Book recommendations

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closer23

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The Dangers of Socialized Medicine by Jacob G. Hornberger

The Cure: How Capitalism Can Save American Health Care
by David Gratzer

Lives at Risk: Single-Payer National Health Insurance Around the World
by John C. Goodman
 
SDN is great for book suggestions. there are several old threads about this. Anyway, try "Hot Zone" and maybe "The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat," although i did enjoy gawande's writing style better. oh, and Paul Farmer's "Mountains Beyond Mountains" - these are good medically related reads. oh, and "When the Air Hits Your Brain" = good writing style and enjoyable.
 
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The House of God - Samuel Shem

First Do No Harm - Lisa Belkin

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat - Oliver Sacks
 
Mama Might be Better off dead- A great medical sociology book

Hot Lights Cold Steel- Michael Collins
 
There have been multiple threads on book recommendations but here are mine:

Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World (strongly recommended).

At the center of Mountains Beyond Mountains stands Paul Farmer. Doctor, Harvard professor, renowned infectious-disease specialist, anthropologist, the recipient of a MacArthur "genius" grant, world-class Robin Hood, Farmer was brought up in a bus and on a boat, and in medical school found his life's calling: to diagnose and cure infectious diseases and to bring the lifesaving tools of modern medicine to those who need them most. This magnificent book shows how radical change can be fostered in situations that seem insurmountable, and it also shows how a meaningful life can be created, as Farmer—brilliant, charismatic, charming, both a leader in international health and a doctor who finds time to make house calls in Boston and the mountains of Haiti—blasts through convention to get results.

Mountains Beyond Mountains takes us from Harvard to Haiti, Peru, Cuba, and Russia as Farmer changes minds and practices through his dedication to the philosophy that "the only real nation is humanity" - a philosophy that is embodied in the small public charity he founded, Partners In Health. He enlists the help of the Gates Foundation, George Soros, the U.N.'s World Health Organization, and others in his quest to cure the world. At the heart of this book is the example of a life based on hope, and on an understanding of the truth of the Haitian proverb "Beyond mountains there are mountains": as you solve one problem, another problem presents itself, and so you go on and try to solve that one too.

If you find that interesting you'll want to read books written by Farmer.

Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor
Infections and Inequalities: The Modern Plagues

Farmer's work has easily been the biggest single influence on my development as a prospective physician. You owe it to yourself to at least expose yourself to the alternative role of a physician that Farmer presents.

Also

Awakening Hippocrates: A Primer on Health, Poverty, And Global Service

This book also presents the profiles of various health care workers (MDs, Nurses etc) that work in global health.
 
So I don't read doctor books. I spend all day thinking about that stuff, when I read I want something light and fun.

Rex Stout - Just funny and witty and always surprising
Janet Evonovich - Stephanie Plum series, unless you are dieting (and I recommend staying away from her other books because they are overflowing with gratuitous, raunchy sex)
James Patterson - Lindsey Boxer and the women's murder club series, books are better than TV

I could go on and on.. it's all pretty much trash but so entertaining and such a great break for your mind. Rex Stout's books will expand your vocabulary and they still keep me guessing. He wrote a ton and they are all good and you can probably find a full collection at a used book store.

I also loved The Red Tent, and I'm enjoying Pillars of the Earth.

If you haven't already tapped into the Richard Russo pool, one of my favorite books, if not my all time favorite, Straight Man.
 
Has anyone read A Question of Intent by David Kessler?
 
I second Pillars of the Earth

For non-doctor books:
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
(I'm not a steinbeck fan but I loved this book)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Good Doctor books:
The Intern Blues by Robert Marion
On Call by Emily Transue
How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman
 
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I second "The Red Tent." If you're looking for doctor books, try "Anatomy of Hope."

But I recommend not reading only doctor books. At one of my interviews, I got asked what type of books I like to read. I honestly enjoy books about physicians so I talked a little about those. But then got asked-- anything else? Show that you're a well rounded human being.
 
Boo, that book sucks. I put it down halfway through and never picked it up again. If you want a good book, try Cutting Remarks, by Dr. Sid Schwab. It's about his surgical training at UCSF, and it's really really good. He's got a blog - http://surgeonsblog.blogspot.com - that's also good.

