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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
Not my favorite of Williams' work, but this collection illuminates a lot of his poetry (especially Paterson) and is still worth a read. The last essay, taken from his autobiography, is just stellar in its "poetry and medicine support each other" argument.
Have heard about William Carlos Williams for years, this is my first read. Ultimately, I was unimpressed with both the writing and tone. That might be how a doctor thinks when they are with patients, but I don't feel better knowing it
I almost abandoned this book because I barely could get through the first two lackluster entries ("Mind and Body" and "Old Doc Rivers"). Everything following those, however, is great. Williams' writing is beautiful, insightful, and poignant, and his stories are, at times, both devastatingly sad and tinged with humor. I'm not a doctor, but I feel like I've glimpsed into what it's like (or at least, what it was like in a poverty-stricken part of northern New Jersey in the first half of the 20th century) by reading this collection.
"Let the successful carry off their blue ribbons; I have known the unsuccessful, far better persons than their more lucky brothers."
"Let the successful carry off their blue ribbons; I have known the unsuccessful, far better persons than their more lucky brothers."
William Carlos Williams’ portrayal of doctors and patients is a breath of fresh honesty amidst the countless books written by doctors today. It’s a shame that so many reviews written on this collection are caught up in the moral complexity of Williams’ crassness, when that very same crassness is critical to the honesty.
So much of what I read today from doctors can be summed up thusly: “becoming a doctor was hard work, and seeing patients suffer was even harder. Life is complex and grand, and I must humble myself before the privilege of serving others.”
All well and good, but in an effort to present yourself as an infallible do-gooder, you’ve stripped your story of the humanity. It’s the punchline without the setup—the gin without the tonic.
Williams’ stories portray doctors as struggling at the center of selfish and selfless, pretentious and considerate, scientific and social. In one story the doctor begins by talking about the suffering of children in a children’s hospital. He bluntly states over and over that it would be better if the young children died sooner rather than later. Then the story proceeds to outline all the efforts the doctor goes through for one suffering girl, and after she passes on the doctor begins to express a little emotion between the cracks of his shell. Looking back, you realize that his cruelty at the start was a pitiful defense mechanism for the pains of his work. He has hardened himself not because he doesn’t care, but because he cares greatly. His caring is expressed via his work ethic—most painfully portrayed by his adamant presence at the autopsy of the young girl, where he learns he could have easily saved her.
Williams’ doctors are sexist, perverse, selfish, drug addicts who work tirelessly to serve their communities. Sometimes they work for noble reasons, other times for shallow reasons. Once a virtuous insight percolates out of the narrative, it is hard earned by the roughened characters filling these painful and funny stories.
So much of what I read today from doctors can be summed up thusly: “becoming a doctor was hard work, and seeing patients suffer was even harder. Life is complex and grand, and I must humble myself before the privilege of serving others.”
All well and good, but in an effort to present yourself as an infallible do-gooder, you’ve stripped your story of the humanity. It’s the punchline without the setup—the gin without the tonic.
Williams’ stories portray doctors as struggling at the center of selfish and selfless, pretentious and considerate, scientific and social. In one story the doctor begins by talking about the suffering of children in a children’s hospital. He bluntly states over and over that it would be better if the young children died sooner rather than later. Then the story proceeds to outline all the efforts the doctor goes through for one suffering girl, and after she passes on the doctor begins to express a little emotion between the cracks of his shell. Looking back, you realize that his cruelty at the start was a pitiful defense mechanism for the pains of his work. He has hardened himself not because he doesn’t care, but because he cares greatly. His caring is expressed via his work ethic—most painfully portrayed by his adamant presence at the autopsy of the young girl, where he learns he could have easily saved her.
Williams’ doctors are sexist, perverse, selfish, drug addicts who work tirelessly to serve their communities. Sometimes they work for noble reasons, other times for shallow reasons. Once a virtuous insight percolates out of the narrative, it is hard earned by the roughened characters filling these painful and funny stories.
personally discouraged by his poetry, but was told by a friend to give his prose a look.
