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judyward's review
3.0
Okay, your kidneys are not working, you decide not to undergo dialysis, and you check into hospice. What then? This is the situation Art Buchwld finds himself in. Instead of retreating into himself and quietly dying, he turns the hospice into a "party zone" and eventually get himself kicked out because of his longevity. This is a serious, and humorous, look at a life both well-spent and sometimes wasted before his "dirt nap." I grew up reading Buchwald's columns in the Washington Post and met him several times--he was very fun at a party. I pray that I have the grace to face my final months with as much dignity, humor, and courage. I doubt that I will.
eling's review
3.0
read 2/3 of this in 2010 and lost steam. decided to pick it up again + finish it off. I enjoyed it well enough, but obviously didn't find it exceptionally captivating. definitely motivates me to check out more of Art Buchwald's writing, though.
bookbitch's review
Art Buchwald's kidneys were failing. He needed dialysis to get his leg amputated, but then decided no more dialysis. He was in complete renal failure, checked himself into hospice and began the process of spending his last few weeks dying. Except he didn't. At least not for several months. He became the "Man Who Would Not Die" and got to say goodbye to everybody who meant anything to him - some of them more than once. He plans his funeral, his eulogy, the food being served; discusses heaven, living wills, and all the other things no one discusses about death. This is pure Buchwald, dying on his own terms and determined to make us laugh as he does it - a truly fitting goodbye from an American icon.
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