I'd like to "Boo" Prowler, and say it's a book I couldn't put down. Also (and not for casual reading), Iverson's Guide to choosing a residency.
 
I second How doctors thing by Groopman.

Also, Becoming a Doctor by Melvin Konner, M.D.

Another Day in the Frontal Lobe by Katrina Firlik, M.D.
(Neurosurgery, interesting, not the best book written, but witty)

I'm reading Letters to a young doctor by Perri Klass, M.D. as well as Better: A surgeon's notes on performance by Atul Gawande, M.D.
 
I second Pillars of the Earth

For non-doctor books:
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
(I'm not a steinbeck fan but I loved this book)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Good Doctor books:
The Intern Blues by Robert Marion
On Call by Emily Transue
How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman

I'm about 200 pages in and there's something very intriguing about it but I am a bit disappointed because people called it a page turner and I woulnd't go that far. Tell me that it gets better - maybe all the characters are being set up right now which is why I am a tad bored. But I do find the characters and the writing itself interesting, but it seemed so built up that I'm afraid I'm heading down the slope of disappointment.
 
I second "How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman." It was different way of looking at physicians.

When I was in Physical Therapy school we had to read Bed Number 10 by Sue Baier. Its old, but the story over this patient's perspective has stuck with me over time. Here is its Amazon description:

A Houston housewife, mother of two teenage daughters, Baier endured a virtual living death when she contracted Guillain-Barre syndrome. Suddenly and without apparent cause, her body was entirely immobilized; meanwhile her mind remained alert and her nervous system lost none of its sensitivity to pain. At first able to communicate only by moving her eyelids and laboriously "spelling" key words, she slowly improved until she was released from the hospital and returned home. Here five years after the trauma, which has left her handicapped she thanks her husband, family and members of her church and community for the support that compensated for bouts of depression and the occasional callousness of hospital personnel. Baier's chronicle of courage offers hope to victims of the catastrophic disease.
 
Anyone read "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls? I highly recommend :)
 
I'm about 200 pages in and there's something very intriguing about it but I am a bit disappointed because people called it a page turner and I woulnd't go that far. Tell me that it gets better - maybe all the characters are being set up right now which is why I am a tad bored. But I do find the characters and the writing itself interesting, but it seemed so built up that I'm afraid I'm heading down the slope of disappointment.
yeah it gets better. It was giving me an ulcer so I read the last chapter at 3 am last night.
 
Read Catch-22 and The House of God together and make some comparisons and contrasts (just for kicks).

My Sister's Keeper is another good one for those interested in medical ethics.

And for all your MD/PhD people (or just MDs interested in science), Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis is a great read.
 
"A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini (author of The Kite Runner, which is another fabulous novel)
 
"Singular Intimacies" by Danielle Ofri
 
I'm about 200 pages in and there's something very intriguing about it but I am a bit disappointed because people called it a page turner and I woulnd't go that far. Tell me that it gets better - maybe all the characters are being set up right now which is why I am a tad bored. But I do find the characters and the writing itself interesting, but it seemed so built up that I'm afraid I'm heading down the slope of disappointment.

yes it does get better but there are a few more parts that are boring and it took me a while to get past those but I think over all it was a good book and worth reading

good luck with it :luck:
 
Has anyone read "Final Exam" by Pauline w. Chen? I keep meaning to pick up a copy but I haven't done so yet.

I've read it I have read so many medical books they kind of blend together but I remember enjoying it I believe. I'll post a list later I have somewhere of all the medical books I've read written by physicians, I find it very interesting reading.
 
Just Here Trying to Save a Few Lives: Tales of Life and Death from the ER by Pamela Grim is a very interesting read

Hot Lights, Cold Steel: Life, Death and Sleepless Nights in a Surgeon's First Years by Michael J. Collins is an inspirational book

And anyone into Philosophy, Sophies World by Jostein Gaardner is worth the time
 
Medical:

"Intern Blues" - Good, true life acount of being an intern.... real good.

Non Medical Books:

"What is the What" - Story about the lost boys from Sudan, reading it now and its pretty good.

"The Sex Lives of Cannibals" - Some funny stuff about living abroad...

"Catch-22" - Funny, favorite book....
 
The Alchemist - Paulo Coehlo
One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel García Márquez
A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
The World Without us -Alan Weisman
Freakonomics - Steven Levitt
God Is Not Great - Christopher Hitchens
 
Ooo... ooo... me next...

