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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
I informally organized The End of Your Life Book Club into three major "themes," if that's the right word, as I was reading it. The book was one-third biography about Mary Anne Schwalbe's incredible life as a humanitarian (on both a big scale and the individual, person-to-person scale); one part philosophical musings about life and death- I suggest reading with a highlighter, there are some great quotes in here; and the other "theme" is the review of a hundred or more books that Mary Anne and her son read together during her battle with cancer (my to-read list grew rapidly during the course of this book). Too many more books like this and I'm going to have to stop saying I don't enjoy reading non-fiction...
Will Schwalbe is a man who LOVES his mother. The Schwalbe's have wealth with all of the privileges that come with. Will depicts his mother as a flawless woman who worked out side the home before it was cool. She traveled to the world's most dangerous and impoverished areas to bring succor to all who crossed her path. She had a smile and a "must read" book for everyone she encountered. She had friends the world over whose lives where transformed once they made her acquaintance. I wanted to love listening to this book, but I should have just read the list of the books that were mentioned instead. They did read a lot of great books!
The author and his mother connected by reading and discussing books while the mother was going through chemo. I now have about 15 more books that I want to read from the books they discussed.
Actually lived this book. Just finished the book and can't stop thinking about the characters. Very touching. A story of living while dying.
I liked this book because I love reading about others love of books and what people think of other books I've read. They didn't go into too much detail about the books they read, which was ok, but sometimes left me wanting a little more.
Mary Ann was a little hard to relate to for me. She was so perfect, I guess that is how her son sees her. She always did the right thing, helped those less fortunate, never complained about her illness or pain she might be in. Carried on with her lifestyle as normal until the very end of her life.
Even though she was a little too perfect for me I still love a good book about books. It's what I talk about with my mom. It's how they can connect us all.
Mary Ann was a little hard to relate to for me. She was so perfect, I guess that is how her son sees her. She always did the right thing, helped those less fortunate, never complained about her illness or pain she might be in. Carried on with her lifestyle as normal until the very end of her life.
Even though she was a little too perfect for me I still love a good book about books. It's what I talk about with my mom. It's how they can connect us all.
"...books are the most powerful tool in the human arsenal, that reading all kinds of books...is the grandest entertainment, and also how you take part in the human conversation."
The writing is average, the dialogue forced, but the story, the book discussion, the message is excellent. The premise of the story, that the author and his mother form a book club and discuss books during her chemo treatments is lovely. They discuss so many wonderful books, too, that I almost wonder why I'm reading about these books and not the books themselves. This premise alone is worth the book. But truly, this woman deserved to have a book written about her because she led such a rich and giving life, she did SO MUCH for so many people, that she deserved a book celebrating her life. This is a book I'd like to own, because I think I could come back to it again and again, both in part and in whole. So much of the book should be highlighted, too.
Though I'm glad I read it now while the idea of a family member with cancer is not my reality, because if it was, this book would be VERY difficult to read.
Though I'm glad I read it now while the idea of a family member with cancer is not my reality, because if it was, this book would be VERY difficult to read.
Will Schwalbe writes a loving tribute to his mother in “The End of Your Life Book Club.” Schwalbe and his 73-year-old mother met regularly at Memorial Sloane-Kettering’s outpatient care service as his mother underwent chemotherapy in the autumn of 2007 for pancreatic cancer. Schwalbe worked in book publishing for twenty-one years, and he and his mother would discuss books – both classics and newly-published works – (as Schwalbe quips, they read “casually and promiscuously and whimsically”) during her treatments.
Schwalbe doesn’t critique the numerous books this book club of two read over a period of two years but, rather, uses them as he and his mother did – as jumping off points to address topics of concern or of interest. Gilead served as point of reference to more directly confront death, The Bite of the Mango sparked a discussion on universal healthcare and education, and The Last Lecture triggered an insightful exchange about pancreatic cancer. When Schwalbe expressed surprise that the book made his mother “feel so very, very lucky” when she and the author had the same terminal cancer, she explained, “He’s got three children and will never get to see them grow up, and he’ll never know what it’s like to have grandchildren.”
Schwalbe’s mother was an accomplished and generous woman who served as the Director of Admissions at Harvard and then devoted her life to philanthropy, including serving as the founding director at the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children and working with a foundation dedicated to establishing libraries in Afghanistan. She was no armchair traveler; rather, her philanthropy took her on trips all over the world, including to most of the countries in Southeast Asia and West Africa. She also had strong opinions, such as her view that women who obtained advanced degrees should not squander their education by staying at home and tending to their children. She explained “I think if society gives you a gift of one of those educations and you take a spot in a very competitive institution, then you should do something with that education to help others.”
The book club, as Scwalbe explained, helped “Mom on her journey toward death and me on mine to life without her.” As he oberves, “I was learning that when you’re with someone who is dying, you may need to celebrate the past, live the present, and mourn the future all at the same time.” His book allows the reader to join their journey, to celebrate his extraordinary mother, and to mourn her passing along with him.
Schwalbe doesn’t critique the numerous books this book club of two read over a period of two years but, rather, uses them as he and his mother did – as jumping off points to address topics of concern or of interest. Gilead served as point of reference to more directly confront death, The Bite of the Mango sparked a discussion on universal healthcare and education, and The Last Lecture triggered an insightful exchange about pancreatic cancer. When Schwalbe expressed surprise that the book made his mother “feel so very, very lucky” when she and the author had the same terminal cancer, she explained, “He’s got three children and will never get to see them grow up, and he’ll never know what it’s like to have grandchildren.”
Schwalbe’s mother was an accomplished and generous woman who served as the Director of Admissions at Harvard and then devoted her life to philanthropy, including serving as the founding director at the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children and working with a foundation dedicated to establishing libraries in Afghanistan. She was no armchair traveler; rather, her philanthropy took her on trips all over the world, including to most of the countries in Southeast Asia and West Africa. She also had strong opinions, such as her view that women who obtained advanced degrees should not squander their education by staying at home and tending to their children. She explained “I think if society gives you a gift of one of those educations and you take a spot in a very competitive institution, then you should do something with that education to help others.”
The book club, as Scwalbe explained, helped “Mom on her journey toward death and me on mine to life without her.” As he oberves, “I was learning that when you’re with someone who is dying, you may need to celebrate the past, live the present, and mourn the future all at the same time.” His book allows the reader to join their journey, to celebrate his extraordinary mother, and to mourn her passing along with him.
An interesting read. There is a part about halfway through the book where the author discusses that as a family they are mourning that memories that can no longer be made and it struck me how true that sentiment is. We don't lose the person and the memories we already have. We are losing the opportunity to make new memories. Broke my heart...