Book heard; book read

Listened to: A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffery Archer. Think fast: name one person whose life you could seamlessly assume without relatives or friends discovering the switch. That's part of the premise of this book. Amazingly, no one discovered that Danny, the protagonist, hadn't really died or that Sir Nick's life had been taken over by Danny until pretty late in the story.

The reviews on Audible were very good, and it was a decent story as long as you could suspend all belief. Danny, who entered prison basically illilterate, in a matter of months is reading Shakespeare. Yeah, right. A lawyer who fails to raise a critical piece of evidence or to do basic investigation, notwithstanding the assistance of his father, a supposed great jurist. Yeah right. I haven't read The Count of Monte Cristo, which inspired this book, but I suspect the TCOMC was a bit more believable.

I suppose, however, the prison scenes were accurate--after all, Lord Archer did spend a few years living that life. Would I recommend it? I suppose so, for light reading.

Book read: Final Exam by Dr. Pauline Chen. Ironically, I found this book on Audible, but chose to read it. What a well-written book by a transplant surgeon and Northwestern Med alum (I'm sure the NU connection did not influence my views of this book.) Her book is more a review of her experiences coming to terms with death as she progressed from a first year med student, working on her cadaver, through her residency, and the year she spent doing organ procurements, ending with her as an a fully-trained attending physician. She recounts many anecdotes of people in their dying days, including an aunt, with whom she was close. The anecdotes are interspersed with observations about herself, the patients, their families, and the other doctors who are involved. While in some ways, it's a bit macabre, it provides a fascinating look at life in the hospital and the true "final exam."

The only minor criticism: like all doctors, her ego shows at times.

Another to add to the list

Eats, Shoots and Leaves, by Lynn Truss. I've had this book for years. I think I bought it when Alex was still in high school. Well, everything in due time.

It was okay. Quick. I recall the reviews describing this book as entertaining for a book on punctuation. I did learn some things about apostrophes; confirmed my basic knowledge on commas; and laughed a bit at some of the cute-isms in the book. I'm fully prepared to speak the King's English should I ever need to discuss the proper use of a period--oops, I mean a full stop, and it was a good refresher course on "inverted commas" bkn quotation marks on this side of the pond.

And I'm ready should "?!" ever be the clue on Jeopardy! (What is an interobang?)

Now to finish The Brain That Changes Itself (reading) and Prisoner of Birth (listening to on iPod).

Another one bites the dust

Another Day in the Frontal Lobe, by Katrina Firlik. The book recounts the residency of a neurosurgeon, incorporating the stories of various patients with the things she discovered beyond simply the medical knowledge. Best part about the book, she explained the hierarchy of interns, jr. resident, sr. resident, and chief. She describes neurosurgeons as being particuarly competive, and she certainly seems to fit the bill--having made a snarky comment about Dr. Ben Carter, without identifying him specifically, who has accomplished significantly more in his career, thank you very much.

The anecdotes were interesting, the insight into all of the things neurosurgeons do (spine surgery, too) was appreciated. Towards the end, it got a little long, and she lost a little bit of cred as she described herself working essentially for the wealthiest of people. Wow. That's courageous.

It wasn't a waste of time, but when it was all said and done, I'm not sure I'd care to know the author beyond this book.

Oops! Another one remembered

I forgot that I did a buddy-read with BoilerBaby 3. She chose the book The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, by Julie Andrews Edwards bka Mary Poppins. What a wonderful book. I wish that I had been aware of it when my first two were younger.

Edwards tells a wonderfully fantastic story about three children and one old professor who set out to find the last Whangdoodle, a mystical creature that changes color, depending on his mood, and grows new houseslippers periodically. The story is filled with fantastic creatures like an Oinck, a Whifflebird, a High Behind Splintercat, and of course, the Flutterbyes. I wish I could travel by way of a Jolly Boat, powered by jokes, with a machine that magically creates any kind of ice cream treat one could imagine. In between the lush descriptions, Edwards weaves lessons about the virtues all children should strive to develop: friendship, trust, compassion, perseverence, and most of all imagination. Plus there are bits of science and general knowledge thrown in for good measure.

