MARQUETTE — Dr. Shahar Madjar, a urologist working in several hospitals in the U.P., has recently published his book Is Life Too Long? Essays about Life, Death, and Other Trivial Matters. The book is a collection of 18 selected essays and tales, all of which were first published in the Mining Journal.

“I worked hard to bring to light my thoughts and reflections about patients, doctors, and medicine,” Dr. Madjar says. Some of the essays are more philosophical in nature, others aim to entertain the reader, all essays are informative. The essays draw from Dr. Madjar’s own experiences as a medical student and a physician. In the namesake essay Is Life Too Long?, for example, Dr. Madjar describes the pros and cons of living a (very) long life. “More often than not, life is too short, but at times it is just too long,” Dr. Madjar writes. “How long exactly should life be? Well,” he says, “you will have to read the book.”

Dr. Madjar adds that the book was a family project. His eldest son, Dr. Shai Madjar, his mother-in-law, Florence Adar, and his wife, Sharon, all helped in the final editing of the essays. Daniel, his youngest, added eight beautiful ink illustrations, and Guy, his middle son, designed the book and its cover.