7 Lessons for Living from the Dying

This wasn't the book I expected, although it was a worthwhile reading experience. I think I was expecting more of a memoir whereas the book is essentially a spiritual self-help guide using 'lessons' such as suffering, love and forgiveness linked in some way to stories from the author's dying patients. I was very grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the e-book in exchange for a review, but I think for this reason I read it much quicker than it deserved. It's the sort of book that requires a slow read, reflection and action using some of the meditation or journalling prompts at the end of each lesson.

I liked the way that the author references wisdom from different religions without it feeling too pick-and-mix, although sometimes I did feel it was a bit preachy and the patients' stories felt like they were illustrating the lesson rather than the lesson arising from the story.

Overall though I think this is a suitable book for anyone looking for spiritual answers and practical ideas for dealing with some of the big questions arising in our lives.

Wow. The stories of the doc's experiences are superb -- very moving, touching, tear inducing, and beautiful. Get this for her experiences alone. She also provides advice, which is valuable, but I"m sorry to say not as good as some of her anecdotes. Highly recommended.

Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!

I am very much a believer in the two halves of life. The first half is spent building up one’s identity and often involves personal achievement in some form, perhaps a successful career, sporting achievement or simply amassing all the things that society seems to value and which build up a sense of self-esteem. The second half is about letting all of that go. It is the realisation that none of it actually matters and that true living comes from freedom from the ego rather than feeding it. This is a second half of life book.

That is not to say that you need to be middle aged to read it and to draw value from it. The two halves of life are not necessarily equal halves. It is possible to move from one to the other at a young age or to never manage it despite living a long life, but it is a journey that I believe we are all supposed to take and Dr Wyatt’s book is a hugely valuable resource in setting out.

The seven lessons of the title are suffering, love, forgiveness, presence, purpose, surrender and impermanence. They represent a spiritual journey, although not tied in specifically to any one faith but rather the shared journey across a range of faiths and beliefs that lead us to a life lived at a higher plane of awareness and fulfilment.

All of the chapters are built around deeply moving stories from Dr Wyatt's work as a hospice doctor that help to show the lesson in practise in people’s lives. They then discuss how we orientate ourselves around the key principles of the lesson and grow into them, setting out the fruits of the journey that we undertake. The lessons are distinct but also linked and at the end of the book they are all brought together into an appendix of practical exercises and steps that can be taken to develop the journey of spiritual growth so that the reader can take the theory and put it into practise in their own life.

If you have that sense that you are maybe crossing over from the first half of your life into the second then this is an excellent resource for helping you to do so. Maybe you have achieved all that you set out to and yet it doesn’t seem to have fulfilled you the way you had expected. Perhaps you have suffered a loss or some pain in your life that you feel you need to work through before you can move forward again.

7 Lessons for Living from the Dying, like the spiritual life itself, is hard to explain to someone who does not feel its pull but I would recommend it to everyone. If you are ready it will be a real gift to you and if you are not just put it to one side and return when the time feels right. For a lot of people I am sure that time will come.

This book was so emotionally powerful, especially to read in the uncertain times we live in. Would recommend to those who struggle to find meaning in life and want to refocus on what really matters.

This is a lovely, motivational book. The stories included are moving and inspirational.
They teach us lessons about forgiveness, suffering, love, purpose and more.
I took my time to slowly go through each chapter so I can fully feel and understand the lessons. And I will make sure to write down some quotes that are worth remembering in my journal. Also I loved the affirmations and journaling prompts at the end of each chapter.
Reading this book was a very emotional experience for me and brought deeper understanding of life.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.