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sarahs1178's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
rebeccasche's review against another edition
5.0
"With the End in Mind" is most importantly these things: gentle, tender and very, very human.
Furthermore, it is an absolute masterpiece and incredibly beautiful.
Kathryn Mannix tells stories in way that is inexplicably touching, without making things sound more dramatic than they are or were. She allows her humanness to shine through and shows us her perspective without warping things. The way she tells the stories she wants to share from her personal experience just adds an extra layer of intensitiy to it and helps you to experience them from a close distance instead of reading them as very far away, unrelatable stories that are supposed to teach you something. This book is profound, and real.
Everyone should read this book. Mannix finishes it with "Living is precious, and is perhaps best appreciated when we live with the end in mind. It's time to talk about dying. I have. Thank you for listening. Now it's your turn to talk" and she is absolutely right. Death is one of the only two parts of life that EVERY living being shares - with the other part being birth. Our mortality makes death inevitable, yet we seem to avoid it at all cost, especially in western society. But there is so much to gain from not only openly talking about death, but accepting it as a fundamental (and final) part of life and letting this acceptance change the way we not only approach death, but live until we ultimately meet it.
I have never been this moved by something so real. It made me cry more than 10 times and not because it was sad or dramatic, but because it was so touching, so honest, so real. I just know that Kathryn Mannix is the kind of doctor you can only hope for. And I know that this book can possible change lives.
Furthermore, it is an absolute masterpiece and incredibly beautiful.
Kathryn Mannix tells stories in way that is inexplicably touching, without making things sound more dramatic than they are or were. She allows her humanness to shine through and shows us her perspective without warping things. The way she tells the stories she wants to share from her personal experience just adds an extra layer of intensitiy to it and helps you to experience them from a close distance instead of reading them as very far away, unrelatable stories that are supposed to teach you something. This book is profound, and real.
Everyone should read this book. Mannix finishes it with "Living is precious, and is perhaps best appreciated when we live with the end in mind. It's time to talk about dying. I have. Thank you for listening. Now it's your turn to talk" and she is absolutely right. Death is one of the only two parts of life that EVERY living being shares - with the other part being birth. Our mortality makes death inevitable, yet we seem to avoid it at all cost, especially in western society. But there is so much to gain from not only openly talking about death, but accepting it as a fundamental (and final) part of life and letting this acceptance change the way we not only approach death, but live until we ultimately meet it.
I have never been this moved by something so real. It made me cry more than 10 times and not because it was sad or dramatic, but because it was so touching, so honest, so real. I just know that Kathryn Mannix is the kind of doctor you can only hope for. And I know that this book can possible change lives.
peakshelfcare's review against another edition
4.0
Kathryn Mannix does an excellent job in presenting this often avoided and difficult topic: how do we deal with our own mortality and our grief when we lose those we love. As a clinician in palliative care and CBT, she has been .involved intimately with these topics both personally and professionally. The takeaway: grief is not something to run from. She presents a graceful and palatable approach to processing fears about our own mortality and the grief that accompanies all forms of loss.
ewormuth's review against another edition
5.0
I'm mystified as to how anyone could give this book a bad review -- maybe the reviewer isn't at a point in their life when this book is necessary, informative, moving, and comforting. I liked it so much that I'm ordering a copy for each woman in my post-retirement group. Mannix offers stories that are not only moving but also enlightening; I love her insight that death is much like birth -- it follows a process, there are helpers, things can be done to make the experience more comfortable and painless, if you choose to have them. I'm going to revise my end-of-life instructions based on some of the stories she told. I greatly appreciate this book.
melledotca's review against another edition
5.0
Required reading, along with Being Mortal. Not an easy read, by any means, and you will cry. There is a good chance you will read heartbreaking sections and react only with quiet thoughtfulness. And then you will be gut-punched by some random, seemingly innocuous sentence. But you will think, and continue to, which is the good doctor’s first goal, I believe.
salmy_nella's review against another edition
5.0
What a beautiful book looking at a topic that is often hard to talk about. The persons reviewed felt familiar and their stories touching. This has changed the way I understand death and palliative care.
jazzreadsbooks's review against another edition
The content of this story was compelling but I couldn’t listen to the narrator. Particularly because I know what Kathryn Mannix’ voice sounds like and the chosen narrator had quite a grating voice.