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A review by weirdymcweirdington
The Emergency: A Year of Healing and Heartbreak in a Chicago ER by Thomas Fisher
5.0
This book is a revolution
Though he told his friend Ta-Nehisi Coates that he was "a doctor, not a writer," this book proves he's both. More than this, though, he's a revolutionary.
This book is both a chronicle of a year in the life of an emergency department physician during the COVID pandemic as well as an examination of the social forces that make his patients particularly vulnerable. As Dr. Fisher relays the stories of his patients in quick bursts, he'll occasionally devote a whole chapter to them, written as a letter to say everything he wished he could tell them in the three minutes he had to spend with them.
He calls attention to the redlining and segregation policies that trap black people in poverty, the political and economic forces that vacuum up black people's tax dollars and reward them with violence in return, and a healthcare system that prioritizes maximizing profits over saving lives. Among the most jarring examples was the University of Chicago's plan to section off part of the emergency room to service only wealthy (white) patients, forcing the poor (black) majority to wait even longer for fewer beds.
This book is a masterpiece and belongs on the bookshelves of every patient and healthcare provider, every politician and police officer, every business executive and insurance adjustor, really, every American.
P.S. As a personal anecdote, two of my cousins work at the same hospital (but in different departments) and a third works at the same department (but in a different, nearby hospital). I wrote them all a note thanking them for their work as nurses and for devoting their lives to helping others while reading this book. It's neither the first nor the last time I've done this, but I figure our healthcare heroes can never hear "thank you" enough.
Though he told his friend Ta-Nehisi Coates that he was "a doctor, not a writer," this book proves he's both. More than this, though, he's a revolutionary.
This book is both a chronicle of a year in the life of an emergency department physician during the COVID pandemic as well as an examination of the social forces that make his patients particularly vulnerable. As Dr. Fisher relays the stories of his patients in quick bursts, he'll occasionally devote a whole chapter to them, written as a letter to say everything he wished he could tell them in the three minutes he had to spend with them.
He calls attention to the redlining and segregation policies that trap black people in poverty, the political and economic forces that vacuum up black people's tax dollars and reward them with violence in return, and a healthcare system that prioritizes maximizing profits over saving lives. Among the most jarring examples was the University of Chicago's plan to section off part of the emergency room to service only wealthy (white) patients, forcing the poor (black) majority to wait even longer for fewer beds.
This book is a masterpiece and belongs on the bookshelves of every patient and healthcare provider, every politician and police officer, every business executive and insurance adjustor, really, every American.
P.S. As a personal anecdote, two of my cousins work at the same hospital (but in different departments) and a third works at the same department (but in a different, nearby hospital). I wrote them all a note thanking them for their work as nurses and for devoting their lives to helping others while reading this book. It's neither the first nor the last time I've done this, but I figure our healthcare heroes can never hear "thank you" enough.