Being Mortal book cover with grass blade

Being Mortal, by Atul Gawande

We are honored beyond words to have assisted in designing the cover for bestselling author Atul Gawande’s latest book, Being Mortal.

by Jennifer Jerde

In this powerful work, Dr. Gawande discusses how we as a society can better care for our aging loved ones in the last months, weeks, and days of their lives. Dr. Gawande’s agent, Tina Bennett, had the beautiful idea of using imagery that evokes the much-quoted phrase from the Old Testament, “All flesh is grass.” Of the many works in literature and art referencing this perennial trope, these lines from Philip Larkin’s poem “Cut Grass” came particularly to mind: “…Brief is the breath, Mown stalks exhale.”

See Atul Gawande’s interview on PBS NewsHour below.