Puri's memoir chronicles her decision to become a doctor, then specialize in the relatively new field of palliative care medicine. Puri highlights the tension between general medicine's impulse to preserve life at all costs, and palliative care's focus on the quality of whatever length of life remains.
The book recounts many conversations that she has had with doctors, patients and family members. Her (and her mentor's) skills at navigating these conversations is, for the most part, masterful. The questions they ask, such as "What does a good day look like for you?", or "What does your loved one "getting well" look like to you?" are thought provoking. The answers are very different depending on the person.
This book gives a good over view of the field of palliative care medicine, as well as being an interesting personal story of family and career. It made me start to consider what my answers might be, if a traumatic situation should arise.
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