Author: Christine W. Hartmann
Vanderbilt University Press (2011), Paperback, 224 pages
Comments: I was totally amazed by this author's situation - having a physically healthy mother who made a conscious decision to end her life at age 70, coupled with a father who became disabled after several strokes and had to be cared for in a nursing home. The father's situation seemed not out of the ordinary - many people are faced with the care of an elderly parent who becomes seriously ill and who may even develop dementia. The mother however, seemed to be out of the ordinary although the author seemed to feel she was healthy psychologically, just with a determination to end her life and to have a say in how and when she would die.
I had to admire the author for coming through this situation and deciding that her mother's action showed her self-absorption, while her father cared more about communicating with her, his child. I would have liked to see what other medical personnel thought about her mother, as it's hard to see her mother's decision as a normal reaction to life and death.
The book was well written and described the family situation very well. It left me, however, with quite a few more questions.
I received a complimentary review copy of this book for the tour by TLC Book Tours. For other stops on the tour, visit TLC Book Tour reviews.
© Harvee Lau 2011
