Customer Reviews

Too Soon to Say Goodbye

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

As only Art can do, he takes on a most sensitive subject -- Dying. By writing a book that he technically wasn't supposed be around to pen, Art provides the reader a prospective and a good look into hospice care. It appears his message is clear -- Hospice isn't a bad option. He also seems fortunate that he's been able to "go out" on his terms and appears to be genuinely grateful. I recommend this book if you are looking for a very fast and witty read about Hospice and Dying.

Having cheated death, Art Buchwold has given us a bedside look at his impending demise. Do not read this book unless you are where you can laugh out loud.

Art Buchwald 's "Too Soon To Say Goodbye" was sad and humorous at the same time. Buchwald was expecting to die sooner rather than later and used that extra time to leave the world this beautiful, final legacy. One is left to wonder if some of the treatments we endure are worth it when we see the quality of life he had in the end. His humor was intact and he was alive and lucid to receive all the many visitors streaming in. Art Buchwald chose to forgo the popular treatment to enjoy his last days and as a result, lived each extra one to the fullest. This is the story of a man who lived his life with dignity and chose to die the same way. Wonderful but sad, a worthy read.

Who would guess that a book written by a dying man about the end of his life could be so funny and heartwarming? I guess that is the talent and gift of Art Buchwald. Buchwald suffers kidney disease and is given a prognosis of two to three weeks left to live after he refuses continued dialysis. He enters a hospice in Washington and instead of dying enjoys months of "goodbye" visits from friends, family and admirers.

In those extended months he reflects on various life events and orchestrates his funeral and memorial services in hilarious fashion. There is a lesson learned for all who read this book. Death is part of life and is to be approached on your own terms, and in Buchwald's case, that means with much humor. In so doing, Buchwald leaves a legacy of joy and laughter to us all.

I have always liked reading anything by Art Buchwald. He has a skewered take on almost everything, and as it turns out death too. It might seem morbid to read a book - even by a humorist - about his own death. Is it insensitive if I say I enjoyed this book? He admits he doesn't have any particular insight to what lies beyond, but it is clear that knowing the end was coming did nothing to hurt his humor, and therin lies the perfection of his last words. Now it's St. Peter's turn to fall down laughing at the newest resident of the best of all places to be, but we will miss his heart and spirit and are all better because he shared this with us. I hope I can die with half as much dignity when the time comes.

My 95-year-old father asked that I order this for him. He has read it, albeit 10 pages at a time, and has enjoyed it very much. At his stage of his life's journey, he wanted to read of someone else's thoughts on the subject.

Ben Bradlee said it best..."Artie can squeeze a book out of a busy signal". And so, with the extra time that Art Buchwald enjoyed after entering Washington Hospice a year ago, he did just that..."Too Soon to Say Goodbye" (a mini-biography of sorts) may just be his most revealing.

Art Buchwald was sui generis. In this book, which alternates between the serious side of death and the comedy that comes so naturally to him, the author raises dying to the highest art form. It has been said that living a long life is the greatest revenge... but knowing how to die takes an extra talent. While at hospice he tells us he eats well, loves to chat with other patients, enjoys the gossip brought to him by his close friends and flirts. Yes, he flirts! In a look back at his life, however, he isn't shy about reminding us of the deep depression he went through and how his friends Mike Wallace and William Styron talked about it publicly together. His longtime physican, Dr. Michael Newman, calls the three of them "The Blues Brothers". Art Buchwald had tremendous courage.

The wonderful thing about "Too Soon to Say Goodbye" is that never for one moment does he sink into mawkishness. Facts are facts, but the humor prevails. There's a line to laugh about on each page and my favorite was this one...(referring to his many years spent on Martha's Vineyard)..."I am surprised but happy to have the chance to say, 'you can take me out of the Vineyard, but you can't take the Vineyard out of me.'" Talk about "vinatge" Buchwald. "Too Soon to Say Goodbye" is a classy final chapter in a great life. We'll miss him.

When Art Buchwald, the Pulitzer-Prize winning columnist and
humorist, died recently, I was saddened . . . but not for long, in that
shortly thereafter I chuckled when I saw him smiling as he told
me and countless others that if I was watching him read his
own obituary, it meant--to quote him--that "I just died."

Accounts of his death also made reference to his last book,
TOO SOON TO SAY GOODBYE,
in which he described his last days in a hospice in Washington,
D.C. . . . the only problem, though: Buchwald didn't die right
away . . . rather, he actually got better and used his time
to visit with family and dozens of famous friends.

In doing so, he discovered and shared many truths I'll hopefully
always remember . . . for example: If you want to be kept in
somebody's will, be nice and give him a box of candy.

Buchwald also tells of his friendships with celebrities ranging
from Ethel Kennedy to John Glenn, and he fondly talks
about his life with his wife Ann, his 14 champagne-filled years
in Paris and his lifetime as a columnist syndicated in hundreds
of newspapers.

I felt that in reading this wonderful book, I was having a one-on-one
chat with the author . . . among the memorable tidbits that
he shared were the following:

* A friend of mine, Larry Gelbart, said he thinks the end will come for
most people when all the phone companies merge and there is only
one company left.

* Many of the letter writers said they were praying for me. If God was
listening to the prayers about me, I thought, how busy could God be?

* One of the ways I make people happy is to tell them how much I enjoyed
the dish they brought me. I ask for the recipe and then I give it to another
person so they can also make it for me. I don't know whether I'm violating
people's cooking rights or not.

Art Buchwald has been my favorite editorial humorist my entire life. Much of my understanding of politics and the government was learned by reading his column in the Toledo Blade. I was actually saddened to learn about a year ago, he had refused dialysis treatment and was planning on going into a hospice to die. But, a miracle happened, for some unknown reason he got better and he lived for several months. The Man Who Wouldnt Die was still there, feeling good, entertaining in a nonstop salon for his family and dozens of famous friends, and confronting things you usually dont talk about before you die; he even jokes about them.

As a hospice volunteer, this book is a fantastic encapsulation of the hospice experience from the patient perspective. This book was published in November 2006 and Mr. Buchwald died January 18, 2007. If you are reading it for how a hospice works, look elsewhere. If you want to get a handle on the feelings a person experiences regarding the mark they left on the world and how their perspective is different after being declared terminally ill. I have read some blogs that complain this is all about Mr. Buchwald himself and his ego (he states he wants to die on a day when nothing else happens so he can be front page news), but isnt hospice all about the patient. Do our patients think they must be humble and not talk about what they have left behind, or should they approach their death with a sense of humor and selfishness? And yes he does namedrop, but who wouldnt, if Mike Wallace was a lifelong friend and came to visit you in hospice and you were sharing your hospice experience, wouldnt you mention his name? I guess thats up to the individual.

The book also has a chapter on his personal experiences with death during his life. How he never went to his mothers funeral, how his fathers death impacted him, and how important it was to be buried next to his wife. Real feelings for real people.

I recommend this book because it is a gift from a man who experienced hospice from the inside. It is humorous, informative, and sometime maudlin. But its done in Buchwalds style, which includes humor and sharp political jabs at various institutions.

Book Review
Dave Davis, Volunteer Hospice of Northwestern Ohio
[...]

A very well written book of Art's last year or so in this world. He has written for his career, however, here he's a regular Joe talking about his hospice........and beyond experiences. He makes the reader feel good about the unavoidable circumstance that death is. And leaves the reader with no regrets. I highly recommend this title.