You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Appreciated the memoir. Her all-knowing very self aware and self-actualized narrative does come across a bit pretentious at times. I do appreciate her thoughts though. Might have also liked trigger warnings to start the book or chapters.
This career memoir written by an ER doctor is very engaging. I felt like I really trusted her and enjoyed her wisdom. There were definitely some narrative things that could have been improved upon in that the memoir didn’t have a super strong narrative arc, but in a weird way, I kind of liked that about it. Sometimes I feel like there is an artificial sense of story arc where life is so often and progressive like Dr. Harper expresses here. I appreciate her insights on emergency and the many things that can go wrong with the body. I also appreciate her insight on what it is like to be a black professional. She relays the everyday struggles that folks go through in a lot of places that she has practiced, and I feel like those things are important to witness too.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
I tried to read this book for hours and I just couldn’t get into it. It’s a lot of rambling and it drags on. I kept at it because I saw glimpses of the author’s “awakening”, or what have you, but it never got me to the point where I was invested in the story. Overall, this memoir just didn’t do anything for me.
I think I just need beautiful writing, memoir or not. the writing was too simplistic and underwhelming. which sucks because I really wanted to enjoy this
The older I am getting, the more I am loving memoirs and reading about other people's stories. This book was touching on so many levels; being born and reborn and the beauty of all things life. And how incredible our bodies are. I wish there were more doctors like Dr. Harper, especially doctors who cared as much about VA services and patient care like she does. While most of the stories were about her patients and their medical cases, it was so much more than that.
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
I liked this book a lot. Gave me insight into the ER--and into inequities in our healthcare, human services, policing, academic, etc., systems. I enjoyed the structure, the interweaving of patients' stories with the author's own. Some of the dialogue seemed too perfect to be true, and I wish there was at least one story of when the author felt that she had made a mistake or otherwise displayed professional humility. But overall, an excellent, touching read, from which I learned a lot.
Good stories about her life and her experiences in the ER. Unfortunately, I don't feel that she ever really delivered on all her themes.