{"id":76990,"date":"2022-08-19T20:27:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-20T00:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=76990"},"modified":"2025-11-02T23:10:52","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T03:10:52","slug":"book-club-questions-for-being-mortal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/book-club-questions-for-being-mortal\/","title":{"rendered":"Thought-Provoking Book Club Questions for Being Mortal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Are you looking for book club questions for Being Mortal<\/em>? What are some of the key ideas to discuss?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End<\/a><\/em> by Atul Gawande was widely praised and dubbed one of the best books of the year when it was published in 2014. It brings forth some difficult yet necessary questions about the way we approach aging and dying<\/a> in the 21st century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some questions to help you reflect on the book’s key messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Being Mortal<\/strong><\/em>: Questions to Consider<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In his book Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End<\/em>, surgeon Atul Gawande considers our experience of aging and dying in modern times. In his view, the modern approach to these stages of life<\/a> undermines our ability to live well up to the end\u2014to do better, we need to accept death<\/a> as a natural part of the human experience and prioritize the well-being of the dying.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following book club questions for Being Mortal<\/em> will help you explore Gawande’s ideas by reflecting on aging and dying in the context of your life: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) End-of-life care<\/a> involves making numerous decisions. As we\u2019ve seen, there\u2019s value in considering what you might want in your end-of-life care while you have time to make those decisions. In this exercise, you\u2019ll have the opportunity to begin thinking about three particular aspects of end-of-life care: where you\u2019d prefer to die, what life-prolonging measures you\u2019ll accept, and how your body should be handled after death. These are sensitive topics, but considering them well in advance is an invaluable exercise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) In the space below, write your thoughts about where<\/em> you\u2019d prefer to spend your last days. Do you want to be at home? Would you rather be in a hospital? Somewhere else? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3) Now, take a moment to consider what life-prolonging measures you\u2019ll be willing to take. Do you want life support with a breathing machine? Aggressive medical treatments for as long as possible? Would you prefer only pain medications? Or no interventions at all? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4) Finally, consider how you want your body handled after death. Would you like an in-ground burial in a casket? An above-ground burial in a mausoleum? Do you prefer a no-casket burial or cremation? Burial options will vary by location and regional regulations. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are you looking for book club questions for Being Mortal? What are some of the key ideas to discuss? Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande was widely praised and dubbed one of the best books of the year when it was published in 2014. It brings forth some difficult yet necessary questions about the way we approach aging and dying in the 21st century. Here are some questions to help you reflect on the book’s key messages.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":76353,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1882],"tags":[728],"class_list":["post-76990","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-discussion","tag-being-mortal","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nThought-Provoking Book Club Questions for Being Mortal - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do you need book club questions for Being Mortal by Atul Gawande? 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