by Katy Butler
First published 2013
When Katy Butler's father suffers a stroke, doctors install a pacemaker to treat a minor heart condition. The device keeps his heart beating while he descends into dementia and misery. Her mother becomes his full-time caregiver as he loses the ability to speak clearly or care for himself. Years later, he tells his wife he is living too long and wants help dying. But doctors refuse to turn off the pacemaker. Butler investigates why modern medicine traps families in these impossible situations. She discovers how the pursuit of maximum longevity often creates more suffering than healing. When her mother later faces her own illness, she rebels against medical advice and refuses surgery. Butler combines personal story with reporting to examine what happens when fear of death meets medical technology. She explores the growing Slow Medicine movement that prioritizes comfort over aggressive treatment.
Genres: non-fiction, biography-memoir, health, medical-ethics
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-drama, personal-journey
322 pages · Hardcover · Scribner
Content warnings: death, terminal-illness