Good Books to read

BU Medical Sciences
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
M

minou80

New Member
10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2004
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Members do not see this ad.
Hello All,
I am new to SDN and I'm in a rush right now but I have a quick Q, I love to read and was wondering if there is a list of interesting books recommended by Medical school students, premeds or professionals. (also books that might help me in anyway shape or form in the verbal on the mcat or medical school or just enlightens me somehow)

Thank you 🙂
Amy
Ps. There is a beautiful biography of Teddy Roosvelt that I will send out later, even non biography readers will like it
 
read atlas shrugged by ayn rand, one of my favorites
 
If you have not read "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" then your life is not complete. The title is not an overstatement; the book is a heartbreaking work of staggering genius. Read it and you will not be disappointed. If you seek enlightenment, this will surely give it to you.
 
House of God by Samuel Shem (just because everyone in medicine has read it)

Complications by Atul Gawande (especially if you have any interest in surgery)

-J
 
The Britannica Encyclopedia A-Z? 😀
 
If you're looking for stuff to read to help with the MCAT verbal section, read things related to philosophy, art history, psychology, and theology. Read to learn, not for leisure.

Influence by Robert Cialdini
The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James
Stuff by NT Wright.

I can't recally any philosophy stuff offhand, other than the William James book mentioned above. Read stuff on the internet too. I read several pages of whatever each day, just to satiate my own curiosity. You'd be amazed how much information is out there.
 
minou80 said:
Hello All,
I am new to SDN and I'm in a rush right now but I have a quick Q, I love to read and was wondering if there is a list of interesting books recommended by Medical school students, premeds or professionals. (also books that might help me in anyway shape or form in the verbal on the mcat or medical school or just enlightens me somehow)

Thank you 🙂
Amy
Ps. There is a beautiful biography of Teddy Roosvelt that I will send out later, even non biography readers will like it
Click to expand...

I like to read interesting books that educate me. try "Eleanor of Aquitaine" by Alison Weir (or anything by Alison Weir). She is an excellent historian, and her books are interesting reads-not hard to stay involved in at all.
 
Believe me, this is my second year in medical school and people just do not go around discussing William James or Shakespeare or whatever. We're the smartest people around, but in science, our knowledge of literature is essentially at the level of college freshman rerquired reading. But that's okay because we're paid to know science, not contemplate postmodernism or Noam Chomsky. Forget about that stuff, you're a nerd or else you wouldn't be where you are today. And there's nothing wrong with that, that's why medicine is what it is. Be proud of it and go back to your physiology textbook. You'll thank yourself when you start your first year. Besides most science textbooks are written at a higher level than novels anyway. Catch up on your cultural literacy after residency or when you retire.
 
I would suggest reading The Difference a DO makes.
 
"The Art of Medicine" By Kevin Soden, M.D.

I regard this book very highly!
 
catskrch said:
Catch up on your cultural literacy after residency or when you retire.
Click to expand...

I could probably crash the SDN server with the length of a post I'd need to adequately say how much I disagree with this.

Once you're in med school you'll have very little time for leisure reading. Read all the novels you want right now. Read all the classics you never got to but always wished you had.

The verbal section is a test of your ability to read something and understand it. It's timed so you can't spend forever on each passage. The more you read the easier it will be for you to get through it.
 
try "A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters" by Julian Barnes. It's fantastic... Sort of a postmodern revisionist history, but very hilarious.

also, for the saddest book i've ever read, "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger. it's a fantastic book, but a bit sad really.

anything by Kurt Vonnegut is amazing... "Sirens of Titan" is my personal favorite and "Bagomboo Snuffbux" (a collection of short stories) is excellent as well.

i have plenty more suggestions, but will stop here for now...

John
 
The DOs: Osteopathic Medicine in America
 
House of God..Samuel Shem I know this was posted already, just wanted to second it. It gives a great account of the harsh reality of medicine...It is the "Catch 22" of medicine.
 
