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240 reviews for:
Do ostatnich dni. Zapis życia, choroby i wszystkiego, co przychodzi później
Julie Yip-Williams
3.99 AVERAGE
240 reviews for:
Do ostatnich dni. Zapis życia, choroby i wszystkiego, co przychodzi później
Julie Yip-Williams
3.99 AVERAGE
I don't love giving this book a low rating, but it was tough for me to get through and didn't really capture my attention.
The main reason for my low rating is that I really did not like the parts where the author denigrated other cancer patients. I think it would've been enough to just say that relentless positivity and hope weren't for her, but there was a lot of condescension in the writing about people who cling to positivity and hope against all odds.
I also didn't connect with this book because it didn't fee like a cohesive memoir. It felt like a collection of blog posts, and I probably would not have picked it up if it had been marketed that way. The timeline and verb tense jumped around a bit at times, and I found it hard to follow. There was also a good deal of repetitiveness - more of an editing problem than a writing problem.
The main reason for my low rating is that I really did not like the parts where the author denigrated other cancer patients. I think it would've been enough to just say that relentless positivity and hope weren't for her, but there was a lot of condescension in the writing about people who cling to positivity and hope against all odds.
I also didn't connect with this book because it didn't fee like a cohesive memoir. It felt like a collection of blog posts, and I probably would not have picked it up if it had been marketed that way. The timeline and verb tense jumped around a bit at times, and I found it hard to follow. There was also a good deal of repetitiveness - more of an editing problem than a writing problem.
A visceral reading experience. Heartbreaking and gut wrenching without being trite, sappy, or dishonest.
3-3/4 stars. Well written meditation on death and dying by a relatively young mother.
The book was easier to read and make sense of the flow after I understood it was based on the author's blog. Deeply personal and insightful, all due respect to the author's talent for introspection and description. Any qualms with the book lie in editorial choices.
It feels so weird to evaluate such a raw piece of work written in, and dealing with, the most difficult of circumstances. I thought it was very good, and well worth reading.
I could not put this one down! I thoroughly enjoyed the way she drew you in in such a compelling and dynamic way. Her stories were captivating and honest, and she didn’t waste a single word. I didn’t give it 5 stars because I was saddened by the fact that she didn’t let herself see beyond to the beauty and rest of an afterlife. I think she was still grappling with her own spirituality and thus, couldn’t get beyond merely embracing death “on her own terms” as she coined it. I thought it was a good exploration of embracing the end of life, but it left just a slight bit to be desired in terms of hope for the afterlife.
My least favorite read of 2019. Did the audio. First time I've ever sped up the dictation to get through it. Ended up just having it on in the background and listening for interesting parts.
My advice is to get the book from the library and skim to the good parts. The memoir includes beautiful writing about her early life as a vietnamese refugee and how she came to the U.S. And some painful, brutal retelling of her traditional grandparents in Vietnam urging her parents to kill her as an infant because she was born blind, and the authors coming to terms with her grandmother later in life.
Unfortunately, these stories are interspersed between endless, ad nauseum details of doctor visits and getting her lap dog to learn to go on a wee wee pad.
I feel guilty being so critical of a book written by a woman as she was dying of colon cancer and making her goodbyes to young children and her husband. And maybe her editor felt guilty asking her to pare it down.
My advice is to get the book from the library and skim to the good parts. The memoir includes beautiful writing about her early life as a vietnamese refugee and how she came to the U.S. And some painful, brutal retelling of her traditional grandparents in Vietnam urging her parents to kill her as an infant because she was born blind, and the authors coming to terms with her grandmother later in life.
Unfortunately, these stories are interspersed between endless, ad nauseum details of doctor visits and getting her lap dog to learn to go on a wee wee pad.
I feel guilty being so critical of a book written by a woman as she was dying of colon cancer and making her goodbyes to young children and her husband. And maybe her editor felt guilty asking her to pare it down.
Julie Yip-Williams was only 37 when she was diagnosed with the colon cancer that would eventually kill her. Married, with a burgeoning law career and two young daughters, Yip-Williams spent the next five years coming to terms with what death means. Her goal was to embrace the inevitable. She knew her disease would kill her, sooner rather than later. She was heartsick at the thought of leaving her two young daughters motherless. At the same time, death is the ending that we all must face, and Yip-Williams wanted to stare death down with bravery and respect.
"To the degree that my book speaks truth about not just the cancer experience but the human experience in general, I want people to be able to find themselves in the writing. And in doing so, I want them to realize that they have never been alone in their suffering . . . I want them to find within the rich, twisted, and convoluted details of my life truth and wisdom that will bolster and comfort them through their joys and sorrow, laughter and tears."
I definitely saw myself in Julie. 35, with two young daughters as well, my biggest fear has always been to die when they still need me. I could relate to Julie's belief that no one can love them or parent them in the way that I do. It's a tragic scenario. In that, I was inspired by the way Julie handled death. She saw it coming for her, and she surrendered on her own terms, in the best way she could. She was thoughtful of every aspect of her death, and thoughtful of those she loved most. She was honest about the good things that arose from her diagnosis, but didn't shy away from the many, overwhelming negative aspects of her cancer.
I rarely keep books I've already read, and in this instance my copy is an ebook, but this is one of those books that demands a spot on your shelf. I plan on purchasing a copy for myself. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book.
"To the degree that my book speaks truth about not just the cancer experience but the human experience in general, I want people to be able to find themselves in the writing. And in doing so, I want them to realize that they have never been alone in their suffering . . . I want them to find within the rich, twisted, and convoluted details of my life truth and wisdom that will bolster and comfort them through their joys and sorrow, laughter and tears."
I definitely saw myself in Julie. 35, with two young daughters as well, my biggest fear has always been to die when they still need me. I could relate to Julie's belief that no one can love them or parent them in the way that I do. It's a tragic scenario. In that, I was inspired by the way Julie handled death. She saw it coming for her, and she surrendered on her own terms, in the best way she could. She was thoughtful of every aspect of her death, and thoughtful of those she loved most. She was honest about the good things that arose from her diagnosis, but didn't shy away from the many, overwhelming negative aspects of her cancer.
I rarely keep books I've already read, and in this instance my copy is an ebook, but this is one of those books that demands a spot on your shelf. I plan on purchasing a copy for myself. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book.
Laughed, cried, learned - felt deeply for this woman who loved her family so much and lived such a full life despite the hand she was felt - inspiring words and beautiful storytelling
One of those books that I opened to read the book flap and never closed until the last page. A lesson on dying truthfully. Really although said too many times by me, no one should leave this book unread. It’s a manual on how to die gracefully and truthfully. I only wish I could be a part of Julie’s life. She would have been such an awesome friend.