The Right to Die (Impact Books) [Library Binding]

Elaine Landau (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 11 and up | Series: Impact Books

Examines the controversial question of a terminally ill person's right to die.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up-A well-written and philosophically balanced introduction to the issues and concerns surrounding this controversial topic. Landau provides succinct overviews and raises pertinent questions about patient rights in determining treatment; the true definition of death; the concept of living wills and durable powers of attorney; denial of treatment for severely disabled infants; quality of life; young adult rights versus parental choice in cases of terminal illness; and suicide and euthanasia. Well-known and lesser-known court cases are explored to illustrate the situations, emotions, and decisions at hand. Jack Kevorkian and medicide are discussed, as well as Derek Humphry and his Hemlock Society. The author concludes that these issues will always be personal and private ones, with ramifications that are difficult to legislate. A section of black-and-white photos elucidates the text, as does a sample living will. This book can serve as a companion to Kathlyn Gay's The Right to Die (Millbrook, 1993), which has a broader, more detailed scope and more extensive documentation. Both titles offer valuable, thought-provoking explorations of a social and ethical dilemma.
Celia A. Huffman, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Cleveland
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-12. Landau's balanced examination of this controversial and emotionally charged issue will provide readers with information that is not readily available in other sources. She includes and explains the "Patient's Bill of Rights," discusses how a "living will" can protect an individual's wishes but can also be overturned, examines the issue of artificial feeding, and provides many case studies where the right to die was decided in the courts. Although Jussim briefly discusses the issue of treating severely ill infants in his book Euthanasia: The Right to Die Issue , Landau covers the topic in depth and also provides a very interesting chapter on the rights of adolescents to refuse medical treatment. She offers more information about the Hemlock Society and their four guiding principles than may be found in other YA sources and defines the parameters society members have set for "rational and planned self-deliverance." Students researching the topic for reports or speeches will find the carefully documented source notes and bibliography helpful. The book is illustrated with black-and-white photographs. Chris Sherman

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Library Binding: 96 pages
• Publisher: Franklin Watts (October 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531130150
• ISBN-13: 978-0531130155
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,984,440 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a children's book author and writing coach who loves both children and books. I've never been much of a fiction fan, I've spent my time both reading and writing nonfiction. I live in tropical Miami with my husband and son who are nonfiction lovers as well.