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archangelo12's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
4.25
I really loved this memoir. So beautifully written with a sense of peace and forgiveness woven throughout. This book illustrates the inherent racism and sexism that is so deeply rooted in the healthcare system, with Michele’s own personal and familial trauma shaping how she comes to practice medicine.
Would read this again and again.
Would read this again and again.
cboll's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
The individual stories are fantastic. The exploration of systemic racism, sexism, and inequality in the medical world is minimal. And the overarching story could use a bit more polish. But who doesn’t love a fascinating medical story? Kind of reminds me of watching grays anatomy or working my old hospital job.
purplepierogi's review against another edition
3.0
just felt extremely clunky — each case has a specific lesson that hits you over the head with some maxim, and her personal life was dropped in at seemingly random intervals. while I respect her beliefs and she certainly is an ambitious, smart, high achieving medical professional, so much of the healing talk was yoga related and preach
khornstein1's review against another edition
4.0
For book club: a bit uneven but I ended up enjoying it. The ER stories are strong, and the idea of illness as an opportunity for healing is good. Some good observations about racism in medical settings. There were some threads that started out strong and then got a bit lost: the story of her family and the abuse she suffered as a child, her childhood visit to the ER as an inspiration to become a physician, her stints at various hospitals. I'm also noting that this was written pre-Covid. Like many memoirs of younger people, we sense that there is so much more of this story to come and I would have loved an in-depth look at her work at the VA, for example. Maybe that will be volume 2! Recommended if you like hospital drama.
alicebme's review against another edition
4.0
This author’s words and descriptions are a balm to me. My brain is a zigzagging wizbang, while hers coils up like a cat.
addy_rose's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
It is so easy for me to say this is one of the best books I've read this year. The writing is so phenomenal, especially for this being the author's first published writing, and it touches so beautifully on self growth and the importance of instances that 'break' you. I think her experience as a doctor - although I am not in the same field or life situation - is completely relatable and decisive in my own self growth journey. She writes other people's experiences so wonderfully, while describing it plainly with medical and current facts but also tying in the moments of growth in herself and the other person and just how much one interaction can change you. It's just so well done and I highly recommend this to genuinely anyone who is interested in picking up a new book to read, it's just so wonderful.