The Memoir & Poetry Spot
A snapshot review of a book related to the Non-fiction Feature
Also in this Monthly Bulletin:
The Non-fiction Feature: An American Sickness by Elisabeth Rosenthal
The Product Spot: Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs Company
The Pithy Take
Paul Austin is an ER doctor, and he pries open the night shift for the world to examine: the drunks, the weeping, the car accidents, the miscarriages, the utterly consuming exhaustion of taking care of people at 2:30am. He describes specific patients he’s had, all of whom impacted him greatly, and the toll his job (and lack of sleep) took on his personal life.
He tries to bring forth compassion when he can but admits that sometimes the effort required is just too overwhelming—a heartrending memoir about just how much doctors and other medical professionals sacrifice to care for the rest of us.
In training, interns and residents work incessantly. To a bleary-eyed intern who’s hoping to sneak off and take a nap at three o’clock in the morning, a call from the ER is never good news.
Something for the Pain: One Doctor’s Account of Life and Death in the ER
Author: Paul Austin
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
297 pages | 2009
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