Welcome to Litsy!

This is a really interesting read, and ideal if you want to confront your own mortality and the eventual implosion of the universe into oblivion and nothingness, while trying to get your head around cell biology, philosophy, metaphysics and a critique of modern medicine and the illusion of control. There's plenty I didn't agree with, but it gave me plenty to think about. A challenging book and a great exercise in critical thinking.

Next up

2/5 - very soft so-so
Some interesting points with a good vulgarization of the microphages role in spreading cancer. However, some of her thinking process is quite flawed, with her own opinions coming out of nowhere without anything to back them up.

I‘ve read one other of Barbara Ehrenreich‘s books (Nickel and Dimed) and really liked it, but this one fell flat for me. There was too much jargon and scientific language. I had to re-read several sentences and paragraphs to try and understand them. It also felt a bit disjointed where the first half had one theme and the second half had another.

Interesting at times, tedious at others. The book is a look into how humans are questing for longer healthier lives, even sometimes at the detriment of the very health they seek. 3 💥💥💥 out of 5

This was interesting, though a few chapters that went a little bit deeper into the biology (chapters that talked more about cells) kind of “lost” me just a little bit. I still got the gist of those chapters, though. There was also a couple of chapters that were a little heavier on philosophy that wasn‘t quite as interesting for me (the cells were of more interest). Cont in comments...

I know it's unlikely in such a serious book, but still...

I liked the medicine and biology bits more than the "philosophy of the self" bits. The choppiness made me think this should have been packaged as a collection of related essays rather than as a straight-up non-fiction book; with regular non-fiction I expect *some* sort of narrative flow.

Live long, die fast. Yes that‘s another book, but same message. When I first started reading this book, it felt defeatist. As I read it more it became more realistic. When I finished the book, I came out of it feeling more balanced in the way I see aging, death, and dying.

I appreciated the message of this book, even if it got a little nihilistic by the end. Certainly, as a younger woman than Ehrenreich, I still believe that what I do during these younger years will matter in my older age, but it‘s still a great reminder that the death rate for our species is still 100%—we WILL all die eventually, and this frantic scrabbling against that inevitability through “perfect, clean living” will still not save us.

I didn‘t know one of my favorite journalists had a PhD in cellular immunology.Don‘t let that scare you away from this timely book.Ehrenreich looks at our culture obsessed with pushing away death.Hey,we want to live longer & feel better but she questions at what cost.Tests that are too invasive?what if the treatment is worse than the disease?But ,with the info.that my own cells can turn on me at any time , I‘ll have that piece of cake.

Ehrenreich is a radical thinker, a contrarian with a sharp intellect & a sense of wonder. She takes aim at the idea that through fad diets & a healthy lifestyle we are in control of our fate & are to blame for our own illnesses. “Every death can now be understood as suicide.” Aspects of modern medicine akin to shamanic rituals; gynaecology exams akin to criminal strip searches; condemns anti-aging. “Aging is not a sin.” Thought-provoking.

Being old enough to die is an achievement,not a defeat

“I present the emerging scientific case for a dystopian view of the body, not as a well ordered machine, but as a site of ongoing conflict at the cellular level, which ends, at least in all the cases we know of, in death.”

Just started the audiobook this morning. Ehrenreich‘s writing is always thought-provoking and I‘m already enjoying this.

I enjoyed this book. There are themes that make it somewhat cohesive but it‘s more a confederation of essays. And it‘s not too sciency. It was fun to read!

This book was mostly about science, which I would normally enjoy, but I was looking for more of a polemic than a science book. Unfortunately, the ratio between those two things was the opposite of what I wanted here.

I thought the subject of this book was really fascinating, however, it turned out to be a very different spin on the topic than I was expecting. Although I don't necessarily agree with Ehrenreich's views regarding the medical world, I was intrigued by the first half. But after her initial views on why some medical treatments can actually harm our health, I became bored. There's a lot more scientific jargon than I was expecting. ⭐️⭐️ #NetGalley

Interesting , informative, well researched, and occasionally quite grumpy. Overall, I liked it, but it wasn‘t always enough to keep me awake on a hot day in traffic.

Really enjoyed this book!

An interesting look at the lengths we go to to hopefully live longer. Should you exercise because you‘re supposed to, or because you feel good being active? Will being vegan give you more time? What do you sacrifice to have a good life versus a long life? Very thoughtful and thought-provoking.

I enjoyed this for the thought-provoking arguments and research but Ehrenreich never pulled the book together into a cohesive whole and covered too much subject matter. I am into microbiology but it might be slow going for others. My breakfast is muesli with extra nuts & flaxseed. And I agree that it might not prolong my life. High point: health inequality by social class. Low point: the Self. #breakfastandabook #sociology #health #wellness

I‘m ready for Ehrenreich to rock and roll over my thinking on health & wellness. Let‘s do this. #expose #health #wellness #healthcare #exercise

I misread my daughter‘s schedule and arrived at pickup an hour early. In a college town with a midnight Starbucks so I‘m doing the only logical thing there is to do to wait it out. #bookandcoffee Side note: Isn‘t that an awesome cover??!!

Hmmm...a bit drastic😂😂

Like in Ehrenreich‘s earlier book, Nickeled and Dimed, this book throws a lot of information at the reader for a thought-provoking read. The early chapters were the ones I found the most value in reading. She takes on a lot of topics, from the American medical establishment, to evolutionary biologists to fitness gurus. And, I felt, to mixed success. But worth a read for fans of non-fiction #netgalley