Book Review - Immortal Bird: A Family Memoir by Doron Weber

Immortal Bird: A Family Memoir by Doron Weber

With fiction, it is easier to rate a book, or talk about what you like/dislike about the plot and the characters. But it is trickier to review memoir, because if you don't like how the "story" goes, you are criticizing the characters or actions of real people instead.

I read a few reviews of this book - "a searing account of a father’s struggle to save his remarkable son from a rare heart condition that threatens his life" - and some common themes arose - that the author was name dropping a lot (about the different famous doctors and scientists he knows, and his son got to appear in a TV series etc), and that Damon, the author's son, was just too perfect.

To me though, the name dropping did not bother me - I took it as a fact that the author consulted with credible sources - so it's like citing references without citing them formally with footnote and a bibliography. The author was lucky enough to have a rich network of people who were willing to share their knowledge with him (which implied that the author was quite well liked or the experts could have just ignored his requests). If my son had a fatal disease, and if I had people I could reach out to, you betcha I would do everything I could to save my child's life. It is not something I would've understood until I had my own child (and coincidentally, Damon and my son shared a birthday.) I am also the type of person who would do a lot of research on a topic I focus on - the pro and the con, the evidence and stats and examples... And really, the author needed to make informed decisions for his son's care, and it just showed his dedication. He really was Damon's advocate in his care. That's way better than parents who neglect their children. (Though personally I might not have gone as far as demanding the doctor's personal phone number... but who knows what I would do if I was in his shoes. When I had my C-section that required a 3 nights stay, the pediatrician doing the rounds did give us his cell phone number even though he is not our pediatrician.... so I don't know what the usual protocol is.)

I also wouldn't have understood why parents say their children are perfect until now... my son is just perfect - he is perfect for US, but it doesn't mean he is a perfect person, or that he doesn't have faults. It is just that we couldn't have asked for a better son. The author did mention Damon's flaws (e.g. not doing well in math, took a while to make new friends at the Tech, throwing some teenager tantrums etc) but really, it is refreshing to see such a strong bond between father and son. The scene where Damon, who was 16 years old at the time, sat on his dad's lap in front of his friends, spoke volume about their relationship.


As far as the writing goes - I am definitely not an expert - it just took me a while to finish the book but I never thought to stop or abandon the book. And I was so glad I read the last few chapters at home, instead of on the bus, because I would have been a mess - in fact, I stayed up late to finish the book because I couldn't put it down, despite that I had to get up at 5:45am the next day to go to work early.

Since I work in process improvement in healthcare, the topic about the care Damon received particularly interested me. Of course we have only heard from one side of the story - but if what the author said was true (and perception is the truth in a patient's or their caregiver's eyes), then there are definitely a lot of things we as a medical institution can learn from. It reminded me of Josie's Story: A Mother's Inspiring Crusade to Make Medical Care Safe by Sorrel King which I read back in 2009 - though this book is a dedication to the author's son, and the topic of patient safety is a by-product, whereas Sorrel King's book really is about what she did to make medical care safer after her daughter's unfortunate death. I read from a Q&A that this book was used as a study guide and basis for seminars and discussions at San Diego Children's Hospital, so I hope more can be done based on this tragic story.

3.5 Stars.

PS - the book mentioned Damon played a small part in the HBO show Deadwood. I have not heard of the show before, but was curious to find out more (told you, I like doing research! :) ) and happened to find a clip of him in the show - he was the red hair boy who left on the wagon (you probably would have recognized him based on his photo on the book):

http://immortalbirdpostscript.wordpress.com/2012/06/22/video-clip-of-damon-on-deadwood/


Note - A copy was given as part of the TLC Tour.

Don't forget to check out the rest of the tour stops!

