“BOOK REVIEW: Stanford MD's novel cuts cultural divides - San Jose Mercury News” plus 1 more |
| BOOK REVIEW: Stanford MD's novel cuts cultural divides - San Jose Mercury News Posted: 02 Feb 2011 03:14 PM PST "Medicine is ultimately very much a human transaction," states Dr. Abraham Verghese, Stanford University's senior associate chair for the theory and practice of medicine. Similar to his protagonist in the novel "Cutting For Stone," Verghese's background includes Ethiopian birth and the practice of medicine in multiple countries including the United States. A quick review of his biography suggests that Verghese holds a special regard for the practice of medicine with a humility not often found among his peers. As noted in a recent Stanford Magazine article, "Verghese wants Stanford students to see medicine as a historic calling the way he does. He wants them to see a patient not as a diseased liver or a spleen, but as a man or woman in a bad situation. Young doctors may be brilliant at analyzing tests, but he finds many Ôincompetent' at diagnosing and treating at the bedside." This regard near reverence for the practice of medicine provides the foundation for this first novel. "Cutting For Stone" begins with the birth of identical twins, Marion and Shiva, whose mother, an Indian surgical nurse and also a nun, dies during childbirth despite the efforts of their father, Thomas Stone. Stone is a surgeon who cannot deal with the overwhelming facts suddenly thrust upon him (he did not know she was pregnant) and vanishes. The twins are raised in Ethiopia by two other doctors from the same hospital where their parents worked. Their saga spans five decades and life in two very different countries Ethiopia and the United States. Verghese captures the essence of the time in both places with details ranging from political upheaval to pop music.The story includes several characters and in an effort to allow his readers to fully understand them, the author provides thorough backgrounds on each. While at times a bit too thorough, the sound, smart writing keeps his readers engaged. While his passion for medicine creates this story, it also detracts from it. The scenes describing medical procedures are lengthy and extremely detailed. The faint of heart (or stomach) may want to skim over the graphic descriptions. Recommendation: As much as I admire his skills as a writer, (not to mention time management), if I had to choose between Dr. Verghese performing emergency surgery on me or writing my life story, I'd take the operation. His devotion to teaching the significance of patient care is an admirable, somewhat astonishing, commitment. A man of obvious skill and dedication, a prediction that each forthcoming novel will eclipse the former is a sound one. * * * Contact Kel Kanady at books_at_bulletin@yahoo.com. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2011 06:18 AM PST [fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve full-text content] NEW YORK - New York City's Apollo Theater launched the careers of such legends as Ella Fitzgerald. It also was the site of memorial services for Michael Jackson and James Brown, and a 2007 presidential campaign rally for Barack Obama. A new exhibition at ... |
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