Thank you so much to Grand Canyon Press and Bookish First for the finished copy of Open Heart in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own! I just want to say first how real this book felt - this is why I love books about medicine and life written by medical people
Quick Facts:
Title: Open Heart
Author: Gregory D. Williams
Publisher & Release: Grand Canyon Press, December 18th 2020
Length: 418 pg
Rate & Recommend: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 yesss
I always thought The House of God was the quintessential fiction so read for people coming into medicine, but Open Heart has it's place right alongside it
I'm inordinately sad that the author passed away, the book feels like his legacy and love letter to medicine. Kind of Ironic considering that Carl's death had a huge impact on the book - I wonder if the author knew it was coming, or if he died suddenly? I want to take the text in context if he thought he was writing his legacy!
Williams really touches on what it means to trust each other and lean on your family / "family" in healthcare. He even mentions death breakfast (death cheese anyone?) I feel like every hospital has a Jesse. And an Irene. And heck, there's a Dr Harrington too. I feel like there's something in the book that every medical person out there can relate to.
*That patient you just felt helpless about for so long, even though there's nothing you could have done for them
*Or that time you f*cked up and it'll haunt you just the same
*Have you ever lost your shit over an outcome?
Like I said, this will hit medical people right in the feels
There is a lot of medical talk (1970s style) about heart surgery and bypass that I am not sure laypeople would get through without skimming, but I found it fascinating. Gene's life, growing up, taking ownership of your mistakes, and learning all about love should be enough to keep anyone interested in the book. Being accountable and owning your actions are hard concepts for young folks to learn.
I obviously liked the OR chapters the best, and the parts about forgiving yourself for mistakes, growing up, moving forward, letting your heart "come off bypass" so to speak
Jesse the tray guy and Rui's bad elephant jokes were more perfect additions. Honestly the doctors and nurses were really great characters and I liked the parallels between the OR family life and Gene's family. Reconciling what you think your parents are like and learning the truth is always a hard lesson.
100% recommend Open Heart for anyone in medicine, and anyone looking for a good coming of age story as well. This is a superbly written novel for anyone that likes reading about characters learning hard and real life truths.
Quick Facts:
Title: Open Heart
Author: Gregory D. Williams
Publisher & Release: Grand Canyon Press, December 18th 2020
Length: 418 pg
Rate & Recommend: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 yesss
I always thought The House of God was the quintessential fiction so read for people coming into medicine, but Open Heart has it's place right alongside it
I'm inordinately sad that the author passed away, the book feels like his legacy and love letter to medicine. Kind of Ironic considering that Carl's death had a huge impact on the book - I wonder if the author knew it was coming, or if he died suddenly? I want to take the text in context if he thought he was writing his legacy!
Williams really touches on what it means to trust each other and lean on your family / "family" in healthcare. He even mentions death breakfast (death cheese anyone?) I feel like every hospital has a Jesse. And an Irene. And heck, there's a Dr Harrington too. I feel like there's something in the book that every medical person out there can relate to.
*That patient you just felt helpless about for so long, even though there's nothing you could have done for them
*Or that time you f*cked up and it'll haunt you just the same
*Have you ever lost your shit over an outcome?
Like I said, this will hit medical people right in the feels
There is a lot of medical talk (1970s style) about heart surgery and bypass that I am not sure laypeople would get through without skimming, but I found it fascinating. Gene's life, growing up, taking ownership of your mistakes, and learning all about love should be enough to keep anyone interested in the book. Being accountable and owning your actions are hard concepts for young folks to learn.
I obviously liked the OR chapters the best, and the parts about forgiving yourself for mistakes, growing up, moving forward, letting your heart "come off bypass" so to speak
Jesse the tray guy and Rui's bad elephant jokes were more perfect additions. Honestly the doctors and nurses were really great characters and I liked the parallels between the OR family life and Gene's family. Reconciling what you think your parents are like and learning the truth is always a hard lesson.
100% recommend Open Heart for anyone in medicine, and anyone looking for a good coming of age story as well. This is a superbly written novel for anyone that likes reading about characters learning hard and real life truths.