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Clift, Eleanor. Two Weeks of Life: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Politics. Basic Bks: Perseus. Mar. 2008. c.336p. index. ISBN 978-0-465-00251-1. $26. POL SCI
Verdict: Clift’s writing is honest and heartfelt, and her reporting on Schiavo’s last days raises important questions regarding the role of government and religious fundamentalists in right-to-die issues. Warmer than Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking, this book will appeal to readers interested in better understanding death and grief and will benefit professionals working with the terminally ill and their loved ones.
Background: Newsweek contributing editor and political analyst Clift describes the last two weeks in the life of her husband and coauthor (War Without Bloodshed; Madam President), Tom Brazaitis. In 2005, as hospice workers were helping Clift care for the then terminally ill Brazaitis, she was being asked to comment on the national controversy surrounding the fate of Terri Schiavo, whose own husband was petitioning to have her feeding tube removed (Brazaitis and Shiavo died one day apart in March 2005). This book is what emerged from Clift’s parallel experiences. Written in diary form, it covers her efforts to comfort her dying husband and her attempts as a journalist to make sense of the many ethical and moral issues raised by the Schiavo case.—Dale Farris, Groves, TX
Xpress Reviews—First Look at New Books
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In this instance the tkach snagging my wonder is which god he is thanking, not Our God, fer sure.
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In the 2004 presidential election, a whopping 78 percent of registered white evangelicals voted for President Bush and were hailed as the reason for his victory. During this year's primaries, however, they have remained in the background of national discussions. What a difference four years makes.
Over the past decade, multimillion dollar lobbying groups such as the Christian Coalition attempted to install an Intelligent Design curriculum in schools, prohibit same-sex marriage, retain the Ten Commandments in an Alabama courthouse, keep the catatonic Terri Schiavo alive and retain "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. Yet in this election year, there is sparse media coverage of these types of events and the movement feels dormant.
Thank God................????????????????
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