What colour is cancer? Why do some people appear to have made miraculous recoveries? How can you tell when someone is in the final hours of their life? How can we ensure our most vulnerable are treated with the dignity they deserve? In this unprecedented book, palliative medicine pioneer Dr Kathryn Mannix explores the biggest taboo in our society and the only certainty we all share: death.
'It is incredibly moving, of course, but what it isn't is miserable. Yes this is a book about death, but it is also a book about joy. There aren't all that many books that change the way you see the world. This book really might. It will make you want to do a better job of loving and living. It will make you want to be kinder. And it will make you want to cherish every precious moment of your precious life.'
Sunday Times
'Extraordinary and profoundly moving. ... Any reader will come away with the wish that they will be cared for at the end by someone with Mannix's imaginative sympathy and matter-of-fact generosity of perception'
Rowan Williams, New Statesman
'Illuminating and beautiful ... I shed a few tears but it's not gut wrenching and Mannix weaves the light and dark strands of her experience with finesse. It's essential reading for anyone who will encounter death, and that means all of us.'
Cathy Rentzenbrink, The Times
'I got to the end of Kathryn Mannix's book with just one thought - I wish I'd been a palliative consultant ... A reminder that talking about death is an Act of Love'
Greg Wise
'In the last few years, there has been a crowd of books by doctors, scientists and writers that have sought to show us different, kinder ways of ending: Atul Gawande, Oliver Sacks, Henry Marsh... the list is long. Now Kathryn Mannix joins this distinguished group. Mannix's aim is to shed a soft, clear light on a subject too often avoided. Mild, tender and conciliatory, I would like her to be my compassionate, wise doctor when I lie dying.'
Observer
Sunday Times
'Extraordinary and profoundly moving. ... Any reader will come away with the wish that they will be cared for at the end by someone with Mannix's imaginative sympathy and matter-of-fact generosity of perception'
Rowan Williams, New Statesman
'Illuminating and beautiful ... I shed a few tears but it's not gut wrenching and Mannix weaves the light and dark strands of her experience with finesse. It's essential reading for anyone who will encounter death, and that means all of us.'
Cathy Rentzenbrink, The Times
'I got to the end of Kathryn Mannix's book with just one thought - I wish I'd been a palliative consultant ... A reminder that talking about death is an Act of Love'
Greg Wise
'In the last few years, there has been a crowd of books by doctors, scientists and writers that have sought to show us different, kinder ways of ending: Atul Gawande, Oliver Sacks, Henry Marsh... the list is long. Now Kathryn Mannix joins this distinguished group. Mannix's aim is to shed a soft, clear light on a subject too often avoided. Mild, tender and conciliatory, I would like her to be my compassionate, wise doctor when I lie dying.'
Observer
'It is incredibly moving, of course, but what it isn't is miserable. Yes this is a book about death, but it is also a book about joy. There aren't all that many books that change the way you see the world. This book really might. It will make you want to do a better job of loving and living. It will make you want to be kinder. And it will make you want to cherish every precious moment of your precious life.'
Sunday Times
'Extraordinary and profoundly moving. ... Any reader will come away with the wish that they will be cared for at the end by someone with Mannix's imaginative sympathy and matter-of-fact generosity of perception'
Rowan Williams, New Statesman
'Illuminating and beautiful ... I shed a few tears but it's not gut wrenching and Mannix weaves the light and dark strands of her experience with finesse. It's essential reading for anyone who will encounter death, and that means all of us.'
Cathy Rentzenbrink, The Times
'I got to the end of Kathryn Mannix's book with just one thought - I wish I'd been a palliative consultant ... A reminder that talking about death is an Act of Love'
Greg Wise
'In the last few years, there has been a crowd of books by doctors, scientists and writers that have sought to show us different, kinder ways of ending: Atul Gawande, Oliver Sacks, Henry Marsh... the list is long. Now Kathryn Mannix joins this distinguished group. Mannix's aim is to shed a soft, clear light on a subject too often avoided. Mild, tender and conciliatory, I would like her to be my compassionate, wise doctor when I lie dying.'
Observer
Sunday Times
'Extraordinary and profoundly moving. ... Any reader will come away with the wish that they will be cared for at the end by someone with Mannix's imaginative sympathy and matter-of-fact generosity of perception'
Rowan Williams, New Statesman
'Illuminating and beautiful ... I shed a few tears but it's not gut wrenching and Mannix weaves the light and dark strands of her experience with finesse. It's essential reading for anyone who will encounter death, and that means all of us.'
Cathy Rentzenbrink, The Times
'I got to the end of Kathryn Mannix's book with just one thought - I wish I'd been a palliative consultant ... A reminder that talking about death is an Act of Love'
Greg Wise
'In the last few years, there has been a crowd of books by doctors, scientists and writers that have sought to show us different, kinder ways of ending: Atul Gawande, Oliver Sacks, Henry Marsh... the list is long. Now Kathryn Mannix joins this distinguished group. Mannix's aim is to shed a soft, clear light on a subject too often avoided. Mild, tender and conciliatory, I would like her to be my compassionate, wise doctor when I lie dying.'
Observer