House of God - a must read for all med students
A not entirely benign procedure
Body of Knowledge - About Gross Anatomy (although this gets a little boring after awhile.)
Learning to Play God - A classic easy read, I read this in Jr High
The DO's

Happy readings
 
domsport said:
House of God..Samuel Shem
Click to expand...

+1, and what ever other litiary works you wish to read, because you will have no time to read anything once you start, I miss my friends Nitzsche, Shakesphere, Pablo Nerbo, and Franklin w. Dixon 😎
 
medical books

First, Do No Harm
The Lost Art of Healing (if you read any book in your life before being a doctor, read this one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Complications
When the Air Hits Your Brain

non medical

Da Vinci Code
Angels and Demons
 
I love reading, but I had not read for a long time due to college/med school work. Now that boards are over and I have senioritis, I have been reading again. I have been reading some of the classic literature that I have wanted to read but haven't gotten to yet. So far I have read:

1984 (scary-as-hell look at what society could possibly turn into 😱 )
The Lord of the Flies (I read this in ninth grade but just wanted to read it again.)

I have bought The Catcher in the Rye and The Great Gatsby, two other classics that I have been wanting to read. Haven't gotten to them yet though (I don't feel like reading after 12-hour ER shifts).

Also, it's not classic literature, but I have read Skipping Christmas by John Grisham (a cute holiday book that I finished in a couple hours - is out as a movie right now, Christmas with the Kranks).

Don't read anything medical! You have enough time in med school for that. Read something fun.

(and I've never read House of God 😱 )
 
DOtobe said:
Don't read anything medical! You have enough time in med school for that. Read something fun.
Click to expand...

i'll second this... there is so much medicine in school that there's no sense starting it early!! read for pleasure... fiction/non-fiction, whatever strikes you, because once you start school, there won't be time for it.
 
Ok, this is a serious bump from 2004, but I couldn't find any other book threads.

I love this idea that people started of sharing their favorite book lists so go ahead - add yours!!!!!

I also bumped up a couple of book list threads in pre-allo for your entertainment as well.

I'm about to read "I am America and so can you" by Stephen Colbert.
 
I am currently reading Stiff by Mary Roach. It is an interesting and hilarious book about the world of cadavers. I finished Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance, the sequel to Dr. Atul Gawande's Complications: A Surgeon's Note on Imperfect Science, two weeks ago. That one was pretty good too. First Do No Harm by Lisa Blinkin deals with more ethical dilemmas of medicine, and House of God is pretty lewd, but funny.
 
megboo said:
I'm about to read "I am America and so can you" by Stephen Colbert.
Click to expand...

Hilarious book! a great read. Wouldn't it be great if he really ran for president.

I recently read Kiterunner and it was excellent, also Final Exam: A surgeons reflections on mortality (concerns medicine but is very interesting)
 
White Coat by Ellen Lerner Rothman is an awesome read for pre-meds. I really enjoyed it because the book is separated into sections where each of the four years in med school is a section. You really start to feel like you're living your med school experience vicariously through her, it's a lot of fun! I also found that it answers questions about med school that many of us have. Enjoy 👍
 
"Animals in Translation" by Temple Grandin

http://www.templegrandin.com/

One of the best books I've ever read, especially if you are interested in Animal (and human) behavior and the evolutionary and physiological connections. Temple is Autistic (structurally autistic not enviromentally autistic) and has her PhD in Animal Behavior. She is well known for totally revolutionizing the way slaughter houses work by making them both easier to run and more humane to the animals by working with their behavioral tendencies and feelings. She does a lot of comparison work on the functions/limitations of the autistic brain with the functions/limitations of the animal brain, which is very interesting if you have any interest in Autism (which I do)


Can not recommend this book enough
 
HooahDOc said:
If you're looking for stuff to read to help with the MCAT verbal section, read things related to philosophy, art history, psychology, and theology. Read to learn, not for leisure.
Click to expand...

as a pre med student, not everything you read has to be related to medicine or related to helping you in your career. reading for leisure is AMAZING. i forget sometimes because i have so litlte time to do it during the school year, that all i do when i get home is read for leisure. and whos says you dont learn when you read for leisure?

Books I reccommend that were fantastic:

A Lesson Before Dying by Earnest Gaines
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
A Gathering of Old Men by Earnest Gaines
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (might be kind of hard to read if you are really religious but a good read nonetheless)

If you are looking to read something that is related to medicine but is an easy read:
The Youngest Science by Lewis Thomas (autobiography of his life and how medicine has changed over the last century)
The Scalpel and the Silver Bear by Lori Alvord (story of the first navajo surgeon. tries to balance her navajo beliefs with western medicine...its a very good story)
The China Study by T. Colin Campbell (most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted)
 
Gregory Maguire's: Wicked, Son of a Witch, Mirror Mirror and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister are all very good retellings of classic fairy tales.
One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Time Travel in Einstein's Universe - J Richard Gott
any of Stephen Pinker's books
Salt: A World History - Mark Kurlansky
The Elegant Universe - Brian Greene
Proof of Vedic Culture's Global Existence - Stephen Knapp
The Book of General Ignorance - John Mitchinson John Lloyd
Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
The Dante Club - Matthew Pearl
 
I really enjoyed "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston.
 
Wow, I wouldn't know where to start for this. I read so many books its ridiculous, you can't consider reading an addiction can you? One of my favorites though is

Mutants: On Genetic Variety and the Human Body by Armand Leroi

This is a great read if you have some background in developmental biology, it can be a bit unsettling read if you are queasy about some really terrible mutations though (Its got quite a few photographs).

Another really excellent book is Candide by Voltaire, its a great French satire and the best part is its only about a 120 pages long.

And I also have secret fetish for all books from the Dragonlance series.😍
 
I can't believe that this thread has been goin' on since 2004. That's freaky:scared:. Anyway read "One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez". Your life won't be the same after you finish it.😉
 
Obviously I recommend "I Am America, and So Can You!" and "Wigfield" both by Stephen Colbert. Wigfield is really hilarious if you think Stranger's With Candy was funny.
 
A different set of books:
So, if you're interested in public health, racism/oppression, and social justice/medicine, here are some books I would definitely check out:

-Medical Apartheid by Harriet Washington
-And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts
-Prozac on the Couch
-Body Hunters by Sonia Shah

I second the comments above about reading for pleasure before you start med school. Especially if you do not have a strong social science background to begin with.
 
Final Exam by Pauline Chen. A great book about death in medicine and how physicians deal with it.

House of God Everyone has mentioned it already, but I'm reading it right now and its pretty interesting
 
Tallion said:
Final Exam by Pauline Chen. A great book about death in medicine and how physicians deal with it.

House of God Everyone has mentioned it already, but I'm reading it right now and its pretty interesting
Click to expand...

👍 loved this book!
 
.For those entering the osteopathic profession or applying, the following books have been recommended by a past Pre-SOMA Director:
.
.
.
.1. ..The DO's: Osteopathic Medicine in America.., by Norman Gevitz, ISBN: 0-8018-7834-9.
.a. ..Written by a History Professor at Ohio University, this is an enjoyable, easy read outlining the emergence of Osteopathic Medicine in this country, and offering an unbiased, objective analysis of the profession..

.2. ..Foundations for Osteopathic Medicine.., 2nd Edition.., by the AOA, ISBN: 0-7817-3497-5.
.a. ..This book is required for most osteopathic medical students and serves, as the name implies, as the foundation for Osteopathic medicine! It is a good reference book to keep in your bookcase for years to come, and a comprehensive resource for understanding the principles and practices of Osteopathic medicine..

.3. ..On Doctoring: Stories, Poems, Essays.., Edited by Richard Reynolds, MD & John Stone, MD, ISBN: 0-7432-0153-1.
.a. ..For those of you poetically inclined, this is a nice collection of poems, essays and stories pertaining in various fashions to the practice of medicine..

.4. ..Touching: The Human Significance of the Skin.., by Ashley Montagu, ISBN: 0-06-096028-0.
.a. ..This is a fascinating book, drawing from numerous scientific studies to analyze the importance of touch in the growth, development and health of humans and other animals alike. For medical professionals who are dedicated to utilizing hands-on treatment techniques to facilitate the healing process of their patients, this book will serve to further solidify your belief in the healing power of touch!.

.5. ..Clinically Oriented Anatomy, 5th Edition.., by Keith L. Moore & Arthur F. Dalley, ISBN: 0-7817-3639-0.
.a. ..A good understanding of the basic anatomy of the human body is key in practicing good quality medicine (and especially crucial to all of you aspiring surgeons out there!). This particular anatomy book is very popular among students because of its focus on clinical application and its user-friendly lay-out..
 
I'm sure similar threads have been made over the years but here's one from pre-allo.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=10620492

Not sure if this is just for books relevant to pre-osteo students but a DO I knew recommended "Anatomy of Potency". Cool story behind it but basically it's a compilation of lectures so not the best writing style. It's interesting and might help give you some background.

Edit: First part is more about philosophy of Osteopathic technique and it gets slightly abstract towards the end with the use of physics equations.
 
Last edited:
HealingDoc said:
.For those entering the osteopathic profession or applying, the following books have been recommended by a past Pre-SOMA Director:
.
.
.
.1. ..The DO’s: Osteopathic Medicine in America.., by Norman Gevitz, ISBN: 0-8018-7834-9.
.a. ..Written by a History Professor at Ohio University, this is an enjoyable, easy read outlining the emergence of Osteopathic Medicine in this country, and offering an unbiased, objective analysis of the profession..

.2. ..Foundations for Osteopathic Medicine.., 2nd Edition.., by the AOA, ISBN: 0-7817-3497-5.
.a. ..This book is required for most osteopathic medical students and serves, as the name implies, as the foundation for Osteopathic medicine! It is a good reference book to keep in your bookcase for years to come, and a comprehensive resource for understanding the principles and practices of Osteopathic medicine..

.3. ..On Doctoring: Stories, Poems, Essays.., Edited by Richard Reynolds, MD & John Stone, MD, ISBN: 0-7432-0153-1.
.a. ..For those of you poetically inclined, this is a nice collection of poems, essays and stories pertaining in various fashions to the practice of medicine..

.4. ..Touching: The Human Significance of the Skin.., by Ashley Montagu, ISBN: 0-06-096028-0.
.a. ..This is a fascinating book, drawing from numerous scientific studies to analyze the importance of touch in the growth, development and health of humans and other animals alike. For medical professionals who are dedicated to utilizing hands-on treatment techniques to facilitate the healing process of their patients, this book will serve to further solidify your belief in the healing power of touch!.

.5. ..Clinically Oriented Anatomy, 5th Edition.., by Keith L. Moore & Arthur F. Dalley, ISBN: 0-7817-3639-0.
.a. ..A good understanding of the basic anatomy of the human body is key in practicing good quality medicine (and especially crucial to all of you aspiring surgeons out there!). This particular anatomy book is very popular among students because of its focus on clinical application and its user-friendly lay-out..
Click to expand...

I just got an interview invite from SOMA! Thanks for the post, I did plan on reading the DOs from several other recommendations I've found so I'll have to read it before April 22nd 🙂
 
If you are looking for field related books, my favorites are:

-House of God
-Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs
-Hot lights, Cold Steel
-Complications
 
The following were recommended by my pre-med adviser. Some have been mentioned in this thread already, but I don't feel like editing the list.

1. The Youngest Science – Lewis Thomas
2. Becoming a Doctor – Melvin Konner
3. To Do No Harm – Philip Reilly
4. The Physician – Noah Gordon
5. The Cutting Edge – Joni Scalia
6. Learning to Play God – Robert Marion
7. Who Goes First? The Story of Self-Experimentation in Medicine – Lawrence Altman
8. Books by Peri Klass
9. My Own Country – Abraham Verghese
10. How We Die – Sherwin Nuland
11. The Puzzle People: Memories of a Transplant Surgeon – Thomas Starzl
12. Days of Grace – Arthur Ashe
13. A Whole New Life – Reynolds Price
14. Harvard Med – Johns Langone
15. Why We Get Sick – Randolph Neese and George Williams
16. A Way of Thinking – A Primer on the Art of Being a Doctor – Barton Haynes (ed.)
17. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down – Anne Fadiman
18. Complications – Atul Gawande/ Better – Atul Gawande
19. Mountains Beyond Mountains – T. Kidder
20. Final Exam – Pauline Chen
21. Intern – Sandeep Jauhar
22. Something for the Pain: Compassion and Burnout in the ER – Paul Austin
 
