BOOKWORM: For casual readers, there’s no time for ‘Last Acts’

Published 4:46 pm Monday, February 15, 2010

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

Your friend was really something.

When he was young, he never met a challenge he didn’t like and though he grew up, he never outgrew his love of adventure. There was always a story on his lips, usually one that made you laugh.

They said he was a favorite at the hospital, always joking. And now that he’s gone, his exuberance for his life makes you ponder your own. What would you do if you knew you were dying?

Throughout his career, David J. Casarett, M.D. has seen death and he’s seen what he thinks are interesting ways of dealing with it. In his new book “Last Acts,” he writes about how the end of life can be rich with opportunity.

You can only imagine the feelings your friend had when his doctor gave him the bad news. Surely, he was scared but was it with regret or resolve?

Throughout years of working with patients at the end of their lives, Casarett has seen many reactions to imminent death and he’s become curious about them.

“I find that my attention is caught and held simply by the efforts of those…who wanted to make something of the time that they have left,” he writes.

There are, of course, as many varied and personal actions as there are patients. In this book, he tells the stories of dozens of people who chose to face their deaths in ways Casarett is able to basically categorize.

Some, like Jacob, ask for every possible minute of breath, even if it means that those minutes will be spent isolated from family. Others, like Danny and a grandmother who went unnamed, pull their families tighter to them, hoping to leave happy memories for loved ones and wishing for the best reminiscences.

There are those, like Tom, who don’t want to dwell upon death, choosing instead to distract themselves or to steadfastly hang on to their identities by continuing to work. Some, like Christine, wish to convey wisdom and peace.

And – not surprisingly – there are people who rail against dying, bitter and unapologetic, hoping for revenge, angry and fearful with denial.

I had mixed feelings about “Last Acts.”

Casarett’s book will surely resonate with everyone who’s old enough to have lost a loved one to a lingering illness. Without a doubt, the stories he presents are well-chosen; some are beautiful and spirit-warming, while others make you sad for opportunities lost. No doubt, they’ll start conversations.

But between each story, Casarett teases out a “why?” (Why did this patient do this, or that patient choose differently?), much of which I found confounding, “Why” is largely conjecture here and the reasoning will never be learned, so I had a hard time appreciating hypotheses about decisions that may have been made just because.

I think this book will probably be best appreciated by medical professionals or clergymen and women, and possibly by the not-so-recently-bereaved. But for casually curious readers, “Last Acts” is one to pass on.

The Bookworm is Terri Schlichenmeyer. Terri has been reading since she was 3 years old and never goes anywhere without a book. She lives in West Salem, Wis., with her two dogs and 9,500 books.