Customer Reviews

The Private Worlds of Dying Children

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I am an aspiring doctor and this text was a required reading for a pediatric internship. I read this book before my internship began and it helped me to get through this heart wrenching experience. At first it was difficult to read just because it really tugs at your emotions. However, once I made it past the first few stories I could not put the book down until I finished. Myra Bluebond-Langner does an incredible job of not only telling the stories of dying children, but she also gets into the innocent minds of the children enduring this difficult battle. This book is a must read for any aspiring pediatrician, or any aspiring physician for that matter. The way an innocent child views the innevitable can shed some light on how others may view the same situation. Althought parents might find this a tough read, it may help them to understand their child's point of view as well.

I work with issues involving the understanding of children in similar situations. What bluebound-langener has done is more than just tell us what goes on in the mind of sick child. She moves us to understand finally, that children do not fear entirely for their own lives, but vigilantly stand proud in the faces of death, subtly comforting thier doctors through thier smiles while at the same time watching their parents watch them die. One can only take a deep breath at the end of such a declaration of who children are and thank ms. bluebond-langner for what she has given to these children, and in turn how she has helped them to teach us.

Sounds like a sad book but it gives amazing insight into the lives of these poor children and their families. Easy read and absolutely love the case study. I will read this over and over in my future work!!