Being Mortal is a book that explores issues of aging, death, and mortality. Throughout the book’s structure (i.e., eight chapters, an introduction, and an epilogue), the author provides personal and professional recollections about the various stages of aging, illness, and dying. Notably, Being Mortal succeeds in calling attention to issues that society often ignores (e.g., end-of-life care, hospice care). In addition to defining differences in the individual and social experiences of death and dying in collectivist and individualist cultures, Gawande (2014) also challenges the medicalization of aging and dying and calls for helping professionals to support patients (i.e. clients) to age with autonomy and die with dignity, highlighting the need for a departure from helping professionals focusing primarily on the extension of life.

Given the inevitability of death, it is arguably unavoidable that counselors will work with clients facing issues of death and dying. In addition, Being Mortal provides counselors and counselor educators with the opportunity to critically reflect on supporting clients facing these issues and to interrogate their own beliefs, values, and narratives surrounding the issues of aging, death, and mortality. Hence, Being Mortal can potentially support counselors in identifying how to create supportive and encouraging spaces for clients facing issues of aging, death, and dying in which they are validated and heard. Regarding counselor educators, the book can perhaps be used to facilitate discourse in master’s and doctoral level counseling classes, specifically surrounding areas of grief and loss, human development, multiculturalism, and family systems.