The In-Between was definitely one of the best books I ever read, and I couldn’t not write an article on how much I was in love with it. I seriously could not ever put the book down, I read it so quickly. I am not even a big reader in general, but this book was definitely different and changed that about me.Â
I am a nursing major, so from friends and through social media I have heard of this book and a nurse named Hadley Vlahos, who is the author of this book. This book is all about her experiences being a hospice nurse, and she takes you through many stories that she experienced with a lot of her different patients.Â
First of all, the structure of this book was perfect for me and was very easy to read. She structured it as each chapter of the book is the name of the patient she is telling that story about. Some are longer than others, but all of them are just as meaningful and inspiring.Â
Death is a very interesting topic, and I think a lot of people are scared to talk about it. However, in nursing it is unfortunately part of the career, so I think being able to bring that awareness to the general public is really important to do. The way Hadley has these experiences with the death of her patients definitely changed my perspective on death, and she showed everyone reading that it is not always horrible as it seems, and that it can be a very healing experience for some.Â
She has had some mind blowing pre-death experiences with her patients, such as them seeing their dead loved ones and predicting what is going to happen after they pass in the future. It really just blew my mind how these things can occur, and how death is one big mystery to everyone. There is no explanation to how these patients are able to see certain things, but I think that is where we can find joy in it. It showed me that even though the worst thing that happens in this life is terrifying, it may be less scary than we all think for those who are actually passing.Â
Hadley has had many different patients ranging from patients who wanted nothing to do with her at first that ended up loving her, or even Hadley not even going to a home but to an outside site to help a homeless man. She showed us throughout this book that it is important to live your life to the fullest while you still can, and enjoy all the small things that provide you joy. I think this book is great for anyone, and especially those in nursing or anyone that has experienced any grief or loss, it will definitely help shift your perspective on death.