Women Rowing North: Book Review

Published January 15, 2019. 

Mary Pipher has written a book for women in the second half of life.

Women Rowing North: Navigating Life's Currents and Flourishing as We Age was published in January of 2019.

I was happy to get my hands on the book in March. Pipher, who is in her early seventies, does describe her own approach to meeting life's challenges; however, she introduces us to dozens of women. A handful of these appear throughout the book.

She also brings in some quotes and describes some research findings. However, she chiefly tells stories about herself and others.

I read Women Rowing North over four days: one day for each of the sections:

End Game: Film Review

Released May 4, 2018.

End Game (2018) is a documentary by filmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Freidman.

Set in the San Francisco area, the film profiles the last weeks of life for five people: Mitra, Pat, Thekla, Kym, and Bruce.  These five are either patients receiving services through the UCSF Medical Center or the Zen Hospice Project.

The documentary also includes Dr. B.J. Miller, palliative care physician, discussing the importance of being intentional about the dying process.

End Game also depicts family members trying to find ways to respond to their love one's loss of function, pain, and suffering.

We also observe doctors, nurses and social workers addressing patients' and family members' concerns.

At first glance, viewers might think this documentary is about the physical or legal aspects of end-of-life care. It does touch on these topics, but it's really more about how to retain one's humanity during the dying process and how to address questions about what constitutes quality of life.