Read this when
The Death of Ivan Ilyich
Everyone around Ivan Ilyich pretended he wasn't dying. Only the servant told the truth. Short, brutal, kind. Read it before you need it.
Who it's for
Ivan Ilyich has lived a correct, comfortable, conventional life, and his illness strips it bare: his family and doctors pretend he is not dying, and that pretence isolates him more than the pain.
Feelings it meets
What it is
The Death of Ivan Ilyich is an 1886 novella by Leo Tolstoy about a judge in nineteenth-century Russia who has led a conventional, comfortable life. After injuring his side while hanging curtains in his new home, he becomes seriously ill, and his doctors never give a clear diagnosis.
Where to find it
Public domain in the US in older translations; free on Project Gutenberg. Modern translations are in print, in libraries and as audiobooks.
Before you start
Heads up: Terminal illness and dying in detail.
Age: Ages 14+
Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby.Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit
