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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
I never really thought I'd end up loving this book as much as I did, and now that I finished it, I MISS IT SO MUCH. The way Gawande makes such complex medical situations look so fun and daunting and interesting was the most perfect thing ever. This book opened my eyes to so many different things in the world of medicine and I daresay made me want to be a doctor more than ever in my life. I started this book just so I could stand out in my summer medicine course, and it woRKED HOE, but it didn't just do that. Who knew? My final presentation was based on one of the most interesting topics in these book, which was chronic pain and how pain works. I did never ever imagine pain could be so interesting. Goodbye, on my way to wherever Atul Gawande works so I can just stock him forever.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Well written and far more engaging than I expected it to be. Dr. Gawande is extraordinarily honest and humble about the art of medicine -- and it quickly becomes clear how much medicine is still an art. Diagnosis is made better by science and technology, but at heart it is still an art, and Gawande's stories show exactly how and why that is.
I didn't think I would understand anything a surgeon would write about, but he wrote it in a way that anyone can understand the things that go on in the medical world. I thoroughly enjoyed it
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Really shines a mortal light on the field of medicine. What is scary to some (that doctors aren’t perfect) I found very comforting. We’re all in the together and even the most marveled at people still slip up.
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
This is a very engaging and enjoyable book about Gawande's experiences as a medical resident, grouped by chapters on fallibility, mystery and uncertainty. In many of the cases, mystery and fear of fallibility contribute greatly to the uncertainty.
As with some other specialized fields, outsiders looking in often assume medical doctors very rarely makes mistakes, fully understand their current problems and are supremely confident in their decision making. Though I am nowhere near the level of Dr. Gawande in my field of software engineering, I think others believe I make fewer mistakes, know more about all of my work and am more certain of my decisions than I actually am, so it was reassuring to hear his stories. There's a fine line between humility and self awareness on one side and Impostor Syndrome on the other.
The book weakened just over halfway in, especially in the chapters on vomiting and blushing. Mary Roach would have done those topics better justice. But Gawande pulled the book together strongly in the final section on uncertainty, especially the final chapter.
I definitely recommend this book if, like me, you wish you knew more about the day to day life and work of a surgeon. Gawande is a fantastic writer and chronicler of his profession.
As with some other specialized fields, outsiders looking in often assume medical doctors very rarely makes mistakes, fully understand their current problems and are supremely confident in their decision making. Though I am nowhere near the level of Dr. Gawande in my field of software engineering, I think others believe I make fewer mistakes, know more about all of my work and am more certain of my decisions than I actually am, so it was reassuring to hear his stories. There's a fine line between humility and self awareness on one side and Impostor Syndrome on the other.
The book weakened just over halfway in, especially in the chapters on vomiting and blushing. Mary Roach would have done those topics better justice. But Gawande pulled the book together strongly in the final section on uncertainty, especially the final chapter.
I definitely recommend this book if, like me, you wish you knew more about the day to day life and work of a surgeon. Gawande is a fantastic writer and chronicler of his profession.
informative
medium-paced
One of my favorite books from when I was in high school and didn’t disappoint on the reread.