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A review by leviofmichigan
In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss by Amy Bloom
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
This is super sad, but I learned a lot, and I can definitely say my thinking on assisted suicide is more compassionate after listening to their story.
At some point I may write a full essay about this, but I was just now reminded of when I've heard someone say, "if I had ______, I would kill myself." I have heard people say this about mental disorders, about memory issues, about HIV, and a whole host of other things. And while I respect anyone's right to have opinions about their own quality of life, I think a lot of these statements can be really hurtful. It can so easily go from, "If I had _____," to, "since you have ______, you might as well..." Which ultimately is about the value of human life, and who we see as worthy of care. I once heard someone say that, they might as well not visit their loved one in the nursing home, since they don't remember it. Again, I respect the way that person must have felt when they said it, but to me, I don't want to live in a world where people are only seen as worthy of love and respect if they have a functioning memory. I'm not trying to cast judgment on what Bloom's husband chose to do, or her involvement in that. I just wish there was more writing about the value of people as they are, even without the memory that seems to make them who they are.
At some point I may write a full essay about this, but I was just now reminded of when I've heard someone say, "if I had ______, I would kill myself." I have heard people say this about mental disorders, about memory issues, about HIV, and a whole host of other things. And while I respect anyone's right to have opinions about their own quality of life, I think a lot of these statements can be really hurtful. It can so easily go from, "If I had _____," to, "since you have ______, you might as well..." Which ultimately is about the value of human life, and who we see as worthy of care. I once heard someone say that, they might as well not visit their loved one in the nursing home, since they don't remember it. Again, I respect the way that person must have felt when they said it, but to me, I don't want to live in a world where people are only seen as worthy of love and respect if they have a functioning memory. I'm not trying to cast judgment on what Bloom's husband chose to do, or her involvement in that. I just wish there was more writing about the value of people as they are, even without the memory that seems to make them who they are.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide