Book recommedations for a high school student

[deadwood]

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I'm looking for recommendation on books about becoming a doctor that aspiring high school students might find interesting .

 

[SolidGold]

House of God by Samuel Shem, M.D.

You'll be able to find many threads about books if you do a search on the boards.

 

[lady bug]

A Not Entirely Benign Procedure by Perri Klass
The Cost-Effective Use of Leeches by Jeff Drayer (a fun read)

 

[NE_Cornhusker1]

The Bartender's Black Book: The Drink Recipe Collection for the 21st Century, Sixth Edition

It's a good read and should come in handy for you in college.

Here's a link to purchase it;

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1891267361/qid=1053570436/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/002-0817722-0258433

You'll learn that a 'slippery nipple' does not neccesarily involve nudity but may very well lead to it.

Oh, and those books are good too. Any pre-med advising book would also be a good investment. Peace.

 

[dankev]

If you're feeling really ambitious, subscribe to the New England Journal of Medicine. The student rate is about half that of the normal price. Not only will it help to get/keep you up to speed on the latest medical research, but getting used to reading this type of literature will help you all through college and on the MCAT (which, fortunately for you, is a long ways away 😀 ).

 

[Naphtali]

Originally posted by lady bug
A Not Entirely Benign Procedure by Perri Klass
The Cost-Effective Use of Leeches by Jeff Drayer (a fun read)

Actually, I didn't like that one by Klass. I thought that much of it was her being defensive for her own moral values. I also thought she was quite disingenuous. Her description of how she ended up in med school seemed... well, phony.

Now here's a good one about med school: To Do No Harm by Philip Reilly, M.D.

-Naphtali

 

[almostThere]

My suggestion is Gifted Hands by Ben Carsen. He's such a wonderful, humble, person from all accounts.

 

[group_theory]

"Complications" by Atul Gawande

It was a National Book Award Finalist.

Atul Gawande is a graduate of Harvard Med and an excellent writer.

To quote from the cover of the book

"None surpass Gawande in the ability to create a sense of immediacy, in his power to conjure the reality of the ward, the thrill of the moment-by-moment medical or surgical drama. Complications impresses for its truth and authenticity."
-New York Times Book Review

"Gawand is arguably the best nonfiction doctor-writer around ... He's prescient and thoughtful ... the heir to Lewis Thomas' humble, insightful, and brilliantly crafted oeuvre."
-Salon.com


I know I sound like a book salesman but it's a good book. Dr. Gawande is an excellent writer and I highly recommend this book.

Another book I would recommend is "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down" by Anne Fadiman.

It deals with the true story of culture clashes as Hmong immigrants from Laos comes in contact with Western society and Western Medicine. This book provides the viewpoint of the Hmong family, the doctors involved, the social worker involved, etc.

Both will make a good bedtime read (or for those long flights)

 

[Moskeeto]

its not about doctors, but its my favorite book and i think it still fits
The Demon Haunted World by the late great Carl Sagan. an absolutely fabulous book that I wish I would have read in high school.

heres a quote from it:

"If we can't think for ourselves, if we're unwilling to question authority, then we're just putty in the hands of those in power. But if the citizens are educated and form their own opinions, then those in power work for us. In every country, we should be teaching our children the scientific method and the reasons for a Bill of Rights. With it comes a certain decency, humility and community spirit. In the demon-haunted world that we inhabit by virtue of being human, this may be all that stands between us and the enveloping darkness."

 

[vixenell]

Originally posted by Moskeeto
its not about doctors, but its my favorite book and i think it still fits
The Demon Haunted World by the late great Carl Sagan. an absolutely fabulous book that I wish I would have read in high school.

Definately agree with this one... Ive read all of his books... sadly, I hadn't heard of him until he passed. I recieved DHW as a high school graduation gift from my now late chem teacher

Speaking of Sagan's Demon Haunetd World...

I'd also recommend A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers

 

[IrishOarsman]

props to complications, quite a good book.

eggers is over-rated. 🙂

 

[UCLAstudent]

I agree with the suggestion of Ben Carson's Gifted Hands.

I also would add The Intern Blues by Robert Marion, and Learning How the Heart Beats by Claire McCarthy.

 

[Moskeeto]

Originally posted by vixenell

Speaking of Sagan's Demon Haunetd World...

very nice.

 

[Ramoray]

"Becoming a Physician: A Practical and Creative Guide to Planning a Career in Medicine" by Jennifer and Marita Danek. I bought and read this when I was a senior in high school and I think it helped a ton. I actually have two copies if you didn't want to pay for it.

 

[manicmaven]

yay, go carl sagan!

 

[IrishOarsman]

You can also go to amazon.com and search for any one of these books... they tend to be crosslisted with just about everything being mentioned here plus some