"A truly wonderful book. Read it." —Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm
"Though a new medical memoir seems to come along every five minutes just now, this one is special." —The Guardian
"Moving, funny and compulsively readable, it’s part love letter, part lament to a great ideal that [Clarke] believes is being starved of the resources it needs to thrive." —The Sunday Times
"[Clarke's] intention is not to be maudlin or sensationalist. Rather, what she wants us to grasp is that we have nothing to fear about reaching the end of our lives. It’s not just that a skilled hospice doctor will know exactly how to administer the right amount of morphine – just enough to ease the physical pain, not enough to fog the intellect – but she will understand the emotional and spiritual needs of her patients too." —The Daily Mail
"Though a new medical memoir seems to come along every five minutes just now, this one is special. Clarke, a doctor who works in palliative medicine, [...] has written a book, beautiful and blessedly un-mawkish, about her experiences. Among its pages are true horrors for those involved, but also a numinous beauty. Her words are brimful of love, grace and kindness – and by being so, put the place where this piece began firmly in perspective." —The Observer
"A memoir about caring for people on the edge of death. Though indisputably a time of sorrow, Clarke tries to show that in the face of death can be found the things that really matter in life, including the strength and compassion of which we are all capable." —BBC
"A truly moving medical memoir. Clarke writes so movingly about what it means to face death, the grief that gets left behind and how hospices do such vital work in allowing people to die being looked after and surrounded by the people they love." —Stylist
"A magnificent, tender book. The book should also be essential reading for anyone who cares about our beleaguered health system. Clarke powerfully conveys the battering the NHS has endured over the past decade of austerity, neglect that has resulted in overcrowded hospitals and the rise of "Corridor Medicine"." —The Independent
"Warm and empathetic account affirms that a hospice is all about life, not death." —Financial Times
09/01/2020
Clarke (Your Life in My Hands), a UK-based palliative care physician, looks at her life and career thus far in this intensely moving and personal memoir. From childhood accidents to feeling helpless while covering a terrorist bombing of a London nail salon as a TV journalist, to assisting injured people in the midst of her decision to become a doctor, the author also reflects on her medical education and calling to help people with a terminal illness live the remainder of their lives as fully as possible and to die with dignity and comfort. Along the way, she shares insight into her own story, and coming to terms with the realities of facing grief on a daily basis. Through it all, Clarke remains empathetic and personable. Toward the end, she describes how her father, also a physician, is diagnosed with terminal cancer, and how she takes leave from her job to assist him, and her mother, in his final journey. VERDICT Clarke is a clear-eyed, compassionate storyteller, and the stories of her patients' suffering and final moments—along with her father's—demonstrate how human connections are the terminally ill's most vital medicine. A gripping read.—Marcia G. Welsh, Dartmouth Coll. Lib., Hanover, NH
★ 2020-06-17
End-of-life stories from a palliative care doctor.
When she was growing up, Clarke loved to listen to her physician father tell stories about his patients, many of which taught her “a different, quieter style of doctoring in which medicine perhaps achieved less yet was kinder and more humane.” Following those lessons, when she became a doctor, she chose palliative care. “I use my training and skills,” she writes, “specifically to help people with a terminal illness live what remains of their lives as fully as possible, and to die with dignity and comfort....Rarely, if ever, does a week go by in which all of my patients survive.” In this fascinating and often moving narrative, which features sometimes graphic details, Clarke gives readers an inside view into the life of the terminally ill and those who attend to them in hospice. Make no mistake: Reading about death page after page will bring tears to even the most hardened readers, but the author’s empathetic approach leads to a clear understanding of death that most don’t receive until facing the prospect themselves. Clarke also intertwines her own tales of near-death experiences and of her father’s terminal cancer, and her unwavering sincerity and honesty reflect the profundity of life and dignified death. “In a hospice,” she writes, “…there is more of what matters—more love, more strength, more kindness, more smiles, more dignity, more joy, more tenderness, more grace, more compassion—than you could ever imagine. I work in a world that thrums with life. My patients teach me all I need to know about living.” Clarke’s message is especially timely as we continue to face a global pandemic, and she also includes practical advice on end-of-life preparations and helpful notes about relevant resources.
Death comes to all of us; these authentic stories show how it can be met with strength and grace instead of fear.