The Private Worlds of Dying Children

by Myra Bluebond-Langner

Book Overview

"The death of a child," writes Myra Bluebond-Langner, "poignantly underlines the impact of social and cultural factors on the way that we die and the way that we permit others to die." In a moving drama constructed from her observations of leukemic children, aged three to nine, in a hospital ward, she shows how the children come to know they are dying, how and why they attempt to conceal this knowledge from their parents and the medical staff,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0691028206
• ISBN13: 9780691028200
• Release Date: May 1980
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

A Must Read!

I am an aspiring doctor and this text was a required reading for a pediatric internship. I read this book before my internship began and it helped me to get through this heart wrenching experience. At first it was difficult to read just because it really tugs at your emotions. However, once I made it past the first few stories I could not put the book down until I finished. Myra Bluebond-Langner does an incredible job of not only telling the stories of dying children, but she also gets into the innocent minds of the children enduring this difficult battle. This book is a must read for any aspiring pediatrician, or any aspiring physician for that matter. The way an innocent child views the innevitable can shed some light on how others may view the same situation. Althought parents might find this a tough read, it may help them to understand their child's point of view as well.

A riveting speech in the names of those who silenty listen

I work with issues involving the understanding of children in similar situations. What bluebound-langener has done is more than just tell us what goes on in the mind of sick child. She moves us to understand finally, that children do not fear entirely for their own lives, but vigilantly stand proud in the faces of death, subtly comforting thier doctors through thier smiles while at the same time watching their parents watch them die. One can only take a deep breath at the end of such a declaration of who children are and thank ms. bluebond-langner for what she has given to these children, and in turn how she has helped them to teach us.