Before I Say Goodbye: Recollections and Observations from One Woman's Final Year

Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking...
Review: Sad, sad, sad but very pragmatic approach to dying. Enjoyed the thoughts of Ruth, and empathized very much with her thoughts regarding religion (she was not religious). There is much to think about here, many insights on how to approach the big C for both the dying and the surviving. Only a hundred pages, but definitely worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: not what I had expected
Review: This book was not the book I had hoped to have bought. I enjoyed some of her emails, the writings by her family, or from readers. However, for anyone who can identify with this statement, it was not an edifying book for me. I expected her to die, of course. That was obvious from the title. I did not expect to find that she was an atheist, as was many of her friends and spouse. Death is difficult, but as a Christian, I know that when our objectives on Earth are fullfilled then our time here is done. I would be totally devastated if I didn't have the hope, the peace of knowing I have a heavenly Father who loves me, hears my prayers, and never allows me to walk thru this journey alone. How sad to find she most likely left Earth without knowing this peace. For me, this book had many positives but sadly, dieing an atheist was not what I had anticipated. Maybe I needed to read it, if for nothing else, but to appreciate what a blessing and comfort my Christianity is for me.