Want to learn the ideas in How We Die better than ever? Read the world’s #1 book summary of How We Die by Sherwin B. Nuland here.
Read a brief 1-Page Summary or watch video summaries curated by our expert team. Note: this book guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher or author, and we always encourage you to purchase and read the full book.
Video Summaries of How We Die
We’ve scoured the Internet for the very best videos on How We Die, from high-quality videos summaries to interviews or commentary by Sherwin B. Nuland.
1-Page Summary of How We Die
Overall Summary
Published in 1994, How We Die by Sherwin B. Nuland is a book that explores the nature of death and dying. The author draws on his own experiences as well as scholarship to present his thoughts on this topic. He comes up with an original philosophy based on compassion for others and their suffering, medical experience, and society’s view of death.
The book opens with a quote from John Webster, “Death has ten thousand doors by which men may enter.” The author insists that death begins at birth because of its inevitability. No matter how much life we as humans possess, no one is exempt from decline and subsequent death.
The author begins with a medical perspective, listing various ways that people die. He then describes what happens to the body as it dies. Every form of death is similar in that the body eventually stops breathing and can no longer function. The most important thing about life is oxygen, which supplies energy for everything we do.
The author talks about the history of medicine. He maintains that, despite all the advancements in technology and treatments, we are still unable to conquer death or even delay it for a long time. In other words, human beings will eventually die. This is an interesting perspective because it acknowledges how far we have come with medical science while also pointing out that there’s nothing much more we can do than what has already been done.
Nuland then talks about his experience with patients. He advises that people should not try to prevent death, because it is inevitable. Rather, they should focus on quality of life rather than longevity. Sometimes diseases are so bad that doctors can’t cure them and the patient suffers more from the treatment than he did before. In those cases, Nuland says we need to understand our options in order to make realistic decisions regarding how we want our final days to be spent.
Nuland seems to be a very passionate person who wants life to be good. However, as a doctor, he has seen many deaths and knows that dying is not a dignified process. He reveals the physical details of death in an attempt to show that there’s nothing romantic about it. In fact, we fight until the end even when it’s clear we’re going to lose because our bodies continue “to rage against the dying light,” as poet Dylan Thomas said. The notion of dying with dignity—which was popular at the time—is an idealistic possibility rather than reality for Nuland, who takes his readers into scenes where he witnessed people die from diseases such as cancer or AIDS without anyone by their side.
The author then reflects on a line from the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, “Oh Lord, give each of us his own death.” He does not agree with this statement because it would be too easy to control one’s death. Instead, he believes that we all have our own deaths and should know how we die. This truth will allow us to live more genuine lives without unrealistic expectations and less fear of death.
In conclusion, Nuland tells us that we should make the most of our lives and do what we are capable of. We should try to live in a way that no one has to die alone or in unnecessary agony. Finally, he says, we should try to have a life that is appreciated and remembered well by those around us.
