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Book Club for Mortals: The In-Between

Book Club for Mortals: The In-Between In-Person / Online

Talking about death and dying is considered taboo in polite company, and even in the medical field. Our ideas about dying are confusing at best: Will our memories flash before our eyes? Regrets consume our thoughts? Does a bright light appear at the end of a tunnel? For most people, it will be a slower process, one eased with preparedness, good humor, and a bit of faith. At the forefront of changing attitudes around palliative care is hospice nurse Hadley Vlahos, who shows that end-of-life care can teach us just as much about how to live as it does about how we die.

Vlahos was raised in a strict religious household, but began questioning her beliefs in high school after the sudden death of a friend. When she got pregnant at nineteen, she was shunned by her community and enrolled herself in nursing school to be able to support herself and her baby. But nursing soon became more than a job: when she focused on palliative care and hospice work, it became a calling.

In The In-Between, Vlahos recounts the most impactful experiences she’s had with the people she’s worked with—from the woman who never once questioned her faith until she was close to death, to the older man seeing visions of his late daughter, to the young patient who laments that she spent too much of her short life worrying about what others thought of her—while also sharing her own fascinating journey.

Written with profound insight, humility, and respect, The In-Between is a heartrending memoir that shows how caring for others can transform a life while also offering wisdom and comfort for those dealing with loss and providing inspiration for how to live now.

About Book Club for Mortals at the Estes Valley Library

This is a book club that focuses on end-of-life issues and our shared mortality. We read a different book each month, and titles range from the practical to the philosophical, and the serious to the lighthearted, both fiction and nonfiction. This is not a grief or bereavement group, but a space to have open, honest, thoughtful conversations about interesting books and ideas. Discussions are led by Mindy Rickard, advance care planning advisor and longtime Book Club for Mortals host. The book club meets on the second Thursday of each month, through December. Each meeting covers a different book.

More about this program

We will make copies available for checkout at the first floor service desk, and you can search our collection for additional copies and formats (eBook, audiobook, large print, etc.).

Online registrants should receive a reminder email with the Zoom meeting link approximately one day before the program starts. If you didn't receive the email or are having trouble connecting to the meeting, please call the Library at 970-586-8116 and someone will assist you.

Related programs/resources

Date:
Thursday, April 10, 2025
Time:
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Time Zone:
Mountain Time - US & Canada
(change)
Location:
Wasson Board Room
Organizer:
Eric White
Presenter:
Mindy Rickard
Audience:
  Adults (18+)  
Categories:
  Discussion  

Registration is required. There are 10 in-person seats available. There are 12 online seats available.