Last year, a copy of this book on a shelf in Kinokunia at Ngee Ann City caught my eyes.

The moment I flipped over the first page, I knew instantly I would not stop. As the memoir of Dr Death, Dr Jack Kevorkian;s (kɛˈvɔrkiːɛn)renowned nickname, unfolded in the book, the respect I have for this man also intensified.

In the 1990s Dr Kevorkian became one of the most prominent and polarizing figures in the debate over euthanasia by assisting in some 130 suicides and for his outspoken advocacy of the "right to die." The list of trials that he had stood, before he was jailed in Michigan for 8 years, stretches over multiple pages in the book.

The rightfulness of his work aside, it is the act of his determining battle in standing by his belief and braving against the moral codes of society and cilvilisation that have impressed me so much. My greatest respect for him comes from this - before he carried out every single procedure, he requested all others, including the family of the patient to leave the room. When he had done, he informed the police without fail. He was then ready to shoulder everything and stand for trial in court personally, without the family of patient being charged!

This book was published when Dr Kevorkian was still in jail and his health was deteriorating. Part of the intention of the writers was, hoping through this project, to have Jack out of his cell as much as possible. The book details Dr Kevorkian life from his childhood (born on May 26, 1928), educations, Korean war, his own mother's prolonged suffering from cancer and to the journey he had chosen in legalising euthenasia.

I am happy even though I have missed these episodes:
* 1 Jun 2007 - Jack walks out of jail (pls wait after the commercial)

* 15 Jan 2008 - Public Speech at UF

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