Comments

1. Ken Said,

   I was diagnosed by Mayo Clinic with a malignant brain tumor in 12/2002. Having undergone two brain surgeries, radiation and 16 months of chemotherapy, I feel uniquely qualified to write this review.

   In my case, and with hundreds of other brain tumor patients I know, the first year is spent in sheer terror, on a roller coaster ride of emotions and medical changes. For the incredibly lucky few that are still alive at the end of the first year (50% of malignant brain tumor patients die within six months of diagnosis), the terror gradually gives way to a bipolar life in which the patient simultaneously lives life as best s/he can, given physical / emotional / spiritual defecits, while living the emotional pain of knowing that in three months they could be dead; their spouse without a partner, their children without a parent.

   Through this year, the lucky ones that live are able to reconsider their lives and determine in which baskets their proverbial eggs should be placed.

   Levine, who has experience working with patients diagnosed with chronic illnesses, should know better. SHAME, SHAME, SHAME.

   One can no better pretend to have one year of life left than they can pretend to live one year without the force of gravity. It simply can’t happen. To give Levine the benefit of the doubt and allow him to use “A Year” as a metaphor is to do a disservice to the reader since “A Year” is an organizing concept of the book.
   Rating: 1 / 5

2. Anonymous Said,

   This book has potential but it does not spell out very clearly what to do, How to Live This Year As If It Were Your Last. It is mostly poetic and full of jargon that the average person will not relate to. Maybe if one knows his language from being more familiar with the author it would be more clear, but this book on it’s own is not easy to “grok”. I like the premise but it’s not a very useful book. It might be improved if there were a “workbook” with which to pair the poetic with the practical “how to” aspects of such an “experiment”.
   Rating: 2 / 5

3. Phantom Lover Said,

   I bought this book cheaply and paid more for the shipping and handling than for the book. Now I know why. I read through the first several chapters – each chapter is only a couple pages long – and then flipped to the back of the book to see if the book was going anywhere. Sadly, nothing had changed in the end.

   This book is zen poetry. Levine is a good writer with many flowery images and metaphors for dying but after awhile he says nothing. Perhaps I should read his book in order to learn the patience needed to read his book. If i had six months to live, I wouldn’t spend my time reading this book. It has nothing new to say, just a recycle of zen techniques.

   I expected this book to be a practical guide to settling our affairs in the final year of life. How do we prepare ourselves financially or pay off debt? How do we budget our time in accomplishing unfulfilled tasks? How do we clean up all of our material goods?

   This book answers none of life’s practical questions and provides even less answers on death.
   Rating: 1 / 5

4. Ruth Said,

   I felt that since Stephen didn’t really have just a year to live, there was something missing here. It seemed to me more of a review of his Yoga presentations.Perhaps he is very laid back, but I think any one knowing they had only one year to live would have done more with his life than just sit back and think how wonderful things were. I’m sorry, but I never got the feeling he was reaching the end.
   Rating: 1 / 5

5. Kari Poag Dean Said,

   I am really enjoying this book so far! Lots of helpful guidance . . . good meditations!
   Rating: 5 / 5