloquent man and easy to read, even for us laypersons. The technical aspects are explained in a way that anyone can understand. Give this book to someone who doesn't take care of themselves, or thinks they're still immortal. I read this book with its description of death by heart disease and decided to finally quit smoking. It took three months, but I've been smoke free for 2 weeks and strong. I'm not saying that this book will cure you of any ills you have, but it may make you think about how you treat your body and how little time we really have.
How We Die February 7, 2007
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Not an easy red for the squeamish, but a palatable review of the inevitable presented in a straightforward, mature, and responsible manner.
Illegal to die of old age December 30, 2006
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
In his book "How We Die" Sherwin B. Nuland describes how the U.S. Government in its annual "Advance Report of Final Mortality Statistics" neatly tabulates all the deaths by cause. And nowhere in the report is "old age" listed as a cause. In fact, this attitude is echoed by the World Health Organization - it is illegal to die of old age. There are many other wonderful facts and descriptions in this book. Now that it is 12 years old, I'm not sure if the statistics need to be updated but I would guess that how we die changes very little over the years.
Nuland, a practicing surgeon, has detailed the major causes of death - from sudden heart attacks to more lingering strokes to the very lengthy dying process of Alzheimer's. He describes the physiology, the pathology of disease in its relentless attack on the human body and how, despite all the advances of medical science, the disease always wins.
The descriptions aren't pretty. Nuland pops our bubble that dying can be done with dignity. But somehow, knowing the possibilities takes away some of the fear and dread. The stories are told sensitively as one would expect from a medical practitioner who has had some years of experience but also as one would expect from a brother or son or friend. Some of the more poignant descriptions are very personal.
Now that 80% of our deaths in America occur in the hospital, we need a book like this to remind us of the reality of death and to help us cope with that reality.
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