Tuesday, April 30th:  Lavish Bookshelf

Monday, May 6th:  Blooming with Books

Wednesday, May 8th:  Fifty Books Project

Thursday, May 9th:  Read Lately - review

Thursday, May 9th:  Read Lately - author Q&A

Thursday, May 9th:  Speaking of Books

Monday, May 13th:  River City Reading

Tuesday, May 14th:  Between the Covers

Thursday, May 16th:  She Treads Softly

Monday, May 20th:  Mental Foodie

Thursday, May 23rd:  Perks of being a JAP

Tuesday, June 4th:  Luxury Reading - author guest post/giveaway

All reviews and posts are copyrighted by Christa @ Mental Foodie. Please do not use or reprint them without written permission.

Book Review - Love Anthony by Lisa Genova

Love Anthony by Lisa Genova

I love Genova's first book, Still Alice. I thought her second book, Left Neglect, was okay (see review here).  I was excited to hear she had a 3rd book out!

I think now that I am a mum, I can understand the mum/child connection better. The aspect I love the most about this book, is for me to learn more about autism from the autistic person's perspective as I do not know a lot about it, and it was eye opening. This reminds me of Still Alice in that regard.

However, I felt that there is an aspect of the story that is a bit unbelievable. I don't want to spoil it by revealing what it is, but for those of you who had read it would know what I mean. Is it impossible? Maybe, maybe not, I don't know, but I felt it weakened the story. Thus I gave it 3.75 Stars since I couldn't decide between 3.5 or 4.



Note - The book was borrowed from the library.



All reviews and posts are copyrighted by Christa @ Mental Foodie. Please do not use or reprint them without written permission.

Book Review - The Man with the Beautiful Voice: And More Stories from the Other Side of the Couch by Lillian Rubin

Title: The Man with the Beautiful Voice: And More Stories from the Other Side of the Couch 
Author: Lillian Rubin
Year: 2004
Page: 176
Genre: Non-Fiction - Medical

FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from goodreads.com):
In her long career as a psychotherapist, acclaimed author Lillian Rubin occasionally encountered patients who demanded a very special, even unorthodox, therapeutic approach. For the first time, Dr. Rubin tells the stories of her most fascinating, most challenging cases from the other side of the couch, focusing not just on the patient, but on her own inner process as she confronts the issues each case raises.

First Sentence:
It's my first day at the clinic where I'm about to begin my internship, the necessary prelude to getting licensed as a psychotherapist. 

My Thoughts:

Why this book?

• Would like to learn more about psychotherapy - just a personal interest since I was a psych major and am working on a project related to this topic. I love reading medical related non-fiction anyway, especially when they are case studies (in layperson terms, not in scientific jargon)

First thought:

•  Interesting!

Cover Art:

• Indifferent, though it's relevant to one of the cases

Title:

• It's taken after one of the cases - not sure if it's my favorite case in the book, but a memorable one

Writing:

• Easy to read

Plot:

• The book included several case patients Dr Rubin had in the past - so it almost read like short stories

• There were both success and failure stories in the book - so Dr Rubin wasn't just tooting her own horn. Some patients were long term patients, requiring years of theraphy. There was no magical treatment that cured the patients overnight

Characters:

• Dr Rubin seemed well liked and approachable. I liked that she explained why she took a certain approach with different patients. It was almost like you could hear her inner thoughts as she assessed the patients

• She was also very honest - you'd think being a psychotherapist she'd be sympathetic - yes she was, but just not 24/7. She's human after all! 

Ending:

• I read this a while back and couldn't quite remember how it ended. However since this was a collection of patient stories, the ending wasn't quite as critical as say, a fictional story.

Emotion:

• There was one particularly sad story, and I am sure it haunted Dr Rubin. But I guess we had to remember that the doctor could only do so much - their role was to guide the patient, it really is up to the patient to make their own decision

What I Learned:

• The term "passing" in relation to race. Haven't heard of it before (explanation in wiki). 

