sundeviljewels's review against another edition
4.0
Truth is that which never changes.
Multiple parts were difficult to read, but that’s a memoir for you!
Multiple parts were difficult to read, but that’s a memoir for you!
pjdas1012's review against another edition
3.0
"My calling is to heal, that is my truth."
An emergency medicine physician traces her life, through her personal struggles as well as those of her patients, and remarks on the traits needed to overcome the many difficulties we face in life.
Without a doubt, the author is a fantastic writer. She has a lyrical prose, and I especially enjoyed when she would speak what she imagines another person was thinking and what drove them to make the choices they did. A clear strength of this book is when the author talks about her own life, and her dissatisfaction throughout many phases of it. She creates a palpable sense of emotion in the reader that seems to match what she herself was going through at the time.
I found that the latter portion of the book, where she focuses more on her patients' lives, marked a transition away from the moral complexity of her upbringing. Many of her patients would come to see her and she would fix them in some way and then send them on their way. They were more open and shut cases than what I had become accustomed to from the beginning of the book. Some of those patient stories will stick with me because of the profound emotion they were surrounded with, but most will not because they lacked that emotional, morally gray aspect. I also felt that there were some loose threads that she started talking about in her own personal life, such as her relationship with her father, that we never got a resolution to. But perhaps that's for a future book.
This book is still a worthwhile read for anyone interested in the life of an emergency medicine doctor, and at times her writing will blow you away.
An emergency medicine physician traces her life, through her personal struggles as well as those of her patients, and remarks on the traits needed to overcome the many difficulties we face in life.
Without a doubt, the author is a fantastic writer. She has a lyrical prose, and I especially enjoyed when she would speak what she imagines another person was thinking and what drove them to make the choices they did. A clear strength of this book is when the author talks about her own life, and her dissatisfaction throughout many phases of it. She creates a palpable sense of emotion in the reader that seems to match what she herself was going through at the time.
I found that the latter portion of the book, where she focuses more on her patients' lives, marked a transition away from the moral complexity of her upbringing. Many of her patients would come to see her and she would fix them in some way and then send them on their way. They were more open and shut cases than what I had become accustomed to from the beginning of the book. Some of those patient stories will stick with me because of the profound emotion they were surrounded with, but most will not because they lacked that emotional, morally gray aspect. I also felt that there were some loose threads that she started talking about in her own personal life, such as her relationship with her father, that we never got a resolution to. But perhaps that's for a future book.
This book is still a worthwhile read for anyone interested in the life of an emergency medicine doctor, and at times her writing will blow you away.
kerrierbest's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.25
ollie_walker's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.5
mikayla_h's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
danihumps's review against another edition
3.0
Some chapters were better than others; Harper’s different experiences in her clinical setting can show how everyone can grow as a person and caregiver, the systemic and ethical issues that can arise in healthcare environment.
rrickman33's review against another edition
4.0
"Michele Harper is an African American emergency room physician in a profession that is overwhelming male and white. Dr. Harper explores how a life of service to others taught her how to heal herself."
This memoir read half medical stories/half self-help and I really enjoyed it. Sprinkled on top were educational tid bits about the history of medicine, the injustices of the current medical system, and what we in the field can do to better it.
The memoir starts with her upbringing and how that shaped why she chose to become an Emergency Medicine doctor. Then she re-explores 10 interactions with patients and applies them to her life as some sort of a lesson. The cases are not overly medical and I think she does a good job of explaining things to a lay person.
The short time I experienced in the ICU resonated very well with this memoir. Some patients really do stick with you even years later. I highly recommend this book to anyone working as a health care provider and anyone looking for guidance in life.
This memoir read half medical stories/half self-help and I really enjoyed it. Sprinkled on top were educational tid bits about the history of medicine, the injustices of the current medical system, and what we in the field can do to better it.
The memoir starts with her upbringing and how that shaped why she chose to become an Emergency Medicine doctor. Then she re-explores 10 interactions with patients and applies them to her life as some sort of a lesson. The cases are not overly medical and I think she does a good job of explaining things to a lay person.
The short time I experienced in the ICU resonated very well with this memoir. Some patients really do stick with you even years later. I highly recommend this book to anyone working as a health care provider and anyone looking for guidance in life.