Customer Reviews

The Soul of a Doctor: Harvard Medical Students Face Life and Death

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I loved the book. These writers allow you to witness and feel first hand the amazing transformation medical students experience as they begin to treat patients. Just as having a child or losing a loved one can dramatically change your life and perspective, so can being responsible for another person's health. It makes quite an impact to be responsible for patients when they are not well, scared and/or facing some of the biggest decisions and best and worst moments of their life. The book moved me to hearty laughter, stunned silence and times when tears streamed down my cheeks. I woke up my husband in the middle of the night to read one of the poems to him. It is the perfect gift for someone entering medical school but relevant and can be enjoyed by anyone. I highly recommend this book.

all of the true stories in this book have promise - they are interesting and thought provoking but unfortunately, the writers never follow through with the outcomes. You meet a patient, find out their problem - usually involving some sort of dillema for the dr. - they make their point but the outcome is left out. Did the patient die? They never say. (even a brief update after the essay would make a difference).

If you ever wondered what it feels like to become a physician, I would highly recommend reading this book. Not designed to be entertaining but is instead an intimate look into the real life experiences of young and idealistic medical students as they move from the classroom to encounter the realities of patient care and the limitations of the health care system. These are very powerful and human stories, sometimes disturbing and heartwrenching and other times more positive. It's hard to imagine anyone reading this book and not be profoundly moved.

I've been looking for this kind of book for years now. I've always wondered what it is like to be student at Harvard Medical School this is is a wide, varied, and ultimately gripping and intriguing set of stories from a diverse group of students. I may never be a doctor, but it was very cool to read about those who are becoming one. Two thumbs up--way up!

Easy read with relatively short stories. Inspiring and thought-provoking for students in any medical field or even established medical professionals.

This book of poignant stories show doctors (really, doctors-to-be) to be so human... conflicted, drawn in by the drama of life and death, and constantly learning from the situations they face daily. This is a must read, especially for doctors, others in the medical profession, and for all of us who at some time are their patients. The stories draw you in and make you hope that these medical students remember the "heart" lessons they learned as a medical student at Harvard and that the medical profession works to connect with the human side of their patients. This book is fascinating. Dr. Jerome Groopman, author of How Doctors Think, another of my favorite medical books, does the forward for this book.

I was disappointed by this book's clumsy writing and sappy content. The students sound too gullible and idealistic to be taken seriously. It left me uninspired and a bit annoyed.

This is a great book. It tells the story of Harvard medical school graduates and their interactions with patients. Some of the stories are particularly moving and give hope, others remind me of how difficult it must be to become a doctor. Nearly all of the stories are well written. This book would be a great gift for anyone starting medical school, anyone who has an interest in medicine or even someone with a passing interest who watches television shows like Grey's Anatomy.

Getting to understand someone else's point of view is always wonderful. This book helped me imagine what it is like to be given a gift to heal and then have to learn what that means in real life. This book is not just for medical minded people but for everyone as the lessons these students learn can be applied to all of our lives/works. If nothing else, I am thankful for my health and all the doctors/nurses in my life.

I have been very interested in becoming a doctor for a very long time, as such, I like to read as many books as possible about individual's experiences as a doctor or while becoming a doctor. I do feel as though some of the experiences shown were very intimate, but overall I just couldn't force myself to maintain interest. I feel as though the students who wrote these accounts received more benefit from writing them thean I did from reading them.