Tallion said:
Final Exam by Pauline Chen. A great book about death in medicine and how physicians deal with it.

House of God Everyone has mentioned it already, but I'm reading it right now and its pretty interesting
Click to expand...

Samuel Shem also wrote a sequel to House of God, it is called Mount Misery. It is not quite as good as its predecessor, but it is still very funny. It covers his early Psychiatrist years. By the way, the end of House of God with the tongue depressor literally almost made me pee my pants. I can still think about it and laugh (i read the book about 5 or 6 years ago). 🙂
 
Oliver Sacks - The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat

Also just finished Freakonomics, another fun one.
 
Tallion said:
Final Exam by Pauline Chen. A great book about death in medicine and how physicians deal with it.

House of God Everyone has mentioned it already, but I'm reading it right now and its pretty interesting
Click to expand...

I've read both book.

I loved Final Exam; I thought it was a great book for any pre-med who wants a deep insight about medicine.

However, House of God was a terrible, terrible book. It's full of nonsense and cynisim, and lacks real medicine. I, honestly, couldn't finish it, and found it hard to read. Perhaps, that was because of me being a second english language speaker that crippled my comprehension of American sarcasm.
 
"Deadly Spin"
It's written by a former Health Insurance Executive (from Cigna) who is now a whistleblower. It gives alot of insight into the intricacies of the health insurance industry. Highly Recommended

These aren't pre-med books specifically, but I highly recommend "Blue Zones" and "The Personal MBA."

"Blue Zones" is about 4 areas (Sardinia, Okinawa, Loma Linda, and Costa Rica) that have an unusually high concentration of centenarians. These centenarians don't just live longer - they also seem to live very fulfilling lives.

"The Personal MBA" attempts to pack all the knowledge learned in business school into one book, and a bit more. The first half of the book goes over topics specific to business (of course), such as sales, marketing, finance, etc. The second half goes over material applied in business - but that can also be applied extensively in your personal life. This includes, the human mind (and how it works), dealing with yourself, dealing with others, and systems analysis (which can be applied to med school, since the body is a system that contains many systems).
 
Last edited:
Im quite upset right now. Im in bangkok and about to fly to singapore, Sydney (australia), LA, than up to Vancouver Canada......all I wanted was to read House of God after seeing it posted on here numerous times. BUT NO, dam thai bookstores didnt have it 🙁 lol
 
Ibn Alnafis MD said:
I've read both book.

I loved Final Exam; I thought it was a great book for any pre-med who wants a deep insight about medicine.

However, House of God was a terrible, terrible book. It's full of nonsense and cynisim, and lacks real medicine. I, honestly, couldn't finish it, and found it hard to read. Perhaps, that was because of me being a second english language speaker that crippled my comprehension of American sarcasm.
Click to expand...

I felt the same way. I found it strenuous to get to the middle and I kept hoping it'd get better. It perpetuated that idea of medicine that to get things done on the ward, it's not what you know, but who you sleep with 🙄
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
how to get a good LOR while shadowing
Replies
12
Views
1K
LizzyM
LizzyM
M
  • Locked
Is there anybody willing to read/revise/edit my personal statement?
Replies
4
Views
2K
chilly_md
chilly_md
C
Needed some advice on what DO school to apply to
Replies
4
Views
232
chillstill
C
N
To explain a lower GPA or MCAT or not to explain
Replies
7
Views
496
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
B
Smart to apply to DO school?
Replies
11
Views
1K
bananabuttercup
B
Top