O'Keeffe's Working Hands Hand Cream (3.4 oz Jar)
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For Him / Her / Kids
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande — the book doctors hand to each other
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande (Paperback)
Reviewed by the WhyToBuyThis team · Updated September 2026 · How we choose
Perfect for
- Residents and students
- Internal and family medicine
- Palliative and geriatrics
- Under $20
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Price: $10.44
Price may change on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. This won't cost you anything extra.
- Great gift ideaChosen for real-world gifting
- Hand-pickedCurated, not scraped
- Honest reviewThe catch, not just the hype
Why this gift works
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End is Atul Gawande's account, told through patient and family stories, of how modern medicine treats aging and serious illness, and his argument that clinicians should talk openly with patients about their priorities. This is the 304-page US paperback from Picador, and the cover shows a single blade of grass with the title.
The publisher notes it was named a best book of the year by The Washington Post, The New York Times Book Review and NPR. It suits a doctor who has goals-of-care conversations - and the resident about to start having them.
Who is this gift for?
Great for
- A resident starting rotations
- Doctors in internal medicine, oncology or geriatrics
- A thoughtful add-on
Think twice if
- They have read it
- They want escapist reading
The catch
The subject is aging, terminal illness and end-of-life care, which is heavy reading after a hard shift; it has been a bestseller since 2014, so many doctors have read it; and this is a plain paperback, not a keepsake edition.
Skip if they have read it, or want lighter reading off shift.
Key specs
| Author | Atul Gawande |
|---|---|
| Format | Paperback, 304 pages |
| Published | September 5, 2017 (paperback) |
| ISBN-13 | 9781250076229 |
| Cover | A single blade of grass with the title |
| Subject | Medicine, aging and end-of-life care |
Worth knowing before you buy
- Gawande also wrote The Checklist Manifesto.
- Hardcover and e-book editions are separate listings.
Why we like it
- Written by a practicing surgeon
- Changes how people talk to patients
- Short and readable
- Inexpensive
What to look for in a book for a doctor
- Relevance. Books about practice itself land better than pop medicine.
- Length. Busy clinicians finish shorter books.
- Edition. A paperback travels well in a work bag.
Questions people ask
Atul Gawande, a surgeon and writer.
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