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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
I really think I should have been a doctor....I enjoyed hearing about her experiences in healing. It’s inspiring and I’m grateful for people choose to be doctors and healthcare professionals.
This book is definitely worth a read. The author is inspiring and shows what determination can do.
I really enjoyed hearing the author speak on a podcast, and enjoyed the book less; however, seeing some of the racism and misogyny (and, of course, the intersectionality therein) in the reaction to this book drives home many of the author's points, sadly. The main takeaway for me from this book was that the medical profession is in a rough state for many, many reasons; I would be interested in readers who had their views changed, rather than reinforced, by this book.
I found the tone of the book pretty puzzling - it rapidly veered from not sugar-coating things, at best, and being judgmental ("Most people I knew of chose a partner with the same level of meaningful intention as Ken marrying Barbie, then reproduced reflexively like cattle" - yikes!), to being sentimental ("Parents know. They know the way we know life is gone as the gurney is rolled through the ambulance doors. Parents know because these angels whisper their last words in their ears and butterfly-kiss them good-bye.")
The most interesting part of the book to me involved the elitism of medicine crashing into the practicalities the author faces:
"There are plenty of occupations in which employees have no choice but to deal with anyone who shows up: restaurant server, flight attendant, shoe salesperson, hair stylist. Emergency medicine is the same. But before I became a doctor, I had always assumed there would be less violence and more civility in medicine. We train for a minimum of seven years and spend countless sleepless nights restarting hearts and resetting bones, and yet, now that I was practicing, I knew that we in the ER were no different"
I found the tone of the book pretty puzzling - it rapidly veered from not sugar-coating things, at best, and being judgmental ("Most people I knew of chose a partner with the same level of meaningful intention as Ken marrying Barbie, then reproduced reflexively like cattle" - yikes!), to being sentimental ("Parents know. They know the way we know life is gone as the gurney is rolled through the ambulance doors. Parents know because these angels whisper their last words in their ears and butterfly-kiss them good-bye.")
The most interesting part of the book to me involved the elitism of medicine crashing into the practicalities the author faces:
"There are plenty of occupations in which employees have no choice but to deal with anyone who shows up: restaurant server, flight attendant, shoe salesperson, hair stylist. Emergency medicine is the same. But before I became a doctor, I had always assumed there would be less violence and more civility in medicine. We train for a minimum of seven years and spend countless sleepless nights restarting hearts and resetting bones, and yet, now that I was practicing, I knew that we in the ER were no different"
hard to believe what our medical staff are expected to endure
The book was riveting when talking about medical cases, the facade of stability during her childhood, and her experiences being a black woman in medicine, but fell into the trap of being overly wordy and rambling on about yoga-esque philosophy.
challenging
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.5 stars??? Ok book. The description was better than the book, which had some good messages and interesting stories, but the writing was hard to follow at times. This book needed a better editor. LOTS of long complicated run on sentence and overly complicated phrasing made this laborious to read!
"True caring, indeed, true loving, comes from sharing that unwavering, unconditional love, knowing that all life depends on this" (Harper 279). I enjoyed Michele's retelling of her life. I resonated with characters, or rather the real life people that inspired them, and I would love to get an update on their lives, even through I know that is not possible. There's a beautifulness to the brokenness and even the forgiveness that Dr. Harper touched on.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
One of my new favorite 2020 books, I loved The Beauty in Breaking, which was also my Book of the Month selection.
I found this title both touching and powerfully beautiful. Not only does Harper share her experiences in the ER--which are fascinating and frustrating--but she also talks about overcoming a childhood of abuse and surviving divorce. Harper talks about racism and inequality in her profession. I hate bodily fluids, but she made me want to be an ER doctor (in another life).
This is a must-read memoir of 2020.
You can find my full review on The Uncorked Librarian here: https://www.theuncorkedlibrarian.com/currently-reading-august-2020/
I found this title both touching and powerfully beautiful. Not only does Harper share her experiences in the ER--which are fascinating and frustrating--but she also talks about overcoming a childhood of abuse and surviving divorce. Harper talks about racism and inequality in her profession. I hate bodily fluids, but she made me want to be an ER doctor (in another life).
This is a must-read memoir of 2020.
You can find my full review on The Uncorked Librarian here: https://www.theuncorkedlibrarian.com/currently-reading-august-2020/