• For couple therapy - the therapist was not supposed to see the couple individually (according to Dr Rubin anyway), e.g. if the husband told the therapist he cheated, and the therapist told the wife then it broke patient (the husband's) confidentiality. If the therapist chose not to tell the wife, and the wife found out later, she would not trust the therapist as she might think the therapist sided with the husband and kept the wife in the dark

• If a patient asked something and the therapist did not want to answer yes or no right then since either option was appropriate (because of the consequences), answered the question in a way that left the option open instead (e.g. "if you complete the next step, then we can readdress the issue then" instead of saying yes or no to that issue straight away)

PS:

• Made me wonder if someone had to go through therapy himself/herself, in order to become a good therapist, so they'd know what their patients go through? Since I had a psych major, I had considered going back to school to learn about therapy/counseling. However, I had a fairly stable, non-dramatic life. Would I be sympathetic enough?

Read this Author again?

• Most likely

Quote:

Freud himself knew that there was no cure and no transformation, only the possibility of transcending. Which is why he promised only to turn neurotic suffering into ordinary pain. (p159-160)

Overall Rating:
4 Stars. Learned something new!

All reviews and posts are copyrighted by Christa @ Mental Foodie. Please do not use or reprint them without written permission.

Book Review - Oxygen by Carol Cassella

Title: Oxygen 
Author: Carol Cassella
Year: 2008
Page: 288
Genre: Fiction - Medical

FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from goodreads.com):
With the compassion of Jodi Picoult and the medical realism of Atul Gawande, Oxygen is a riveting new novel by a real-life anesthesiologist, an intimate story of relationships and family that collides with a high-stakes medical drama.

Dr. Marie Heaton is an anesthesiologist at the height of her profession. She has worked, lived and breathed her career since medical school, and she now practices at a top Seattle hospital. Marie has carefully constructed and constricted her life according to empirical truths, to the science and art of medicine. But when her tried-and-true formula suddenly deserts her during a routine surgery, she must explain the nightmarish operating room disaster and face the resulting malpractice suit. Marie's best friend, colleague and former lover, Dr. Joe Hillary, becomes her closest confidante as she twists through depositions, accusations and a remorseful preoccupation with the mother of the patient in question. As she struggles to salvage her career and reputation, Marie must face hard truths about the path she's chosen, the bridges she's burned and the colleagues and superiors she's mistaken for friends.

A quieter crisis is simultaneously unfolding within Marie's family. Her aging father is losing his sight and approaching an awkward dependency on Marie and her sister, Lori. But Lori has taken a more traditional path than Marie and is busy raising a family. Although Marie has been estranged from her Texas roots for decades, the ultimate responsibility for their father's care is falling on her.

As her carefully structured life begins to collapse, Marie confronts questions of love and betrayal, family bonds and the price of her own choices. Set against the natural splendor of Seattle, and inside the closed vaults of hospital operating rooms, Oxygen climaxes in a final twist that is as heartrending as it is redeeming.

First Sentence:
People feel so strong, so durable.

My Thoughts:

Why this book?

• I read a blog review on the author's second book, and her first book (this one, Oxygen) was mentioned in the review. I was more interested in Oxygen as I liked reading medical-related fiction since I work in health care. Suppose to have a big twist too so right up my alley!

First thought:

• Didn't quite live up to expectation...

Cover Art:

• Related to the story, but I wish it had a bit more to do with oxygen or anesthesiology since it played such an important role in the story too. But the white-on-white design is quite eye catching

Title:

• Made sense and catchy (I prefer short and to the point title to overly frilly title... The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, anyone? I can never recall the whole title)

Writing:

• While not a difficult read, it was slow at times. I thought it'd be more engaging. 

• Probably being a bit picky, but in the beginning, one of the surgeons was referred to by his last name, then in a chapter later on, he was referred to by his first name instead and I had no idea who that was since his first name was never mentioned before, and I figured it out by deduction.

Plot:

• There were some side-stories that didn't really contribute to the main story so it dragged down the pace

• The big family secret (about the main protagonist and her father) seemed forced and didn't really quite fit into the story

• Not sure if it was because I worked in health care (not direct patient care though), I could guess the big twist early on... so that took the surprise out 

Characters:

• Felt indifferent about the characters. None of them really jumped out - good or bad

• What I liked best about this story was the main portraitist's perspective on being an anesthesiologist. I haven't worked with anesthesiologists yet so it helped me understand their role a bit better.   

Ending:

• The twist was predictable, but the actual ending about one of the characters seemed a bit unrealistic? 

Emotion:

• Even though I was supposed to feel sad when the sad event happened, I didn't feel particularly sad...

• But I do feel for doctors in general - their crazy schedules, the office politics, the fear of losing the patients, and the possibility of facing malpractice lawsuits... 

What I Learned:

• What goes inside an anesthesiologist's mind

PS:

• I wondered when the story was set? It seemed like the protagonist worked in a modern hospital, and yet documentation was all on paper instead of electronically 

Read this Author again?

• Depends... 

Quote:

With the right preparation I look forward to cases like this -- calming a challenging patient in my preoperative interview. I'm playing psychiatrist as well as medicinal artist, a chemical hypnotist beckoning the frightened and the uninitiated into a secure and painless realm of trust. It's a private world I build with my patient, a world the surgeon never sees, a secret pact that never makes it into the hospital record or onto an insurance billing form. I like to think it is where I can make the most difference -- spinning the first layer of the anesthetic cocoon with language instead of drugs. (p14)

Overall Rating:
3 Stars. It's okay, could be better.

All reviews and posts are copyrighted by Christa @ Mental Foodie. Please do not use or reprint them without written permission.+-

Book Review - Left Neglected by Lisa Genova

Title: Left Neglected  
Author: Lisa Genova 
Year: 2011
Page: 336
Genre: Fiction - Medical

FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from goodreads.com):
Sarah Nickerson is like any other career-driven supermom in Welmont, the affluent Boston suburb where she leads a hectic but charmed life with her husband Bob, faithful nanny, and three children—Lucy, Charlie, and nine-month-old Linus.

Between recruiting the best and brightest minds as the vice president of human resources at Berkley Consulting; shuttling the kids to soccer, day care, and piano lessons; convincing her son’s teacher that he may not, in fact, have ADD; and making it home in time for dinner, it’s a wonder this over-scheduled, over-achieving Harvard graduate has time to breathe.
A self-confessed balloon about to burst, Sarah miraculously manages every minute of her life like an air traffic controller. Until one fateful day, while driving to work and trying to make a phone call, she looks away from the road for one second too long. In the blink of an eye, all the rapidly moving parts of her jam-packed life come to a screeching halt.

A traumatic brain injury completely erases the left side of her world, and for once, Sarah relinquishes control to those around her, including her formerly absent mother. Without the ability to even floss her own teeth, she struggles to find answers about her past and her uncertain future.

Now, as she wills herself to regain her independence and heal, Sarah must learn that her real destiny—her new, true life—may in fact lie far from the world of conference calls and spreadsheets. And that a happiness and peace greater than all the success in the world is close within reach, if only she slows down long enough to notice.

First Sentence:
I think some small part of me knew I was living an unsustainable life.

My Thoughts:

Why this book?

• Still Alice is one of my favorite books - I love how the story reveals. So when I heard the author has a new book coming out last year, I marked it on my calendar to look out for it! And reserved it from the library as soon as they had it listed. I think I was first of the queue :) This is definitely my most anticipated book of 2011 (even more so than Mockingjoy by Suzanne Collins last year!)

First thought:

• Not as good as Still Alice... :(

Cover Art:

• If I was picking a book by its cover, I think I would've passed this book. While the coloring of the cover relates to the story, I don't get why an apple was used (hopefully it wasn't influenced by the popular Twilight apple cover...) I think a painting would have been more appropriate (you'd know what I mean once you read the book, so I won't elaborate more) Not an ugly cover by any means, just think it could have been better. I do like that it is a metallic cover.

