“Death is as natural as life, and should be sweet and graceful.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

A husband and wife, both medical professionals, are gravely ill.  Rather than living in pain, they choose to end their lives, and they turn to their son for help.  Despite the legal risks and emotional turmoil it is sure to cause him, he agrees — and ultimately performs an act of love more difficult than any other.

The Last Goodnights provides a unique, powerful, and unflinching look deep inside the reality of one of the most galvanizing issues of our time: assisted suicide.  Told with intensity and bare honesty, John West’s account of the deaths of two brave people is both gritty and loving, frightening and illuminating, nerve-wracking and even, at times, darkly humorous.  As West’s story places him in the middle of one of the most difficult experiences anyone can endure, it also offers a powerful testament to the act of death by choice, and reveals all the reasons why end-of-life issues are far too personal for government intrusion.

Intimately told, The Last Goodnights displays the unnecessary pain and suffering that is often forced upon dying people and their families, and honors the choice to die with purpose and dignity.  In the end, this story is not just about death — it is also about love, courage and autonomy.

“A significant story”
– The Washington Post

“Deeply moving”
– The Times of London

“Harrowing and heartbreaking … a gripping account”
– The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

“You will sympathize”
— The Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Might be one of the most important books you read this year!”
– Book Reader’s Heaven

“An incredible story, but it’s true, and whatever your feelings about helping someone die, The Last Goodnights adds something valuable to the conversation.”
– Popdose.com

“A book that I just did not want to put down … a book that will open your mind”
– My Overstuffed Bookshelf