Unplugged: Reclaiming Our Right to Die in America,   ISBN:9780814401606

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Between author William H. Colby's role as the attorney for the family of Nancy Cruzan - who fought for the removal of her feeding tube, when she was in a Persistent Vegetative State 15 years before the Schiavo case dominated national discourse - and "Unplugged"'s subtitle, "Reclaiming our Right to Die in America", you might expect unsubtle advocacy. Colby doesn't give it, however; and although he talks about being impartial at excessive length, he does stick to the facts when the 3 individual cases (Karen Ann Quinlan, Nancy Cruzan, and Terri Schiavo) on the right-to-die issue he discusses are brought up.

The most valuable part of the book was the grounding Colby gives in the evolution of Medical Technology and the role this has played in the debate and how it's arisen; it's striking how new these issues are and how much they are dependent on technology. PVS patients weren't sustainable at all in the past - the term wasn't even coined until 1972 - and the different between the extensive surgery for a feeding tube for Quinlan and Cruzan, and the simple procedure for Schiavo, is vast; it may get even simpler tomorrow. Given that debates have turned on how extreme the measures taken are - and how hopeless a situation is - the moral debates are going to continually change as technology develops, a situation Colby illustrates well.

He also shows the potential pitfalls in living wills and the legal mess that still surrounds this issue; his solution is a power of attorney form and discussion with your loved ones. Giving them the power to make decisions and extensive knowledge of what you wanted is a good; a united family with clear knowledge of your desires is unlikely to have trouble carrying them out. Even if the point in the book is repeated ad nauseum.

The book is repetitive, though this is not always his fault - he provides a necessary accounting of the Schiavo case, which can't avoid covering the endless repetitive and futile appeals. All in all, "Unplugged" covers a lot of useful ground that was missed in the shouting atmosphere surrounding the Schiavo case; brief tie-ins of related issues (such as assisted suicide) add to the use of the book not as taking another side in the debate but giving information you can use decided where you stand and what you should do about it.

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If you have read William Colby's book Nancy Cruzan, The Long Goodbye, you will find his latest book equally informative. Mr. Colby provides an excellent medical history that has brought us to our current debate about killing vs. allowing individuals to die. He shares recent cases and offers insight to both sides of the issue. This book should be read by anyone who has been faced with making end-of-life care decisions and by all who want to ensure that their end-of-life care is clearly understood.

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unplugged delves into timely and essential subject matter with an entertaining, informative, wondrful style of writing. colby's insight to this pertinent topic is beneficial universally, as we all must confront these circumstances at some point in our lives.

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The right-to-die debate is once again tackled; this time by a lawyer who represented Nancy Cruzan in the first right- to-die case heard by the Supreme Court. While Nancy Cruzan's struggles were chronicled in a prior book by Colby, Unplugged: Reclaiming Our Right To Die In America offers a broader perspective on the topic, moving beyond Cruzan's struggle to offer answers to legal, ethical, medical and personal issues involved in the debate. Court records, interviews and the authors' own experiences lend to the discussion of current laws, proposed changes, and their effects on society.

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"Unplugged" is a book everyone who is going to die should read. It tells you what you need to do to make sure your wishes are respected when it comes to end-of-life decisions. Doing that will spare your loved ones unnecessary anguish. This book, believe it or not, is an engaging page turner and my 90-year-old mother just read it. We took its advice, talked about her wishes, and she now has a notarized health care power-of-attorney, giving us both much peace of mind. All this thanks to Colby's wonderfully written, timely, important book.