On Doctoring: Stories, Poems, Essays

by Richard D. Reynolds, Richard Reynolds

Hardcover book

Genres: Medicine, Poetry

Hardcover

First published August 3, 1995

Reviews

[Whitney Archibald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that I have had on my shelf since David graduated from medical school. I finally picked it up, and LOVED it. By far, the best part about this book is the poetry. It's a collection of poetry, short stories, and essays about being a doctor, being a patient -- but mostly about life and death. It includes authors/poets such as William Carlos Williams, Emily Dickinson, Hemingway, Kurt Vonnegut, and Maya Angelou. The poetry ranged from poignant ("Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night") to humorous ("Washing your feet is hard when you get fat..."). It was so fun to find out what would be next. This was one of the most thought-provoking and enjoyable book I've read in a while. It was even more fun because I didn't expect it to be.

For some reason I have both the second and third editions. They're surprisingly different. Don't waste your time with the second edition.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

For class: Lit & Medicine. Reading over the course of a semester.

[Zoe Stallings · Rating 2 out of 5]

I particularly enjoyed Chekhov's short story Misery.