Saturday, October 1, 2011
Book Review
Now that I'm not working, I have time to (gasp) read for fun. It's been a long time coming.
And I have taken advantage of it. One book that I read recently is In Stitches by Anthony Youn, MD.
Autobiographies are a difficult thing to write. You want to be thoughtful, entertaining, yet true to your past - which is not an easy balance of things to do. And Dr. Youn manages. His is a story that many people can relate to - the need to simultaneously honor and escape your past, the need to excel and the work involved in doing so. He is honest enough to admit his flaws, again not an easy thing to do.
Doctors will smile as his wit draws pictures of med school that others will swear are exaggerated, but we know are not. We all have his Nancy in our memories.
He evokes growing up in small-town Western Michigan well. And as an MSU grad, I loved the memories of E. Lansing...although I tended to hang out at Harrison's Roadhouse instead of USA Cafe. ;)
And we can all enjoy his growth from boy to man. It is an honor to share in that journey. Read this book!
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7 comments:
Dr. Youn's book is on my wish list too. And I have another one for you, Abraham Verghese's Cutting for Stone. I opened it as I sat on a plane that was 7th in line for takeoff with 2 crying babies nearby. The opening scenes are irresistible (especially to an obstetrician) and I did not even notice our takeoff, the crying babies, or anything else. He is an internist but he has to have done some obstetrics in his life to write about it as he does. Have enjoyed his other books too. Have fun with your reading!
I have been reading your BLOG a while now, but never commented. Did I miss something, somewhere about you leaving your job? I thought you loved what you were doing? Are you looking for something else and relocating? Sorry to be nosey. You have always been so passionate in your posts about your achievements, and I was really suprised. Sorry if you answered this alredy. Regardless, enjoy the time with your kiddos, you can never get this time back, and with your specialty I would imagine you missed a lot??? Best Wishes!
For anon7:57-
Yes, I am passionate about OB-Gyn. But I did leave the job for many reasons...3 of whom I live with. I'm calling it a sabbatical.
I'm considering signing up for locums work to maintain OR skills. But right now, I need time to clear my head and concentrate on my family. I don't blog about them (very much, anyways) since they read this blog (I have never hidden anything that I've written from them...hell, hubby sometimes proofs reads!). But they have felt the effects of me basically living at the hospital. And that's not fair to them.
I may go back into full-time work after my youngest graduates. I may not.
Anon4:54, I have heard of Verghese but have not sampled him yet. My favorite things to read are about British royal history...that family fascinates me!
How odd as i too adore the British royal family. What about the triple obstetric tragedy of Princess Charlotte in 1817? Straying from ob, one of my favorite characters is Edwina Mountbatten, wildly licentious in youth, though not without lovers even in middle age, became a dedicated head of St. John Ambulance volunteers and died in Borneo on a St. John trip. Fascinating woman.
I commend your decision to be at home and the fact that you are in a position to be able to. If you don't mind me asking, is your DH an MD too? Relish the moments with your youngings (I am not sure their ages but obviously still quite young). In the end, they will appreciate you being there. Best of luck to you!
Hubby is not an MD...he's a real doctor! He's looking for a tenure track position...which in his field are extremely uncommon.
Kids are in 2nd and 6th grade. They're both terrific kids and I'm loving having this time to spend with them. I recognize that this is precious...I will go back to work after DH knows where he will be (he has on-campus interviews this month) because I need to keep up my skills but this time is recharging my emotional bank.
Oh, and the triple OB tragedy! If you think about it...really changed the course of history. Without it, you would never have Victoria...or her hemophilia. The reaction of various royal families to this disease has literally made history...fun to think about the what-ifs.
Thank you for the nice review! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I, too hung out at Harrison's. Go State!
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