Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

As a fan of Gawande's previous books and someone whose personal life is currently very much about the topics covered here, I found this a much-needed and absorbing read. Its honesty is sobering (and possibly shocking to those not intimately familiar with what passes for "healthcare" today in the United States). Until you or a loved one are dealing with the healthcare/medical "system" these days, you can't imagine how much it can negatively affect your quality of life, no matter what your actual medical condition is or your life expectancy. We will all face aging, illness and death...sooner or later. But inevitably. We need more humanity and compassion from each and every person in the healthcare/medical system today. (If only they WOULD read this and get trained in how better to deliver the experience that patients---aka "customers" if you want to use the lingo of business, which healthcare has turned into.) Getting the care you need, care that supports one's independence (as much as possible) and autonomy when health-challenged, as I've learned in my own life, is incredibly challenging, even if you have good health insurance and access to "good" doctors. So much of what is needed is obvious to those who are ill and aging--and to some (though certainly not all) of their families. But getting what you need? Difficult beyond belief. It is encouraging to see someone of Gawande's success/influence taking on these issues. Real-life stories and experiences fill this book and they are important. You have to believe things can change for anything to actually begin to change. Just reading about the individuals striving to make life better for those in their care is encouraging. It's hard to be hopeful when one deals daily only with resistance to change and with people who don't seem to listen or hear (or maybe even care) what patients want and need. It takes courage for these folks to buck the system and to put their patients first. As another reviewer noted, this could be a gamechanger. I hope so. We need change and we need to celebrate the people who are making a difference each day, whether in the hospital, doctor's office or nursing home. As a baby boomer, I know most of us will find real issues with how we are treated, and will be treated as we age and as our health fails.