Didn't read all of these, but read Old Doc Rivers" and "The Girl With the Pimply Face" both of which really made an impression and were beautifully written. (had to get into the flow of reading, at first the writing seems disjoint and confusing, but then you find the logic of it, and can make sense of the narrative)
Didn't read all of these, but read Old Doc Rivers" and "The Girl With the Pimply Face" both of which really made an impression and were beautifully written. (had to get into the flow of reading, at first the writing seems disjoint and confusing, but then you find the logic of it, and can make sense of the narrative)
I thankfully found The Doctor Stories rummaging through my beloved circuit of St. Louis used bookstores--up until this, I have only read WCW's poetry (which I love). Who knows how long I would have gone without reading his prose had this morsel not insisted in staying in my grasp?
...
I am failing to write what I need to say.
...
...
hmph
...
This is beautiful. This is humanity. Of course, this is what WCW is. It's been several years since I've really immersed myself in his poetry, but I need to go back and do it again. I knew all about him when I got into him years ago--his bio and poetry are fairly inseparable--but maybe it has taken this time to feel like I have a better handle of who he was as a person and how he faced the world. For the first time--really--it blew my mind to truly realize the depth of the life he led. How in the hell did he become so prolific as a writer working simultaneously as a pediatrician and obstetrician for decades? And had a family (though notoriously was put on the back burner), kept up with all of his great artistic friends, and still had time for womanizing? HA! How? What? Huh?
This collection dwells in a time when doctors made house calls; when births and deaths happened in the same bed, in the same neighborhood, in its own distinct language; before health insurance became the predominant factor for how you would be cared. WCW did not have a cush practice; he set his life to help those in poverty. His determination and undying passion for his work and people comes through equally strong in his stories as it does in his poetry. In this collection, you witness the destruction of cultural and ethnic barriers and feel the devotion of a man who has willed his life to the service of others.
I think the clincher for me, though, was the "The Practice" from his autobiography, wherein he relates the uniqueness of a physician's role in a person's (and community's) life and how poetry cannot help but flow from it. It brought me to my knees (and I've just added it to my faithful paperbackswap queue). In a way, it reminded me a lot of the role and importance of the public education system today. Sadly, doctors do not inhabit the same community role as they did 100 years ago. The opportunity Williams' speaks of to be involved with such a wide variety of people at various stages of their lives, to go far beyond the tasks his title deems he perform--boy, did that remind me of teaching. I'm about a breath away from embarking on a tirade, so I am stopping there.
This is beautiful. Please make sure to read his prose, too.
...
I am failing to write what I need to say.
...
...
hmph
...
This is beautiful. This is humanity. Of course, this is what WCW is. It's been several years since I've really immersed myself in his poetry, but I need to go back and do it again. I knew all about him when I got into him years ago--his bio and poetry are fairly inseparable--but maybe it has taken this time to feel like I have a better handle of who he was as a person and how he faced the world. For the first time--really--it blew my mind to truly realize the depth of the life he led. How in the hell did he become so prolific as a writer working simultaneously as a pediatrician and obstetrician for decades? And had a family (though notoriously was put on the back burner), kept up with all of his great artistic friends, and still had time for womanizing? HA! How? What? Huh?
This collection dwells in a time when doctors made house calls; when births and deaths happened in the same bed, in the same neighborhood, in its own distinct language; before health insurance became the predominant factor for how you would be cared. WCW did not have a cush practice; he set his life to help those in poverty. His determination and undying passion for his work and people comes through equally strong in his stories as it does in his poetry. In this collection, you witness the destruction of cultural and ethnic barriers and feel the devotion of a man who has willed his life to the service of others.
I think the clincher for me, though, was the "The Practice" from his autobiography, wherein he relates the uniqueness of a physician's role in a person's (and community's) life and how poetry cannot help but flow from it. It brought me to my knees (and I've just added it to my faithful paperbackswap queue). In a way, it reminded me a lot of the role and importance of the public education system today. Sadly, doctors do not inhabit the same community role as they did 100 years ago. The opportunity Williams' speaks of to be involved with such a wide variety of people at various stages of their lives, to go far beyond the tasks his title deems he perform--boy, did that remind me of teaching. I'm about a breath away from embarking on a tirade, so I am stopping there.
This is beautiful. Please make sure to read his prose, too.
funny
informative
reflective
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated