I love anything medical (unless it has to do with eyes - I have a huge phobia of eyes). I love watching medical dramas on tv, I love reading medical memoirs, I even love a raunchy medical rom com. Today I have a few of my recent faves to share with you!
E.R. Nurses by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann is a fantastic non-fiction book that tells the stories of several frontline nurses from across the United States. Each section is a short vignette, anywhere from 2-10+ pages that tells one or more personal stories of nurses and their patients. While most of the stories are in fact about E.R. nurses, a career nurse rarely works in one location his or her whole life. The stories feature nurses who work in oncology, pediatrics, hospice, in flight/EMS situations, on covid wards, even overseas. The nurses featured include brand new, young nurses to veteran retired nurses, females, males, people of many diverse backgrounds, but they all have something in common. They care about what they do and want to help people.
I found this book really nicely paced and loved that each section was a new little story. Some of the people were so fascinating that I would have read a whole book on them, but it was nice to have the variety. I also liked that there were so many places to pause and leave the book for a while. That being said, it was still really hard to put down. Each piece was interesting in it's own way and left you excited for the next one to begin. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who loves a good medical non-fiction book or memoir. It may not be Grey's Anatomy level steaminess but there are definitely some very high intensity moments! Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this fabulous book!
Playing Doctor Part Two: Residency by John Lawrence
I loved Playing Doctor, Part 2 by John Lawrence! I love a good memoir and this one was a perfect fit for me. Lawrence's witty descriptions of many aspects of the challenges he faced as a new resident are both hilarious and eye opening as he gives you an inside view of what it is like to work in a hospital. I enjoyed learning about all of the things that drive doctors crazy, such as just not getting to the point of why you are in the appointment, as well as the amount of training and education it takes to be able to be proficient in the art of medicine.
I did not read the first part of this story, and despite almost putting it down to get the first copy first, I eventually found that it seemed fairly easy to follow even though I missed his whole medical school memoir. That being said, if you haven't read either, I would probably start with book one, and I intend to go get a copy of that one soon, but reading them out of order isn't out of the question as Lawrence gives lots of details to fill you in one what you might have missed, as needed.
Overall, this is a really funny and interesting memoir that gives readers a chance to peek into the medical world with all of the fun and lack of stress that we non medical professionals are able to enjoy on a regular basis. I so appreciate Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this delightful book and can't wait to get started on part 1!
Symptoms of a Heart Break By Sona Charaipotra
I had recently read Tiny PrettyThings and Sharp Broken Pieces by Charaipotra and Dhionelle Clayton, which led me to check out this great medical YA book. I don't know if I have ever read a medical YA before, but sometimes YA romance books are the perfect level of romance for me, I'm no prude, but I also don't need a graphic description of a messy bedroom scene on every couple pages. YA is like the PG version and I don't mind that most of the time. That being said, I wasn't sold on this one - at first. There were a few moments where I questioned whether I really felt like reading about high school parties and first loves but once I got into it I was happy I stuck with it.
Symptoms of a Heart Break follows Saira, a "girl genius" as she starts her first residency while all of her same-age friends are starting senior year of high school. When a teen patient on the pediatric oncology wing mistakes her for another patient she might end up sacrificing all she worked for and ruining her brand new doctor reputation by falling for a patient. Like I said, I'm not sure I've read a YA medical book before, probably because most teens are not in the medical field just yet, but this one definitely fits into the category.
I really enjoyed this book. It had all of the medical content I was interested in, it had a bit of romance, a bit of YA chaos - drinking parties, getting in trouble, friends getting mad... it also features an Indian family and some of the interesting family dynamics and cultural customs that come with that. I think this is a great option for teens because there really was not a lot of sex/violence/explicit content but yet it did have the elements most teens want to see in a YA. It also is perfect for teens looking for books with diverse characters and for those interested in medical books. If you're an adult who is not interested in reading YA then this is not the right book for you, but like I said, sometimes the PG version is not so bad. I would definitely recommend this book to those who are interested in trying this new (2019) addition to both the medical and YA genres! Go check it out!
Fallible
By: Kyle Jones
Fallible is a candid memoir about the challenges related to dealing with mental health as well as the journey people with mental health disorders face as they try to navigate the mental health care system to find therapy, medication and strategies to cope with anxiety and depression. I think that having the courage to face the stigma related to mental health head on by writing a very personal story is something that needs to be commended. The more that we talk about mental health and the impact it has on so many people, the more we can understand the struggles of those around us. This book is an important read for both people who have suffered mental health challenges, and also those who have not, to help bring to light the impact mental health has on all aspects of people's lives.
As important I think this book is, it also wasn't quite what I was expecting. The secondary title is "A memoir of a young physician's struggle with mental illness", so I was thinking this would be a medical memoir, about the navigating college, medical school, residency and beginning to practice medicine, and the impact that mental illness has on this already challenging career path. Instead, I would say the book focused more on the author's life with mental illness and the journey he took to finding strategies and support, while simultaneously becoming a doctor. A large portion of the book focused on his developing awareness of his mental health concerns, his family and religious life, including a two year mission in Ukraine, the early years of his marriage as he started a family and his experiences navigating the mental health care system including therapy, psychiatry and medication. Becoming a doctor at times felt like a background activity despite the gruelling education and training that goes into it. While the challenges physicians with mental health were definitely explored, especially from the author's own personal perspective, I would say this book is more about anxiety and depression in general and less so about becoming a doctor.
I really enjoy reading memoirs about different careers, lifestyles and cultures, so I was looking forward to being immersed in the medical training world, and that wasn't quite what I got from this book. That being said, as someone who suffers from anxiety and depression, I also enjoy reading memoirs about people who have had similar experiences or challenges to me. I definitely got that from this book. As a result, I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to read a memoir about mental illness and its impact on all aspects of a person's life, from family to education to career. If someone is interested specifically on how mental illness may affect high-stress careers such as those in the medical field, this is definitely a perfect memoir for them! If you are looking for a memoir about surviving medical school, this one is still a great read and includes some personal experiences about becoming a doctor, it just may not be as big of a focus as in some other medical memoirs.
I so appreciate having the opportunity to read a free advance review copy of this book through Booksirens and the publisher, and am leaving this review voluntarily.
Committed
By: Adam Stern
I loved this medical memoir by Adam Stern! This is the first medical memoir I have read that has a focus on psychiatry and I learned so much about the field and the challenges residents face that are specific to this challenging placement. Stern included a perfect mix of short patient stories and longer term patients whom he connected with and followed over a number of years. This gave the opportunity for readers to enjoy a few short anecdotes about patients that were not as important to the story overall as well as to unfold the mystery related to some patients over time, much like the doctors on their cases. I also loved the balance between medical related content and general memoir life content such as relationships, family and growing up as a resident.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys medical memoirs and wants to know more about the experiences of psychiatry residents in particular. The book is easy to follow and includes enough humour balanced with the seriousness of psychiatric illnesses. It is written for the average reader and is not bogged down by medical terms or monotonous content. This is a great memoir and I am so thankful to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!