August Reads

Two incredible books this month. In Shock: How nearly dying made me a better doctor by Dr Rana Awdish. 

Rana is a trauma specialist in the US who speaks to patients and healthcare providers about how we can all deliver better healthcare in partnership.

There are lots and lots of books by doctors. 

Rana’s book reminded me of Paul Kalanithi’s book When Breath Becomes Air for its eloquence. She is truly a gifted writer. Her story is harrowing but the telling of it is beautifully executed. 

You can see in the second picture from the many pages I have turned over to return to, that I may as well simply start reading all over again! Which is exactly what I have done.

Here is just one small sample

“It is an ironic paradox that medicine has become. 

We disembody doctors and expect them to somehow transcend that handicap and be present in their bodies, empathic and connected. 

Physicians who have had to learn to disengage from their own emotions to function naturally divert their gaze around the emotions in the room” (p244)

I have been reflecting on the difference between happiness and joy for about a decade.

The Power of Meaning: The true route to happiness written by Emily Esfahani Smith has provoked some new thinking, especially around the impact of storytelling and sense-making in our lives. 

We are discussing this book at The Thriving Doctor Book Club next week - I can’t wait to extend my understanding some more within community.

Recommending these two, three books with a heart that is bursting open!

Happy reading and may you be well!

Sharee