50books_poc | 16. Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam (Reply)

The book is a collection of connected short stories about a group of Canadian doctors in the times before, during and after medical school. I thought the author did an excellent job showing the human side in the practice of medicine. No, scratch that. It's more showing the side that we normally don't see - the frustration, emotional turmoil, stress and indifference -- and it's glorious. There was a lot of variation in theme and writing style to suit the stories. I don't watch a lot of the medical dramas but I imagine some of these topics are explored in mass media. Still, I felt that even if they're not new, they're written in a compelling way. There were stories touching on interracial relationships, on what it means to be a good doctor, on being ethical and honest towards patients and their families, on where the obligation of being a doctor begins and ends. I really loved the book and I highly recommend it.