Writer, M.D.

December 1, 2011

Physician and poet Kaminsky (Stitching Things Together) presents this new compilation of fiction and nonfiction from such literary and scientific icons as Abraham Verghese and Oliver Sacks, driving home the point that while our health-care system might be broken, our doctors are not. As patients, we can forget that doctors are fellow human beings, not automatons conducting surgeries. This compilation reminds us of this fact, revealing doctors' encounters with their own mortality and that of their patients. Nonfiction essays by Pauline Chen and Atul Gawande, among others, describe the ordeals of medical school, the exhausting stretch of internships and residencies, and the responsibilities, gratification, and adrenaline rush of working in pediatrics, the ICU, and the operating theater. Short fiction offerings by Ethan Canin, Jacinta Halloran, and others take us outside of the realm of medicine, reflecting on such themes as aging, canine medical test subjects, losing a child, acceptance, and forgiveness. VERDICT The physician writers who contributed to this collection of essays and stories provide a counterpoint to the often stark and disheartening realities of seeking medical treatment in America today. Recommended.--Rachael Dreyer, Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 15, 2011
Lucky the reader who picks up poet and physician Kaminsky's excellent anthology, chockablock with works by some of the finest medical writers aroundAtul Gawande, Sandeep Jauhar, Oliver Sachs, and Danielle Ofri, to name a few. Each little gem begs for more of the samemore wisdom, more compassionate doctorly counsel, more of the candid feelings most medicos keep veiled behind the face of professionalism. A selection of fiction and nonfiction, weighted more heavily toward the latter, the stories answer questions about the personal thoughts of those who heal by knife and those who can relate all too uncomfortably to a psychiatric patient's secrets. How does a physician's training affect one's attitude toward death? What does it feel like as an intern to have someone's survival hang on the fragile thread of your freshly minted medical diploma? Further, the fictional stories are no less poignant for their authors' scientific dispassion, maybe more so. In toto, Kaminsky's superior anthology is like an impressive menu or a fine wine list; it leaves readers wanting to sample more by the authors of these satisfying offerings.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)