Internal Medicine: A Doctor's Stories [Paperback]

In this artful, unfailingly human, and understandable ([T]his book illuminates human fragility in tales both lyrical and soul-wrenching&. Holt dissects the medical experience in exquisite and restrained prose.Whether or not you classify this collection of nine stories as nonfiction, they ring true in both details and spirit, starting with a doctors evolution from the first night on call as an intern and ending with ethical questions that a physician ponders 40 months later, his residency complete& Dr. Holt never settles for easy answers, and the questions he posesreflecting the frequent uncertainties of doctors and patients alikewill leave readers thinking long after the final page is turned.Holt, who also holds a masters in fiction writing and a PhD in literature, is an excellent story teller& [T]he portrait Holt offers is artful, unfailingly human, and understandable.Holts new collection of stories, captures the feelings of a young doctors three-year hospital residencythe powerlessness, the exhaustion, the chaotic and seemingly endless shifts, and above all, the intensity of being with people in moments of extremitybetter than anything else I have ever read& Holts unadorned prose and pitch-perfect dialogue contribute to the realism of these stories. At times they have the atmosphere of a hospital version of film noir, the narrator sounding as tough as Raymond Chandlers Philip Marlowe in his effort to be efficient and unflappable& Anyone whos considering becoming a doctor, or anyone who wants to know whats at the core of a doctors initiation, should read this book.Named one of the Best Books of the Year by