Review
However we seek to achieve it, in the end what we most hope for is a good death. For his help in pushing us to think about what this means, Professor Lavi deserves our undying gratitude. -- Joanna Reiver, Journal of Legal Medicine
Lavi helped explain what the inhabitants of Christendom understood implicitly for centuries. He is right: We have forgotten how to die. -- Michael A. Flannery, The Journal of American History
[V]ery well-researched and elegantly written. . . . [T]hought-provoking and worthwhile reading. -- Marcia L. Meldrum, Journal of the American Medical Association
Lavi explains how dying has moves from 'art' to 'technique,' from an experience overseen by a minister and family to one of 'technique' overseen by doctors and constructed by law.... Lavi's work represents the best of sociolegal scholarship: it is impressive for its clear conceptualization, its marshalling of an impressive array of historical and cultural evidence, and its lucid, clear, and elegant writing.... As a model of concerned and rigorous scholarship, Lavi's book is exemplary. -- Alfonso Morales, Law & Society Review
This book,
The Modern Art of Dying: A History of Euthanasia in the United States provides valuable background information about the end of life, especially related to euthanasia. It provides comprehensive and extensive references and case histories of ways of dying and euthanasia, to the field of gerontology, and to those working with individuals of all ages in a terminal state. This book is geared for all the people who are interested in the issue of euthanasia. . . . This book is very valuable to Christian scholars. Also, readers with religious beliefs and legal systems which differ from those in the United States may find this book very resourceful in helping them to understand why euthanasia is such an important issue in American Judeo-Christian culture and law. -- Suk-Young Kang, Ph.D., Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life and Palliative Care
Lavi's book contributes to this ongoing discussion by providing a valuable, thoughtful, and concise history of euthanasia in the United States. His book takes us back to the 18th century Methodists, to see how 'the art of dying' gradually became 'technique.' He does a superb job of bringing together insights from several disciplines (history, religion, social science, law, philosophy) which help us to understand the issues involved by showing how art, technology, medicine, religion and social policy have contributed to the situation we find ourselves in today. -- Bob Lane, Metapsychology Online Reviews
Review
Shai Lavi has enormously deepened the current argument over euthanasia by putting it in a perspective that has seldom entered the discussion, namely, its history. The genealogy of the idea and practices that have turned the art of dying into the technique of dying does not solve the current debate, but it does allow us to see it not just as an argument between ethicists, but as one about the cultural meaning of death. This book is essential for anyone who is concerned about euthanasia and has the potential of changing the very terms of the discussion.
(
Robert N. Bellah, University of California, Berkeley, coauthor of "Habits of the Heart and The Good Society". )
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
