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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Very interesting but I felt it was lacking on details in the obstacles the author faces as a female woman’s doctor of color.
I really liked this. Not profound or life changing but really great.
This book was a chanced encounter, I don’t even remember how I came across this title. I started it and then took a very long hiatus (I stopped reading almost entirely whilst I was moving across the world and setting up my life in another continent), and finally restarted this book to finish it.
Mostly a recount of personal childhood trauma, “emotional growing pains”, combined with the socio-political struggle of being a black female person in today’s America via ER cases encountered in various hospitals that Dr. Michele Harper worked in. Some parts were encouraging, mostly it urges readers to not be afraid of change, especially heartbreaks as a result of family and/or relationships falling apart, and to face them truthfully and courageously.
Mostly a recount of personal childhood trauma, “emotional growing pains”, combined with the socio-political struggle of being a black female person in today’s America via ER cases encountered in various hospitals that Dr. Michele Harper worked in. Some parts were encouraging, mostly it urges readers to not be afraid of change, especially heartbreaks as a result of family and/or relationships falling apart, and to face them truthfully and courageously.
Poignant read.
Poignant memoir of a Black female doctor in the US. A little heavy handed here and there, but a lovely reflection on life, struggle, and rebirth.
Poignant memoir of a Black female doctor in the US. A little heavy handed here and there, but a lovely reflection on life, struggle, and rebirth.
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I had high hopes for this book, but it ultimately fell short for me. The author attempts to coalesce the recollection of her personal life and the narratives of her patients in order to siphon a maxim or lesson. However, the execution makes it so that each exists as its own fragment, and loses its cohesiveness. I found myself struggling to read the last 3 chapters, partly because I did not want another DNF and also because I was curious to see how it was going to wrap up. Even if only comparing it to other medical memoirs, it doesn't keep rank. My favourite part(s) of the book were the stories of the patients, and I think just for that alone it may be worth a read.
I started listening to this early in the new year. And then I stopped. It certainly is an account of her journey, and lessons learned from her cases as an ER doc, centered on top of her life journey. I felt, at times though, like I was being preached at (just a little), and that often makes a read less enjoyable.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I very much enjoyed this memoir from a female African-American emergency room physician navigating a mostly male and white industry while going through her own recuperation and recovery. She says early in the book, "Sometime soon, I'd figure out the rest, but now, I just had to be broken. There wasn't energy for much else." This line really spoke to me. I think - as people but very much as women - we are expected to handle things as quickly and with as little fuss as possible. It's that immediate gratification, that keep things positive, that all you need is love ... that. Sometimes I just can't. Sometimes I watch other people who just can't. And that's perfectly ok. Sometimes we need to just be broken. I've felt that a lot this year. The hits - both publicly and personally - just kept coming. I often scolded myself for not picking things up and getting shit done, even if it was just one day after a slew of very productive days. I hope I can learn to embrace my brokenness. It's ok if sometimes I just can't.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
This is an inspirational and honest portrayal of the triumphs and failures encountered by a black doctor in our flawed healthcare system. I appreciated her recounting of how her patients changed her view of the world and herself. At times the writing was poetic at other times I couldn’t understand how her themes connected but still a good read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse