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4.32 AVERAGE
4.32 AVERAGE
Very hard for me to connect emotionally with Irv; his privileged life took center stage. Also too repetitive.
Very interesting read, many memorable moments and quite heartwarming even for young readers like myself. Sometimes I wished it to become more in depht but than again it might become too personal.
Overall I would definitely reccomend this book.
Overall I would definitely reccomend this book.
Silny a autenticky pohled z druhe strany zivota. Dekuji autorovi za odvahu s jakou sdilel tyto okamziky.
So grateful for this book and for Marilyn and Irvin Yalom sharing their story with us.
Oh, this book. I can’t think of a more honest, nuanced book than two people who have been married for over 60 years writing about the end of one of their lives.
It was particularly compelling to me as a person of faith to read the ways that Irvin and Marilyn approached death and the finality of it. It was truly moving and so different from what I’ve been told and internalized. Im still reflecting on it.
Having read and loved Irvin’s writing on therapy and the therapeutic process, it was also fascinating to hear him admit how little he knew and understood about grief when he was supporting the bereaved and what he might do differently.
Not everyone likes reading about grief as much as I do, but this is really a sweet read, even if you know what happens in the end.
It was particularly compelling to me as a person of faith to read the ways that Irvin and Marilyn approached death and the finality of it. It was truly moving and so different from what I’ve been told and internalized. Im still reflecting on it.
Having read and loved Irvin’s writing on therapy and the therapeutic process, it was also fascinating to hear him admit how little he knew and understood about grief when he was supporting the bereaved and what he might do differently.
Not everyone likes reading about grief as much as I do, but this is really a sweet read, even if you know what happens in the end.
I have never been afraid of dying. I've never really be interested in questions about what it feels like to die, or what we'll see in our last moments, or where we go after death, if anywhere. I won't care what happens when I die. I will be dead.
But the fear of other people dying? That's a different story. That, I am realizing as I type this, is my deepest fear. So often I've found myself in hypothetical spirals, thinking about the process of grief. I have had people in my life die, yet I can't stop thinking about the living. What will it be like to lose them? My parents, my siblings, long lost friends from childhood, friends I've recently made, my grade school teachers that are getting older, the librarians I've been seeing since I was a kid, that one cashier from Target, my ex-boyfriend I haven't spoken to in years, my next door neighbors, my dog. Anyone. I find myself thinking awful thoughts in joyous moments with people who are very much alive, like, "I will miss this moment when this person is no longer here."
I dwell on the moments associated with other people's deaths and wonder what worse moments will be waiting for me in the future. I think so often about my grandma, who shared a name with one of the authors of this book, who died the day I turned 16. Staring down at the signature my grandpa forged on a hospital gift shop birthday card while my mom broke the news to me is probably one of the most vivid memories in my brain. Or the time my grandpa, not fully coherent, spontaneously cried in the middle of a mall over all family members who hated him, while I sipped on bubble tea, horrified. These moments have only hurt more as time has passed and I watch the people in my life get older. They will have their moments eventually.
As a result, this was not an easy book to stomach. It was painful to the core, and took me over a month and a half to finish despite it being a relatively short book. I could only finish the tiniest portions before having to stop and reflect.
But although this book is about death and dying, it is ultimately a love letter. It is about loyalty, passion, companionship. Simmering with empathy, intelligence, and humanity, A Matter of Death and Life hits every mark and strikes every nerve.
✧ ✧ ✧
≪reading 31 books for 31 days of january≫
╰┈➤ 1. all that's left in the world by erik j. brown
╰┈➤ 2. the female of the species by mindy mcginnis
╰┈➤ 3. the battle of the labyrinth by rick riordan
╰┈➤ 4. exit west by mohsin hamid
╰┈➤ 5. don't call us dead by danez smith
╰┈➤ 6. warm bodies by isaac marion
╰┈➤ 7. the other side of perfect by mariko turk
╰┈➤ 8. the last olympian by rick riordan
╰┈➤ 9. counting down with you by tashie bhuiyan
╰┈➤ 10. a matter of death and life by irvin d. yalom and marilyn yalom
But the fear of other people dying? That's a different story. That, I am realizing as I type this, is my deepest fear. So often I've found myself in hypothetical spirals, thinking about the process of grief. I have had people in my life die, yet I can't stop thinking about the living. What will it be like to lose them? My parents, my siblings, long lost friends from childhood, friends I've recently made, my grade school teachers that are getting older, the librarians I've been seeing since I was a kid, that one cashier from Target, my ex-boyfriend I haven't spoken to in years, my next door neighbors, my dog. Anyone. I find myself thinking awful thoughts in joyous moments with people who are very much alive, like, "I will miss this moment when this person is no longer here."
I dwell on the moments associated with other people's deaths and wonder what worse moments will be waiting for me in the future. I think so often about my grandma, who shared a name with one of the authors of this book, who died the day I turned 16. Staring down at the signature my grandpa forged on a hospital gift shop birthday card while my mom broke the news to me is probably one of the most vivid memories in my brain. Or the time my grandpa, not fully coherent, spontaneously cried in the middle of a mall over all family members who hated him, while I sipped on bubble tea, horrified. These moments have only hurt more as time has passed and I watch the people in my life get older. They will have their moments eventually.
As a result, this was not an easy book to stomach. It was painful to the core, and took me over a month and a half to finish despite it being a relatively short book. I could only finish the tiniest portions before having to stop and reflect.
But although this book is about death and dying, it is ultimately a love letter. It is about loyalty, passion, companionship. Simmering with empathy, intelligence, and humanity, A Matter of Death and Life hits every mark and strikes every nerve.
✧ ✧ ✧
≪reading 31 books for 31 days of january≫
╰┈➤ 1. all that's left in the world by erik j. brown
╰┈➤ 2. the female of the species by mindy mcginnis
╰┈➤ 3. the battle of the labyrinth by rick riordan
╰┈➤ 4. exit west by mohsin hamid
╰┈➤ 5. don't call us dead by danez smith
╰┈➤ 6. warm bodies by isaac marion
╰┈➤ 7. the other side of perfect by mariko turk
╰┈➤ 8. the last olympian by rick riordan
╰┈➤ 9. counting down with you by tashie bhuiyan
╰┈➤ 10. a matter of death and life by irvin d. yalom and marilyn yalom
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced