Kitchen Table Wisdom [Paperback]

Rachel Naomi Remen (Author), Dean Ornish (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 6, 1996

The founder of Commonweal discusses the problem of isolation and disconnection in American society and sets forth her vision of how life should be lived, drawing on her work as a psycho-oncologist and her own experience with a life-threatening disease. 75,000 first printing. $40,000 ad/promo.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Sitting around the table telling stories is not just a way of passing time," writes Rachel Naomi Remen in her introduction to Kitchen Table Wisdom. "It is the way wisdom gets passed along. The stuff that helps us live a life worth remembering." Remen, a physician, therapist, professor of medicine, and long-term survivor of chronic illness, is also a down-home storyteller. Reading this collection of real-life parables feels like a late-night kitchen session with a best friend, munching on leftovers while listening to the good-as-gossip stories of everyday heroes and archetype villains. Every story guides us like a life compass, showing us what's good and lasting about ourselves as well as humanity.

From Publishers Weekly

Remen is one of a growing number of physicians exploring the spiritual dimension of the healing arts. "Coherent, elegant, mysterious, aesthetic," she writes. "When I first earned my degree in medicine I would not have described life in this way. But I was not on intimate terms with life then." Now Remen is awed by the vitality of the life force, which she witnesses through her work counseling cancer patients and their doctors at Commonweal, a cancer-help center in California, and through her keen eye for the depths of ordinary people. Remen tells of those who, having fallen ill, discovered previously untapped wells of fortitude and who, ironically, gained a peace of mind they had never known when well. She often turns common wisdom on its head. Discussing the meaning of suffering, she cites one woman who mourned the loss of her chest pains after corrective surgery. These pains had come whenever she had compromised her integrity; now her "inner advisor" was gone. Some of the most poignant stories here are of doctors whose professional code rejects overt displays of emotion. Both patients and doctors can come to care profoundly for one another, Remen believes. A heartfelt call for change as well as a display of compassionate and courageous thinking, this meditation will speak especially to those whose lives have been touched by illness. BOMC and One Spirit alternate selections; first serial rights to Family Circle and New Age Journal.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Riverhead Books; 1st edition (August 6, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573220426
• ISBN-13: 978-1573220422
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #315,905 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D., has been counseling those with chronic and terminal illness for more than twenty years. She is co-founder and medical director of the Commonweal Cancer Help Program in Bolinas, California and is currently clinical professor of family and community medicine at the University of California at San Francisco School of Medicine.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dr. Remen is a Blessing, November 26, 1999

By 

Nadine Levin (San Mateo, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal (Paperback)

Several friends had told me about Kitchen Table Wisdom over the years, and I just put off purchasing it. Then while recovering in the hospital from surgery, the chaplin suggested I read it. I read it during my recovery and have not stopped reading it since. There are so many lessons in the book, and Dr. Remen's selection of stories and writing style present an education on how to be human and to develop a deeper understanding of the humanity each one of us posseses. I look at my life, and those around me in a different way since I read the book. Dr. Remen has taught me that we all have the capacity to make our life a blessing and she is truly a blessing to all that read her words.

52 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Evocative!, March 13, 2000

By 

Andrew W. Gottfried "Dr Drew" (Bay Village, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal (Paperback)

It's difficult to believe Remen is trained as a hard-nose physician. The book is eloquent and very touching. Remen shares her stories with simple words and ideas, and ends up creating a profound effect. Reading this book is like sharing in the rich tradition of storytelling at its best. Indeed, the read is passive, like the stories are being orally conveyed by a soft-spoken sage. Remen does not preach nor does she try to manipulate emotions from the reader. It does not carry the pretentiousness of a "Chicken Soup..." publication. The careful reader will see that Remen still struggles with the paradoxical world and emotional taffy-pull of a Philosophy-Undergraduate-Turned-Physician. In fact, the book seems therapeutic for Remen in the middle of her own quest to self-discovery. I highly recommend you share in Remen's quest, it will offer you momentary, security-blanket-style warmth. As a prospective medical student, I found the book helpful in shaping my own perspective about healing and health care, but most importantly found it to be a springboard in developing myself as a compassionate caregiver. Kudos, Ms. Remen!

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stories that Heal, November 6, 2002

By 

W. Rashed (Jabriya, KUWAIT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal (Paperback)

This beautiful, touching and life- altering book is without doubt one of the best books I've read. Dr.Remen captured my mind, heart and soul from the very first page. The stories she tells about herself, her patients, her family and friends are told with amazing honesty, beauty and grace. This book is about Life with all its different facets, phases and seasons. As a physician, reading this book has made a lot of impact on how I view my role and how I communicate with my patients. I now think of myself not as a "doctor" but as a healer, and know that there is much more to my work than diagnosing diseases and prescribing medicines. I read this book many times, and every time I laugh and I cry and I am inspired and touched. This book is truly one of a kind; it is worth a million stars!!