The Gunner

by Jason Ryan

Sophia Abney lives in a rundown apartment with her slacker brother and handicapped mother. After graduating from community college, she wins a full scholarship to medical school. It’s the chance of a lifetime for a poor city kid, one she believes will raise her family out of poverty. But once school starts, she quickly falls behind her classmates, all from rich families and elite colleges. She begins to worry she’ll never become a doctor.Then she meets Miles Sebastian, a fourth-year student determined to become an uber-wealthy specialist. He teaches Sophia to excel in medical school by following the “Gunner Rules.” With Sebastian’s help, she rises to the top of her class. But when her tactics become dangerous, she begins to doubt Sebastian’s methods. Soon, she must choose between her principles and her grades. What cost is she willing to bear to remain a gunner?

300 pages, Paperback

Published January 11, 2024

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Michelle Rosado · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I could not put it down. It was funny but also thought provoking. It makes you think about medicine in a different light. This book is written by a friend of mine who is a doctor and has also taught med students. It was a great read.

[Sarah Gurney · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were so many emotions and reactions that occurred while I was reading this, genuinely could not put it down. As a current pre-medicine student, this book addressed so many irony’s I have noticed throughout the medical field while working & shadowing. Being able to read thoughts, while outrageous/dramatized, that I have had & questioned allowed made me feel incredibly seen and understood. While being incredibly thought-provoking, this book was absolutely hilarious and had me laughing audibly to myself for extended periods of time. Some of the one-liners within this books are incredibly niche but down-right the most funniest thing I have ever heard. 10/10 would recommend this book to a medical friend & considering telling my pre-med advisor about it as she will have more connections to future pre-medicine students who I believe could really benefit from reading.

[Norma · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Gunner is eye-opening about surviving the path to become a doctor. Sophia graduated top of her class from community college and was awarded a scholarship to medical school. Competition among the Ivy League students was intense. By year three Sophia was suffocating and feeling soulless. Jason Ryan ties together family, professional drive, and survival in this fictionalized portrayal of medical education and medical institutions.

[Rhys · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two stars for entertainment value + two stars out of respect for Boards & Beyond.

Wasn't sure it was satire until 30% of the way in.

[Bai Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cheesy? Yes. Every med school trop possible mentioned? Yes. Did I actually really enjoy reading it? Yes. While it reads like a wattpad fanfic of med school it also highlights many valid points and ironies about the path to becoming a doctor that don’t get talked about enough. A quick read and definitely worth it!

[John P. Avendano · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone in medicine: this (albeit silly) piece of fiction perfectly encapsulates a lot of what one in medical school experiences, not only in terms of what surrounds them, but also in terms of the crushing pressure one often feels to perform and exceed their own expectations. Cleverly enough, Jason Ryan manages to highlight a lot of the ironies with regard to what some may think constitute a “good” medical student in the landscape of medical education. Only 4 stars since I feel the struggles and level of relatedness is limited to those who have lived Sophia’s experiences.

[Josh Cruz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really a 3/5 but an extra star for how accurate some of the details about med school are and the fact that the hero at the end of the story is a nobody who becomes a family medicine doc

[dr SS · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 for the comedic relief, otherwise some of the most chaotic content I have ever consumed

[Kaya F · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book does a great job of portraying what it’s really like trying to pursue medicine. However, the ending was atrocious, and not inspiring at all..

[Claire]

My B&B king Dr. Ryan wrote. a. book.

[Hafeez]

Good

[Nikki Iamonaco · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was written by a uconn professor based on uconn med students and it hit a little too close to home 🙈🙈 literally reading a book about my life it was toooooo muchhhhh (is this play about US?!?!)