Shocked By David Casarett
Thanks to advances in medicine, there’s dead and then there’s really dead. Physician and academic Casarett takes readers on a guided tour of the increasingly broad gray area between those two states. From early, bizarre attempts at resuscitation to disturbing lab experiments and painful decisions about removing a loved one’s ventilator, Casarett covers the gamut of technological advances and their consequences. Shocked has a conversational, often playful tone, but Casarett doesn’t shy away from asking hard questions about prolonging life — regardless of the quality of that life. The science of resurrection, Casarett writes, comes with significant ethical, financial and emotional costs. — Gemma Tarlach