I will have to remember to read this book with BoilerBaby 4 when he's of the right age.

Another one read (yayy!)

Death Be Not Proud, by John Gunther. Something reminded me of this book not too long ago, and it just so happened that the Book Rack had a copy in good condition. I started this book when I was in high school. I was drawn to it then b/c it recounts the final months of a 17 year old boy, diagnosed with a brain tumor. While I identified with the Johnny Gunther because of his age, I simply was not ready, i.e. mature enough to read the book, so I didn't finish it.

Some 30 years later, I finished it. Now I identify with it as a parent. The horror, the tragedy of a life prematurely ended was heart-wrenching.

Reading about the medical aspects was a reminder of how far medical science has come. Johnny died in 1947. There were no CT scans or MRIs. Locating the tumor prior to an attempt to remove it was done solely with the use of x-ray. Non-experimental treatment consisted of removal of what could be removed and radiation. There was no chemotherapy. Mustard (as in mustard gas) seems to have been an early form of chemotherapy, but was still very much in the experimental stage. Various other treatments were tried in an attempt to save Johnny's life--a very severed diet that limited the fats and proteins a patient could eat may have played some role in staving off deaath for a time, but ultmately, there was so little knowledge.

Yet, in the past 60 years, despite all of the technological and scientific advances, glioblastoma multiformae is still an almost certain death sentence. Senator Kennedy was diagnosed with a glioma about a month ago, and although no one will say it explicitly, his obituary has essentially already been written. My former student Marina died of this affliction less than a year after she was diagnosed. Gliomas are still essentially incurable.

So, Johnny's father describes the grace and courage with which Johnnny faced his illness. I can't say death, because Johnny's parent never told him explicitly that he was dying--it was never clear if he knew. And that highlights another difference between now and then. Now, the conventional wisdom is to tell adults that they are dying and to not hide it from children. Johnny was close enough to legal adulthood that no doubt today, he would have been told of his impending death so that he could prepare in his own way.

Nonetheless, it is powerful book. Life is precious, and one should seek to live a life well, even if the alloted time is short. I understand why it has never been taken out of publication since its publication in 1949.

Another one remembered

I guess I haven't been a total slacker about reading--just about recording.

Red Letter Christians by TonyCampolo. This came as a result of attending the New Baptist Celebration in Atlanta in February. Campolo spoke and of course, his book was available. I bit, I mean bought, and got him to autograph my book. The title comes from trying to live the Christian life and respond to the issues of the day based on the actual words of Jesus Christ, as often printed in red. It was a good reminder that the so-called Christian right has cornered the market on the Christian response to such issues. Sometimes Campolo's suggestions were simplistic or unrealistic, but it was thought provoking and provided another perspective on poverty, the Iraq war, and many other issues of the day.

One forgotten; two finished

The forgotten book:

A Separate Peace, by John Knowles. Haunting. One moment of jealousy that can affect one the rest ofhis life. The will to live--or not--is force not measurable by the experts. (Read)

The finished books:

Better by Atul Gwande. Very good. A different perspective on the medical system, what's good and what's unbelievable in this world and in this country. Some things--like the Apgar score--so simple but yet something that made such a difference. The chapter on the bell curve, and the fact that most hospitals are just average, was eye-opening. I liked the tips at the end for being better:

1) Ask an unscripted question, to personalize the patient.
2) Don't complain.
3) Count something.
4) Write something for some audience.
5) Seek change; be an early adopter.

Very good book to read.

The Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. I finished listening to the book. What a book that ultimately forces one to consider human nature, and the human coping mechanism. A fantastic story that questions the true nature of humans in stressful situations. We're used to cute animals with humanistic characteristics. Human characters that act more like animals--well that's another story. Good book.