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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
To get super dark for a moment, my therapist lent me this book after a conversation about my aging parents. The title (and particularly the subtitle) are extremely intimidating! I don't think I would have ever read it if I didn't have the pressure of a physical object lent to me that I eventually had to return. The book itself is a surprisingly easy read. It's accessible, well written, and straightforward without being too blunt.
At this point in my life, I don't feel much of the deep dread of death that some of the patients described in the book experience, but it was definitely interesting to spend some time staring directly at that thing I mostly try to ignore. I expected it to be morbid but it was surprisingly uplifting. Irvin Yalom's thesis is essentially that confronting your own mortality doesn't have to lead to fear and despair; instead it can make your life richer and more meaningful in its brevity. It reads like a grounded, practical counterpart to that dumb slogan "live each day like it's your last."
All in all, it took me about a day and a half to read and has given me quite a lot of food for thought. Reading it made me feel like I was forcing myself to creep down into the scary basement of my mind, only to find that it's really not so bad down there, and there's actually some pretty useful stuff.
At this point in my life, I don't feel much of the deep dread of death that some of the patients described in the book experience, but it was definitely interesting to spend some time staring directly at that thing I mostly try to ignore. I expected it to be morbid but it was surprisingly uplifting. Irvin Yalom's thesis is essentially that confronting your own mortality doesn't have to lead to fear and despair; instead it can make your life richer and more meaningful in its brevity. It reads like a grounded, practical counterpart to that dumb slogan "live each day like it's your last."
All in all, it took me about a day and a half to read and has given me quite a lot of food for thought. Reading it made me feel like I was forcing myself to creep down into the scary basement of my mind, only to find that it's really not so bad down there, and there's actually some pretty useful stuff.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Дочитав книгу, нахожусь под сильнейшим впечатлением. настолько лёгкое и приятное повествование, что становится жаль что я её дочитала. Хочется еще. Ощущение, будто попрощалась с близким другом, завершив беседу на полуслове. Так много food for thoughts, что кажется я утону.
Yalom has such a way with words, his writing is characterful and charming but also deeply moving and occasionally really beautiful. This topic is so vast and difficult, but the book never feels overwhelming or overly narrow, simply telling the stories of patients dealing with death anxiety and the lessons Yalom learned from working with them.
I found the focus on dream interpretation a bit odd as a layperson, it strikes me as pretty hokey, surely you can read any number of meanings from the same dream? But it seems to work for him and his patients. Otherwise every chapter was insightful and impactful.
The audiobook reader Sean Mangan helped by having a very nice voice too, and voicing all the patients with specific affectations.
I found the focus on dream interpretation a bit odd as a layperson, it strikes me as pretty hokey, surely you can read any number of meanings from the same dream? But it seems to work for him and his patients. Otherwise every chapter was insightful and impactful.
The audiobook reader Sean Mangan helped by having a very nice voice too, and voicing all the patients with specific affectations.
informative
medium-paced
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Insightful, though I’d rather it had more specific therapeutic guidance about how to accomplish what it counsels, rather than just abstractly stating ideal responses to death anxiety.
My therapist suggested this book. Interesting take of death anxiety.