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abbythompson's review
4.0
Part autobiography, part narrative of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the US, part memoir of a small town, My Own Country is one of those rare books that captures a moment and a lifetime in one book.
Verghese and his wife came to Johnson City, TN and made a life there, not knowing at the time how their lives, and their country would soon be tested, torn apart and uplifted by the AIDS virus.
I wasn't even in school in the early 80s (born in 1981) so I was too young for much of the news on the early stages of the epidemic. Despite the miles of literature, both fiction and nonfiction, that has been written about HIV/AIDS, this book filled in the gaps for me. Johnson City, TN could easily be Sanford, ME.
If you read and liked Cutting for Stone, definitely read My Own Country. The beautiful, sharp writing style is still there and Verghese's real life is every bit as dramatic and riveting as his novel.
Verghese and his wife came to Johnson City, TN and made a life there, not knowing at the time how their lives, and their country would soon be tested, torn apart and uplifted by the AIDS virus.
I wasn't even in school in the early 80s (born in 1981) so I was too young for much of the news on the early stages of the epidemic. Despite the miles of literature, both fiction and nonfiction, that has been written about HIV/AIDS, this book filled in the gaps for me. Johnson City, TN could easily be Sanford, ME.
If you read and liked Cutting for Stone, definitely read My Own Country. The beautiful, sharp writing style is still there and Verghese's real life is every bit as dramatic and riveting as his novel.
asimoni's review
3.0
Reading this book felt like reading Verghese's personal journal. At times disjointed and uncomfortably cringe-worthy, it was nevertheless deeply moving. Verghese did not shy away from revealing his personal foibles, doubts, and stereotypes. The book left me with a richer appreciation of the AIDS epidemic in the USA as well as with a humble reminder that Verghese - and others like him - is a doctor but more so he is human.
violinist01's review
5.0
One of the best books I've read all year! A fascinating and tragic account of the AIDS epidemic in a rural area.
kld2128's review
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
orangejenny's review
4.0
Early in My Own Country, Verghese describes his friend and former colleague Essie as "a natural storyteller...Talking was clearly therapeutic for her. She frequently made little detours to provide background for the main theme she was pursuing. I had no occasion to interrupt her except to relieve myself of the coffee." He could just as well be describing himself and this insightful, detail-oriented book about the years he spent as an infectious disease specialist in the mid to late eighties in eastern Tennessee, treating some of the region's first AIDS patients. It's a wonderful mix of topics: medical and historical aspects of HIV, being an internist, being an immigrant doctor, being a newly married doctor with young children, the natural beauty of Tennesee, the communities of Tennessee. My only criticism is that Verghese can get meandering, and the book ends abruptly. But overall, this is thoughtfully, carefully written, and it's a lovely paean to the southeastern United States. Highly recommended.
sapeiffer's review
2.0
A well-written and thoughtful account of the early AIDS crisis. Loses 3 stars for the bizarre and unacceptable paragraph midway through where he postulates that many of his gay male patients had been sexually abused as children but that these experiences were "sought out" by the children and "pleasurable" which was complemented by a number of bizarre references to this in patient stories. Nope. Someone needed to take their thoughtfulness about illness and go chat with a child therapist. Was not at all surprised when after an entire book of weird, ignorant riffs on human sexuality he thanked John Irving for advice in his acknowledgments.
yarnylibrarian's review
3.0
I picked this up after reading Cutting for Stone (twice) and seeing this TED Talk by Abraham Verghese: http://www.ted.com/talks/abraham_verghese_a_doctor_s_touch.html
I was absolutely gripped by this memoir of Verghese's early years of medical training (which are recalled in the characters of Marion Stone and his New York colleagues) and the early years of the U.S. AIDS outbreak. I lived through those years myself, but as a young teenager with only a cursory awareness of "the plague." My initial contact with an infected person came later, in college. And fortunately, the medical scenario (at least here in the U.S.) has changed hugely since then.
Verghese has a gift for telling people's stories, and there are many, many patient stories here. His approach to healing is holistic, so he takes time to learn a lot about his patients' personal lives. The patient stories bump along under a much wider arc of Verghese's story as a developing physician.
Toward the end, I was weary of the patient stories, which mostly end in horrific, wrenching deaths. But I don't begrudge the reading experience for a moment. It was true to life. I can see that Verghese is finding his narrative voice in this book (published in 1994). I eagerly await his next narrative synthesis!
I was absolutely gripped by this memoir of Verghese's early years of medical training (which are recalled in the characters of Marion Stone and his New York colleagues) and the early years of the U.S. AIDS outbreak. I lived through those years myself, but as a young teenager with only a cursory awareness of "the plague." My initial contact with an infected person came later, in college. And fortunately, the medical scenario (at least here in the U.S.) has changed hugely since then.
Verghese has a gift for telling people's stories, and there are many, many patient stories here. His approach to healing is holistic, so he takes time to learn a lot about his patients' personal lives. The patient stories bump along under a much wider arc of Verghese's story as a developing physician.
Toward the end, I was weary of the patient stories, which mostly end in horrific, wrenching deaths. But I don't begrudge the reading experience for a moment. It was true to life. I can see that Verghese is finding his narrative voice in this book (published in 1994). I eagerly await his next narrative synthesis!
previously's review
5.0
A little light pandemic reading.
A doctor in rural tennessee watching AIDS arrive somewhat unexpectedly.
A doctor in rural tennessee watching AIDS arrive somewhat unexpectedly.