Title:

• I like it. Appropriate. Has double meanings. 

Writing:

• Like Still Alice, it is easy to read. I think I prefer books written in first person, as is this one. In the first few chapters though, they began with some passages in italics. Not sure if I like those passages as I got a little bored by them, and could see perhaps just one of them being important to the story. 

Plot:

• Have to say it's pretty predictable. Granted, Still Alice was pretty predictable too, but the way the story was revealed made it very interesting  

• The most interesting part was reading about the assessment and rehab of this medical condition, from the patient's point of view. I think this is where the author's strength is - to explain medical diseases in easy-to-understand terms, so that we have a better understanding of it than just reading a medical dictionary. I wish more was explored in this area

• The story also touched on mother-daughter relationship, and I wish it went on a bit deeper too

Characters:

• I like them fine, though we are definitely not in the same class :) But I definitely didn't feel the same connection to Sarah as I did to Alice - you couldn't help but feel for Alice, but I didn't feel the same way for Sarah even though I feel bad for what she went through

• I did like Sarah's sense of humor

• At first I wonder if it distracts from the story when Sarah's kid has "a problem", but I think it ended up weaving into the story quite nicely

Ending:

• Predictable. 

Emotion:

• Not an emotional read for me, as Still Alice was. I remember I cried a lot during Still Alice. Didn't shed a single tear with this one. Now, I don't mean every book has to be sad and depressing, but I want to be able to cry and laugh with the characters, and go through their ups and downs

PS:

• Not a bad read, but definitely didn't live up to my (high) expectations - perhaps that was my fault to have such high expectations, but it's hard not to after Still Alice!

• I don't regret reading it, I did learn something new. I just wish it was a bit more emotional - maybe goes into the struggle and rehab process a bit more. 

Read this Author again?

• Yes I will. I hope it'd be as good as Still Alice again. I hope she doesn't become a "formula" author though. I appreciate her bringing medical knowledge to us in an easy-to-understand, and interesting, manner.

Quote:

The fathers cheering on the sidelines are upheld as great dads. Fathers who miss the games are working. Mothers who miss the games, like me, are bad mothers. (p15)

It forces me to focus on my abilities and not my disability, to overcome huge obstacles, both physical and psychological, to stay up on that board and get down the mountain in one piece. (p296)

Overall Rating: 
3.5 Stars - Not bad, could have been better

All reviews and posts are copyrighted by Christa @ Mental Foodie. Please do not use or reprint them without written permission.

Book Review - Genetic Rounds: A Doctor's Encounters in the Field that Revolutionized Medicine by Robert Marion MD

 














Title: Genetic Rounds: A Doctor's Encounters in the Field that Revolutionized Medicine 
Author: Robert Marion MD
Year: 2009
Page: 304
Genre: Non-fiction - medical, memoir

New to me author? Yes
Read this author again? Yes
Tearjerker? A little misty eyes with some stories
Where did it take place? US
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from amazon.com):
Although he's often uncomfortable about it, as a clinical geneticist, Marion (The Intern Blues) examines his patients' genetic secrets—information they sometimes don't reveal even to close relatives—in order to help them make family planning decisions . His ability to solve medical mysteries can be a blessing: after a mother is accused of child abuse, Marion is able to use genetic analysis to diagnose brittle bone disease in the baby and to help return the infant to her mother. But his diagnostic skills become a curse when he tells his former college roommate that his toddler isn't just a slow starter but likely has Bardet-Biedl syndrome: the enraged friend never speaks to Marion again. In a headline-making case, he tries to explain why a pair of twins joined at the head lack speech. Although his short pieces lack the depth and finesse of essays by other physician-writers like Oliver Sachs, and Marion's case studies would frighten even the steeliest of would-be parents, Marion, director of clinical genetics at Montefiore Medical Center and Blythedale Children's Hospital in New York State, is a sympathetic advocate for his patients who lucidly interprets complex medical conditions for lay readers.

First Sentence:
One role of medical geneticists is to serve as patient advocates.

Why did I pick this book?
Saw it on the library's new book list online. Decided to reserve it because I am interested in medical related books (as long as it's not too scientific or written with a lot of technical terms/jargon). I had wanted to major in genetics when I was in college (bio-chemistry hated me) so I was particularly interested in a book about medical genetics.

My thoughts:

• I really enjoyed this book - it was a fast read and he'd explain the medical terms/conditions in layperson terms so it was easy to understand
  
  
• Each chapter was about a patient's stories (mostly pediatric patients) and some were quite touching. There were usually some ethical dilemma involved as well which really made you think what you'd do if you were in the doctor's position? Or if you were the parents? Or if you were the patient?
  
  
• I guess since I like forensic science (TV shows like CSI, Bones, etc), I enjoyed that this field was trying to solve a puzzle (see quote below for a description of geneticist). Before reading this book, I have some idea what geneticists do, but this book really opened my eye about the role they play in medicine
  
  
• Some stories could have been told better if  he didn't give away the ending first before explaining what actually happened, as it took the suspense away - but I suppose he wasn't writing a thriller/suspense novel...
  
  
• I couldn't quite decide if I wanted to give this a 4 or 4.5 stars (4.25 would've been perfect!) - since I'm quite harsh with my rating (5 stars are hard to come by!) I think I'll leave it as a 4 stars for now. If I were going into this career field, I'd give it a 4.5 as I'd probably keep it as a reference book
  
  
• A note of caution though - if you are pregnant or have young kids, you may not enjoy the book as much as I did (we don't have any kids) - you know, it's like you think you have all the symptoms when you read about different diseases online or watch some medical shows? There is no "graphic" description in the book but sometimes reality is more terrifying... it's definitely educational. Just thought I'd mention it - because I know sometimes when I read books (fictional or non-fiction), they effect me differently than those who have kids, since I can't quite put myself into the parents' position so those books don't affect me as much

Quote:

What do clinical geneticists do?

Often called on to solve mysteries, we play the role of medical detective, noticing subtle symptoms and signs and assembling them into a cohesive diagnosis. One of the heroes of modern clinical geneticists is Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's amazing detective. It was in Doyle's story "A Case of Identity" that Holmes says, "It is my business to know things. Perhaps I have taught myself to see what others overlook." THis is exactly the mantra of the clinical geneticist. (p27)

Insights into doctor/patient relationship:

"In practicing medicine (and clinical genetics in particular), providing for the emotional needs of the family both at the time of the initial encounter and then on an ongoing basis, can be as important (if not more important) than the provision of physical care. This may be the biggest epiphany I've experienced during the years I've been in practice." (p70)

"It's as if I really have two patients: the child with the disease and his or her family. My role in looking after the child is usually fairly straight-forward; my role with the other patient, however is less so." (p137)

A 4 year old patient's story:

"She (4 year old daughter) handed it (her milk bottle) to me and said, "Here, Mommy. For you." "What's this for?' I asked her. "You crying, Mommy,' she replied, and in her own way, using a few words she had, she let me know that when she'd been little and cried, I always gave her a bottle of milk and that made her feel better. Because I was crying, she figured that giving me a bottle would make me feel better." (p146)

Rating: 4 Stars

You may also like these books I had read:

 Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande

Hot Lights, Cold Steel: Life, Death and Sleepless Nights in a Surgeon's First Years by Michael Collins

Something for the Pain (One Doctor's Account of Life and Death in the ER) by Paul Austin

Have you read this book? 
If you have, I would love to hear what you think!
I'll link your review here if you wish!

Challenges:
100+ Reading
Memorable Memoir
Science Books