A review by socraticgadfly
Lifelines: A Doctor's Journey in the Fight for Public Health by Leana Wen
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
In one sense, it's too bad this book wasn't published 6-9 months later. I'd love to have the COVID part of her bio go more into the recent contretemps over deaths "with" COVID vs deaths "from" COVID. (I personally agree with her much more than disagreeing, and it's sad to see some of the attacks on her.)
But, no matter. This is a great book anyway, and plenty of bio before that.
Imagine being an immigrant child, with your parents leaving China separately because they both can't leave at once. And, you're leaving in part because of your father's political activism, which Wen doesn't discuss in detail, presumably for the obvious reason of relatives still in China.
Because your mom has an in for a Ph.D. program, you land in lily-white, wall-to-wall Mormon land of Logan, Utah. And, you're so broke you're on food stamps. Your parents and you don't know to ask for free lunches at school at first. Your parents physically split for a while as your dad feels frustrated and useless there.
Len gets her yen for public health from her own background, in case it's not obvious.
From here, we go into her navigating further family difficulties, fitting in to America, and eventually landing in med school, then finding her calling as the city of Baltimore's health commissioner.
Then, she sees room for her next career move — head of Planned Parenthood.
Unfortunately, this doesn't work out, largely because of Planned Parenthood. (Note: I'm in the "muddied middle" of Americans on details of abortion rights as far as when in pregnancy, etc.) PP's tribalism, not just on abortion rights, but, as Wen notes, intruding into many other Democratic Party positions. (That includes, like the modern national neoliberal Dem Party, in a point Wen doesn't mention, being against organized labor. And, many other "progressive" activist groups, like environmentalists, have that problem with organized labor, ie, unions.) Add in PP twice throwing her under the boat in issues related to her resignation.
THEN, after landing back on her feet at George Washington University, plus guest columns for the Washington Post, comes COVID.
That should be enough to whet your appetite without being a spoiler.
But, no matter. This is a great book anyway, and plenty of bio before that.
Imagine being an immigrant child, with your parents leaving China separately because they both can't leave at once. And, you're leaving in part because of your father's political activism, which Wen doesn't discuss in detail, presumably for the obvious reason of relatives still in China.
Because your mom has an in for a Ph.D. program, you land in lily-white, wall-to-wall Mormon land of Logan, Utah. And, you're so broke you're on food stamps. Your parents and you don't know to ask for free lunches at school at first. Your parents physically split for a while as your dad feels frustrated and useless there.
Len gets her yen for public health from her own background, in case it's not obvious.
From here, we go into her navigating further family difficulties, fitting in to America, and eventually landing in med school, then finding her calling as the city of Baltimore's health commissioner.
Then, she sees room for her next career move — head of Planned Parenthood.
Unfortunately, this doesn't work out, largely because of Planned Parenthood. (Note: I'm in the "muddied middle" of Americans on details of abortion rights as far as when in pregnancy, etc.) PP's tribalism, not just on abortion rights, but, as Wen notes, intruding into many other Democratic Party positions. (That includes, like the modern national neoliberal Dem Party, in a point Wen doesn't mention, being against organized labor. And, many other "progressive" activist groups, like environmentalists, have that problem with organized labor, ie, unions.) Add in PP twice throwing her under the boat in issues related to her resignation.
THEN, after landing back on her feet at George Washington University, plus guest columns for the Washington Post, comes COVID.
That should be enough to whet your appetite without being a spoiler.