Choosing to Live, Choosing to Die: The Complexities of Assisted Dying

by Nikki Tate, Belle Wuthrich (Illustrator)

Overview

★ “Tate’s sprawling work is a fascinating guide that belongs in all middle school, high school, and public libraries. This resource will help tweens and teens looking to better understand death and dying for personal or academic purposes.”—School Library Journal, starred review

With many jurisdictions considering whether or not to implement new assisted-death legislation, Choosing to Live, Choosing to Die is a timely look at the subject for teen readers who may not yet have had much experience with death and dying.

Readers are introduced to the topic of assisted dying through the author's own story. The issue continues to be hotly debated in families, communities and countries around the world, and there are no easy answers. Choosing to Live, Choosing to Die looks at the issue from multiple perspectives and encourages readers to listen with an open mind and a kind heart and reach their own conclusions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459818897
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	09/17/2019
Series:	Orca Issues Series , #3
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	410,656
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.62(d)
Lexile:	1240L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Nikki Tate is the author of more than 30 books, most of which are for children and teens. Her Footprints title, Deep Roots: How Trees Sustain Our Planet, received several award nominations and was named by the New York Public Library as one of 2016’s Best 100 Books for Kids. She lives in Canmore, Alberta.

Belle Wuthrich is an illustrator and designer specializing in books for young readers. Based in Vancouver, Belle has contributed to more than a dozen books for kids, a number of which have won awards or been republished internationally, including the Montaigne Medal Award–winning Eyes and Spies: How You’re Tracked and Why You Should Know and the Silver Birch Award nominee Eat Up: An Infographic Exploration of Food.

Table of Contents

Introduction
The Big Picture
Beginning at the End
Consider the Context
The Language of Dying
Assisted Dying and the Law
Practical Matters
The Philosophy of Dying
The Nature of Suffering
Let Me Help
Risks and Safeguards
A Good Death
Acknowledgments
Glossary
References
Photo Credits
Index

Editorial Reviews

[Tate] presents these complex questions in very accessible prose...Definitely a book that has a place in Grade 9-12 library collections...Tate doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, and she does an excellent job of posing many questions for consideration.

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

An important work that fills a void, Choosing to Live, Choosing to Die honestly addresses one of the hardest realities of growing up.

Quill & Quire

A difficult, important topic, and Tate handles it gracefully. Choosing to Live, Choosing to Die may be controversial reading in some communities, but teens (and adults) need opportunities for the critical thinking and personal reflection that the book requires.

Resource Links

For readers who want a balanced, thoughtful dive into a difficult issue, this has a lot to offer."

Booklist

Tate does an extraordinary job for her target audience making this book a must-have for an ethics class, a health class, a debate topic or a philosophy course.

Must Read Lit: K thru YA

For readers who want a balanced, thoughtful dive into a difficult issue, this has a lot to offer."

Booklist

[Tate] presents these complex questions in very accessible prose...Definitely a book that has a place in Grade 9-12 library collections...Tate doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, and she does an excellent job of posing many questions for consideration.

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

★ 09/01/2019

Gr 6 Up—This comprehensive guide helps teens learn about and understand the controversial issue of medical assistance in dying. In the first chapter, Tate introduces the concept of dying and shares her own family's experience. Tate then defines and explains the four major types of medically assisted death. She addresses how the law, values, morals, and ethics inevitably impact a person's options when making end-of-life decisions. The book also introduces the terms palliative care and hospice care. In addition to pertinent vocabulary, the book includes identification where medical assistance in dying (MAiD) is legal worldwide and what arguments exist in defense of legalizing it; an examination of the medical and financial issues doctors face; a look at how religion, ethics, and activism influence or impede change; and a breakdown of pop culture depictions of assisted suicide. The powerful quotes, colorful and evocative illustrations, numerous case studies, and photographs throughout provide further context and reaffirm the complexity of the issue. VERDICT Tate's sprawling work is a fascinating guide that belongs in all middle school, high school, and public libraries. This resource will help tweens and teens looking to better understand death and dying for personal or academic purposes.—Jess Gafkowitz, Brooklyn Public Library

School Library Journal

2019-06-10
A multifaceted exploration of the complex issues surrounding medical assistance in dying.

Through a combination of narrative, facts, quotations, provocative questions, case studies, and captioned full-color photographs, this book encourages readers to ponder whether medical assistance in dying can be an appropriate option for some. The author describes her own family's experience with the challenges of honoring end-of-life wishes before presenting topics such as hospice care, legal issues, ethical concerns, the nature of suffering, and the challenges of being asked to help someone die, and more, including a somewhat thin last chapter on what it means to have a good death. Choppy and meandering by design—the author explains that the structure leads readers along a winding path—it may be more suitable for dipping into than reading cover to cover. Variations of the phrase "committing suicide" are used, although this terminology is now often viewed as pejorative. The absence of footnotes or endnotes in favor of a general list of references limits its usefulness for report writers. While the text is broken up with informative sidebars, the font used for the case studies is punishingly small. Focusing primarily on the Western world, despite noting in passing that Japan has the world's largest right-to-die group, this is a frank, dispassionate, and accessible guide that respects the ability of teen readers to understand the nuances surrounding a complex topic.

A thought-provoking, easy-to-understand resource. (glossary, references, photo credits, index) (Nonfiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews

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