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - James Joyce
Of Human Bondage - William Somerset Maugham
I, Claudius - Robert Graves

And for the mainstreamers...

East of Eden - John Steinbeck
Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky
War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy

That's some good readin'
 
I second "Hot lights, Cold Steel" and "Intern Blues", as well as suggest "White Coat: becoming at Doctor at Harvard Medical School". Theres another narrative that I have read pieces of about training at Dartmouth Medical School that is pretty good.
 
An absolute must-read:

Equations of Eternity by David Darling...It's a quick read, but it is absolutely fascinating...it's starts with explaining what consciousness and reality are, and how they arise..and it ends with what will happen in the future when we can transport consciousness through time...

I would also recommend any of Brian Greene's books-especially Fabric of the Cosmos...It is rather long, but explains a lot about time, reality, and the latest on what our universe actually is...absolutely awesome!!

Any of Carl Sagan's books: Obviously, Cosmos but The Demon Haunted World is a must-read for those interested in why science trumps any other discipline..and why people are so naive to believe in things with absolutely no evidence...A Variety of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God. After reading any of his books you will be so hooked on how brilliant he is that you won't be able to help but wonder his personal views..
 
I just read Complications by Atul Gawande, it was a great read and I just ordered his newest book. Anyway, I was wondering what other books you guys would recommend.

i'm reading Better, it's great

i would also toss in Monkeyluv by Sapolsky
 
MEDICAL

love and recomend The Intern Blues by Robert Marion - HIGHLY RECOMENDED

our professor practically made us read How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman because he's addressing our SOM or coming here or something soon. we got an admin email saying that we could get in online and chat about it with him or something... www.bsbonlinemeetings.com/hmc

NONMEDICAL

Time Quake by the one and only Kurt Vonnegut - ABSOLUTELY HIGHLY RECOMENDED

You don't have to be a Vonnegut fan to enjoy this adventure and you will not be disappointed
 
The Dangers of Socialized Medicine by Jacob G. Hornberger

The Cure: How Capitalism Can Save American Health Care
by David Gratzer

Lives at Risk: Single-Payer National Health Insurance Around the World
by John C. Goodman

somebody has an ax to grind...
 
Tom Clancy's Net Force :smuggrin:

Robin Cook books are also good if you like medical related mysteries.

Cheers!
 
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman

For light reads, anything by David Sedaris.
 
.The Man with the Iron Tattoo ..and Other True Tales of Uncommon Wisdom: What Our Patients Have Taught Us About Love, Faith and Healing.
 
i second tom clancy's net force and freakanomics
 
I really enjoyed Intern Blues, I also enjoyed This Side of Doctoring Reflections from Women in Medicine by Dr. Eliza Lo Chin. It was fun to read so many different stories from all sorts of different women going through their medical lives at different points in time. A good read.

Currently, I'm reading Take the Risk by Dr. Ben Carson and A Life Decoded: My Genome: My Life by Craig J. Venter. So far, these are going great.

My list of "things I'd love to read" gets longer every day! :laugh:

On the non-medical side: I'm a huge fan of all of Douglas Adams' work and the books are much better than the movie (although it was a good effort).
 
The Communist Manifesto
 
Health/medicine: The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down, Infections & Inequalities

Other: Unaccustomed Earth, The Yiddish Policemen's Union
 
The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir. It will forever change the way you view gender.
 
The Language of God

Dr. Francis Collins.
 
None of these are really related to medicine per se, but they are fascinating books nevertheless.

The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. It's pretty easy to read and it gets me thinking...it was written a while ago, though. 1960s.

Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (for those who liked The Handmaid's Tale)

Ready or Not -- Here Life Comes by Mel Levine. <-- Interesting reflections on the dilemmas that young people face when choosing a career.
 
Stuff I have enjoyed recently:

Uninsured in America - Susan Starr Sered and Rushika Fernandopulle

Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life - Jon Lee Anderson
Che's life is a great read. I really enjoyed the way this is written. And FYI in case you don't know, Che was trained as a physician.

The Hound of the Baskervilles - Arthur Conan Doyle

Why We Can't Wait - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
This is just spectacular. Everyone should read this.
 
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