The Day I Die

The Untold Story of Assisted Dying in America

By: Dr. Anita Hannig

Narrated by: Linda Jones

Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

In this groundbreaking book, Anita Hannig brings us into the lives of ordinary Americans who go to extraordinary lengths to set the terms of their own death. Faced with a terminal diagnosis and unbearable suffering, they decide to seek medical assistance in dying—a legal option now available to one in five Americans.

Drawing on five years of research on the frontlines of assisted dying, Hannig unearths the uniquely personal narratives masked by a polarized national debate. Among them are Ken, a ninety-year-old blues musician who invites his family to his death, dons his best clothes, and goes out singing; Derianna, a retired nurse and midwife who treks through Oregon and Washington to guide dying patients across life's threshold; and Bruce, a scrappy activist with Parkinson's disease who fights to expand access to the law, not knowing he would soon, in an unexpected twist of fate, become eligible himself.

The Day I Die tackles one of the most urgent social issues of our time: how to restore dignity and meaning to the dying process in the age of high-tech medicine. Meticulously researched and compassionately rendered, the book exposes the legal restrictions, barriers to access, and corrosive cultural stigma that can undermine someone's quest for an assisted death—and why they persist in achieving the departure they desire.

©2022 Dr. Anita Hannig (P)2022 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Worth a layman's listen.

Plenty of accounts and stories of people who chose to access medical aid in dying, including an account of a time that it did not go as planned- which helps the reader considering this option for herself to also consider the potential hazards that might not be as apparent or as talked about.

Excellent overview with a very human touch

I am an experienced nurse and for the past 7 years have worked in hospice and palliative care in home, hospital, and inpatient hospice settings. I am intimately familiar with the benefits and limitations of hospice and palliative care. I feel the author did exceptionally well in her research, explanations, and storytelling to explain the process, legal options and hurdles, and the complicated social and cultural issues around medically assisted death. Death, autonomy, and grief and difficult to assist individuals and families through. Delving into the deeply rooted cultural reasons for our discomfort with death and the lack of understanding, by both lay persons and medical professionals, shines a light on our failings as a society. Even if you do not agree with the idea of assisted death, everyone dies and acknowledging that, allowing yourself to prepare for death, process and accept grief, and that death can be both natural and acceptable can really help everyone find peace during a very difficult time. I appreciated the final push by the author towards societal shifts that reframes dying so that we can stop treating it as an unacceptable outcome. At a certain point, it is the only outcome. And allowing for a good death, no matter how that looks, will provide much greater sense of wellbeing for those left behind.

Honest, Revealing

It’s important to talk about death. Especially for a culture that doesn’t do it. This work is a gift.