National Book Award Non Fiction Winner
How We Die
by Sherwin B. Nuland
Summary
A practicing surgeon's clear-eyed account of the biological mechanisms by which human beings actually die, from heart failure and cancer to Alzheimer's and trauma. Nuland combines clinical detail with patient stories and his own family history, refusing the sentimental scripts that obscure modern dying. The book pushed end-of-life realities back into public conversation at a moment of growing debate over hospice and assisted death.
”
Historical Context & Significance
The book was a surprise bestseller; it demystified the "dying process" for a generation that had largely sanitized death behind hospital walls.