Station Eleven (RA Alumni Favorite)

Station Eleven

by Emily St. John Mandel

It’s nice to reconnect with an alum who served in the RA position, and it’s even better when they share an all-time favorite book to read.  I thoroughly enjoyed Station Eleven written by Emily St. John Mandel.  It tells of an epidemic, the Georgian flu, that devastates the world, killing most of the population.   The book begins at a Shakespearean play where the lead, King Lear, dies of a heart attack and moves from pre- to post-Georgian flu to fill in the background.  Arthur Leander (King Lear), Jeevan Chaudhary (the paramedic in the audience who tries to save him), Kirsten Raymonde (a child actress in the show), Miranda Carroll (Arthur’s first wife), Clark Thompson (Arthur’s lawyer), and Tyler Leander (Arthur’s young son from his second wife) are all part of the story. It describes their days in Toronto (pre-epidemic) and their journey to the Great Lakes area, where the characters who live through the flu epidemic fill in what happened to get where they are now.  Mandel’s story grabbed my attention early, and I loved how I learned more about the twenty-year change in the world.  Exceedingly well-written with characters who are eager to share their story.  A science-fiction graphic novel with a very unexpected outcome.  Can fiction actually come to life?  This one is a must read.  I love when the author is able to build multiple stories within one book….  Well done!  

(Extra Book) The Nickel Boys

The Nickel Boys

by Colson Whitehead

Thanks to Tracey G. for this recommendation - a really good read in The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead.  The book is based on the real-life story of a reform school in Florida for young boys who committed minor offenses, lacked parents, or were there for a variety of other reasons.  As portrayed in the book, Nickel Academy is a cruel place full of hatred, especially for black boys who regularly get whipped and placed in solitary confinement. This is the place that seventeen-year-old Elwood Curtis ends up after receiving a free car ride home from his first day of a pre-college program.  Elwood was a bright young man destined for success, but he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.  He was forced to go to the academy by the judge of his case, and that’s when his living hell begins.  Rules were arbitrary and, for someone who worked so hard, always doing the right thing, he entered a place where there was no understandable ‘right way to behave’.  During his first week at the academy, he faced a beating for trying to assist another student being taunted.  In this place, he was bound to secrecy and there were serious ramifications if he spoke out against the academy. But this didn’t stop Elwood from making a plan. He waited for an opportunity to alert the authorities of the dangers in the academy and got that chance when a tour by the officials took place.  Elwood wasn’t ready for what happened next.  The story is a reminder of the type of world we live in where hate has and continues to prevail. It is disturbing to learn that those who ran the system at the academy brutally murdered some of the black boys who attended and buried them on the grounds.  All great stories have a twist, and this one is no different.  It is hard to believe that the 1950s and 60s was the time frame of this story. In this world today, we still witness abuse of children, lack of equality, and pure hate.  Books like this serve as a reminder so that we never forget what happened in our past.  Elwood and children like him need love, education and opportunity.  A profound story.

Being Mortal

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End

by Atul Gawande

Death… it comes to everyone at some point, either suddenly or through a long disease.  I have experienced them both in my life.  My brother was killed in a motorcycle accident when I was nineteen years old.  He was vibrant and living a wonderful life and it happened instantaneously, whereas my sister struggled through cancer for 4+ years.  Neither is easy.  This RA Favorite book, Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, focuses on how we plan our final days.  It is written by a physician, Atul Gawande, and he intersperses his own family story of a parent at the end of their life. He also tells of a number of patients who teach him how to be a better doctor when it comes to a diagnosis that needs conversation and thoughtful decision making.  He begins the book with a discussion on how America has turned away from the elderly, where families look for nursing homes/assisted living and other venues to place their loved ones.  This is in sharp contrast with many countries where families keep their elders with them through their final days.  The book continues with how medicine has increased the life span of people today coupled with improved hygiene and how we filtrate water/sewage.  The most meaningful chapters for me include the idea of how we think through our end-of-life decision making.  Having experienced two instances in my family where that didn’t seem to happen as openly as it could have, I recommend everyone think through what your “goal” is when faced with a life-altering surgery, path for medication, or procedure that might end or substantially change how you live.  What outcome will be right for you?  Dr. Gawande is compassionate and shares his own failures and how he has improved patient conversations.  Letting go is not easy.  We all have a time to live and a time to die.  How do you want that time to work best for you?  Not an easy book to get through, but it is done with impeccable judgement and clarity.  Thank you, Dr. Gawande.  Add to your list, but do so when you have a clear mind and not faced with tough decisions.