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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
loved this book and the author’s self reflection. I heard about this one (and gifted it to my sister) a while ago, but so glad I waited to read it myself until now
This was powerful, and the author wrapped up her message well in the epilogue. There were some sad, uplifting, gruesome, and ultimately inspiring stories. Not just from the wounds each patient experienced, but by how they did/did not act, how they shaped the caretakers around them, and how policies and laws impacted them. I thought that the book ultimately did a good job of proving its point: there is good to come from darkness, there are lessons and growth in every opportunity. The sections regarding her experiences at the VA hospital were especially impactful to me.
I saw other reviews and they noted that the book felt too preachy at times. While I slightly agree with this, I also see that this is her memoir, her life, and her interpretations of what has been thrown at her and those around her. I think her recognition of these points such as racism, inadequacies of care, etc needed to be mentioned. However, at times I had a hard time connecting them to her ultimate message other than that she needed them to be acknowledged.
I wish there was a little bit more time spent on some of the life-pivoting circumstances that she opened with in the beginning, but otherwise I thought this was a powerful collection of tales.
I saw other reviews and they noted that the book felt too preachy at times. While I slightly agree with this, I also see that this is her memoir, her life, and her interpretations of what has been thrown at her and those around her. I think her recognition of these points such as racism, inadequacies of care, etc needed to be mentioned. However, at times I had a hard time connecting them to her ultimate message other than that she needed them to be acknowledged.
I wish there was a little bit more time spent on some of the life-pivoting circumstances that she opened with in the beginning, but otherwise I thought this was a powerful collection of tales.
I liked everything about this book and I think Dr. Harper is an excellent writer. I loved hearing the stories of her patients and how she chose to heal herself through various struggles. I wish there was more stories of her interactions with patients! Definitely my favorite part.
My only criticisms of the book was she seems to dismiss how much privilege she does have - being the daughter of a physician herself and being able to go to private schools and Ivy League colleges is a great privilege in itself. She doesn’t even mention that her father was a physician until halfway through the book. I wish she would have been more straight up about this, as it shows through in some of her interactions with poorer patients that she can’t understand why they do some of the things they do.
My only other criticism is how she approached the mentally ill man she was treating - she made fun of him and called him things like “bananas” but when she met another female patient struggling with mental health issues, she talks about how strong and brave she was. She wasn’t showing the same amount of understanding for the male patient just because his illness presented itself in a way that was different from the female patient she treated. It’s not really something you want to think about your doctors saying about people who are struggling mentally.
Overall though, the stories were great and I think Dr. Harper has some great lessons in here.
My only criticisms of the book was she seems to dismiss how much privilege she does have - being the daughter of a physician herself and being able to go to private schools and Ivy League colleges is a great privilege in itself. She doesn’t even mention that her father was a physician until halfway through the book. I wish she would have been more straight up about this, as it shows through in some of her interactions with poorer patients that she can’t understand why they do some of the things they do.
My only other criticism is how she approached the mentally ill man she was treating - she made fun of him and called him things like “bananas” but when she met another female patient struggling with mental health issues, she talks about how strong and brave she was. She wasn’t showing the same amount of understanding for the male patient just because his illness presented itself in a way that was different from the female patient she treated. It’s not really something you want to think about your doctors saying about people who are struggling mentally.
Overall though, the stories were great and I think Dr. Harper has some great lessons in here.
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abortion
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Read this for the Stonehill alumni book club. While there were a lot of stories I couldn’t put down, by the tail end of the book I was lost. If you have a medical background and don’t mind a loose storytelling or a book without a real arc then you’ll enjoy this. Just wasn’t my favorite style.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
This was a very powerful and emotional read for me. There were many instances I connected exactly with Dr. Harper and her experiences. There were also many times I could think back to a patient I saw that paralleled her own experience with her patients. This book helped me in many different ways and I’m actually extremely glad I picked it up.
“I figured that if I could find stillness in this chaos, if I could find love beyond this violence, if I could heal these layers of wounds, then I would be the doctor in my own emergency room.”
“I figured that if I could find stillness in this chaos, if I could find love beyond this violence, if I could heal these layers of wounds, then I would be the doctor in my own emergency room.”
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
Very powerful even though it brought me to tears over and over.