"Sharon R. Kaufman has made an important and disturbing discovery about the links between for-profit healthcare companies, so-called evidence-based medicine, doctors, and patients. Ordinary Medicine should be read, thought about, and acted upon by those who have the power to effect change."—Victoria Sweet, author of God's Hotel: A Doctor, a Hospital, and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medicine

"The recommendation by the AMA to Medicare to begin paying physicians for discussions with patients about end-of-life care makes this new book by Sharon R. Kaufman particularly timely. She explains why the present health care system is biased toward excess treatment at the end of life, and advocates a broad approach to health care reforms that goes beyond cost control to encompass social and ethical considerations."—Victor R. Fuchs, author of How We Live

"I devoured Ordinary Medicine. It gave me courage. It helped me delineate, sometimes for the first time, the interlocking forces and practices that have helped create an epidemic of unnecessary suffering at the end of life. Breathtaking in its scope, rigor, and intellectual range, this book will help readers take back control of their lives and deaths from the forces that have created an 'ordinary' end-of-life medicine that is far from ordinary."—Katy Butler, author of Knocking on Heaven's Door: The Path to a Better Way of Death


"Ordinary Medicine is an exploration of how what is essentially experimental medicine can become 'standard care.' In this thoroughly researched book, many of our assumptions are shaken. The system that is extant would seem aligned to prevent us from accepting death as a natural life progression and offering in its place prolonged suffering. A truly engaging and provocative read."—Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone