I learned about Atul Gawande’s Being Mortal in a roundabout way. John and I receive a lot of marketing materials about Asian American movies and media in general. One of those movies is Good Fortune directed and starting Aziz Ansari. He was working on another movie called Being Mortal when its studio suspended it. Ansari then moved on to Good Fortune. The suspended movie was based on a book. When I read what the book was about, I found it immediately relevant to me so I decided to check it out. Here is a quick review of Atul Gawande’s book, Being Mortal.
Overview
Although the Being Mortal film was planned to be a comedy drama, the book is serious non-fiction about how American medicine and society treats/maltreats the dying. It looks at the problems of institutions like nursing homes and end of life care. As an Asian American, Gawande, has a unique viewpoint on caring for the elderly. He talks about how in traditional cultures, the old were cared for by family. While this may sound great, he also points out, from experiences in his own family and others, that this can be a source of great stress. My own experience can attest to that point, having lived in a multi-generational Asian household. Gawande looks, to his credit, often looks at both sides of issues like this through out the book. He points out not just the problems of modern nursing homes but also the even worse institutions that they replaced.
Recommendations
I heartily recommend this book. Being Mortal is particularly relevant in a time of Medicaid cuts and an aging population. The books Outlive by Peter Attia and When Breath becomes Air make excellent companions to it. Outlive talks about goals to set for the last part of one’s life and how to become fit enough to reach those goals. Being Mortal points out that no one can escape death and what to consider when one is at the end of one’s health span. When Breath Becomes Air talks about one Asian American doctor’s experience at the end of his life.
