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4.32 AVERAGE
4.32 AVERAGE
Non-Fiction No Rating (-/5)
Book Review: A Matter of Death and Life by Marilyn and Irvin Yalom
Sentimental and a great read on aging and death and grief. A pure and honest read from an educated and extremely well-written couple.
I loved the alternating chapters and what a gift they have given to their families.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
dark
reflective
medium-paced
I think you can tell my infatuation with this book by how quickly I finished it. I loved the back-and-forth telling of this story as Irv and Marilyn give their perspectives on living a fulfilling life and dying. As someone interested in existential counseling, it was interesting seeing Irv, an expert in this field, struggle to embody his own teachings at times. My favorite part of the book is the way Irv and Marilyn would sometimes retell the others chapters. There were sweet moments where they bragged about each other's accomplishments. As well as sad moments, when Irv reflected on his life without Marilyn and the moments he wanted to share with her.
I saw several reviews commenting that Irv should have done more to shield his children from their mother's deterioration. While I understand this perspective, I think we should give Irv more grace. His wife of 65 years who he has known since he was 13 years old is actively dying in front of him. This moment represented Irv being confronted with a fate worse than his own death: living without Marilyn. I would think anyone would act illogically and make mistakes. As readers, we can be critical of his decision making while understanding the context through which his actions arose.
I would highly recommend this book to people interested in working with palliative care, aging populations, or existential therapy.
I saw several reviews commenting that Irv should have done more to shield his children from their mother's deterioration. While I understand this perspective, I think we should give Irv more grace. His wife of 65 years who he has known since he was 13 years old is actively dying in front of him. This moment represented Irv being confronted with a fate worse than his own death: living without Marilyn. I would think anyone would act illogically and make mistakes. As readers, we can be critical of his decision making while understanding the context through which his actions arose.
I would highly recommend this book to people interested in working with palliative care, aging populations, or existential therapy.
emotional
medium-paced
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Grief
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Dementia
Minor: Addiction, Medical content
sad
slow-paced
Nem pont azt kaptam ettől a könyvtől, amit vártam. Sok minden miatt akadtam rá, volt egy kis elképzelésem mi lesz, de nem váltotta be a hozza fűzött reményeket.
Nem ismerem a szerzőpárost, se az életüket, se a munkásságukat. Mindössze annyit, amit ez a könyv bemutatott. Így nekem kissé visszás volt és memoár ide vagy oda, sok helyen azt éreztem, hogy öntömjénező mindkét fél részéről. És amúgy tök rosszul érzem magam ettől az érzéstől, mert mégiscsak valaki halálának a történetét látjuk. Ami egyébként nagyon megérintett.
Szerintem sokkal jobban állt volna a könyvnek, ha csak az elmúlásról szólt volna és kimaradnak az önéletrajzi részek. Végét már így is kicsit tallózva olvastam.
Nem ismerem a szerzőpárost, se az életüket, se a munkásságukat. Mindössze annyit, amit ez a könyv bemutatott. Így nekem kissé visszás volt és memoár ide vagy oda, sok helyen azt éreztem, hogy öntömjénező mindkét fél részéről. És amúgy tök rosszul érzem magam ettől az érzéstől, mert mégiscsak valaki halálának a történetét látjuk. Ami egyébként nagyon megérintett.
Szerintem sokkal jobban állt volna a könyvnek, ha csak az elmúlásról szólt volna és kimaradnak az önéletrajzi részek. Végét már így is kicsit tallózva olvastam.
Ez a könyv sajnos nem nekem íródott… 😔