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Positive: One Doctor’s Personal Encounters with Death, Life, and the US Healthcare System
A Memoir and a ManifestoPositive traces the life of Michael S. Saag, MD, an internationally known expert on the virus that causes AIDS, but the book is more than a through his story, Dr. Saag also shines a light on the dysfunctional US healthcare system, proposing optimistic yet realistic remedies drawn from his distinguished medical career.Mike Saag began his medical residency in 1981, within days of the Centers for Disease Control’s first report of a mysterious “gay cancer” killing young men. Soon, the young doctor’s career was yoked to the epidemic. His life’s work became turning the most deadly virus in human history into a chronic, manageable disease.In the lab at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Dr. Saag and colleagues made seminal early discoveries about the elusive virus. And at the AIDS clinic he founded, Dr. Saag met people whose fight against a virtual death sentence touched his heart and inspired him to work even harder. As his career stretched across three decades, Dr. Saag found himself battling another foe, this one almost as pernicious as AIDS a broken healthcare system shaped more by politicians, insurers, and lobbyists than by patients’ needs.Positive is Dr. Saag’s tribute to the unforgettable patients he has known and an urgent call to create a comprehensive, compassionate, accessible healthcare system in the name of those we can save today.
373 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 11, 2014
22 people are currently reading
910 people want to read
About the author
Michael Saag
20 books3 followersDr. Michael Saag completed his medicine residency and fellowship in infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. While there, he made early discoveries in the genetic evolution of HIV in patients. During the last six months of his fellowship, Dr. Saag conceived the concept of an HIV outpatient clinic dedicated to the provision of comprehensive patient care in conjunction with research and high-quality clinic trials.
Since the establishment of the clinic, Dr. Saag has participated in many studies of antiretroviral therapy as well as novel treatments for opportunistic infections. He has published over 320 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has contributed over fifty chapters to medical textbooks. He serves on the editorial board of the journal AIDS and the Sanford Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy and has served on the board of directors of the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Among many other awards, Dr. Saag has received the Myrtle Wreath Award from Hadassah, was listed as one of the top ten cited HIV researchers by Science (1996), and has been listed as one of the Best Doctors in jAmerica since 1994. He received the Hettie Butler Terry Community Service Award, received an Excellence in Teaching Award from the Medical Association of the State of Alabama, was named a "Health Care Hero" aby the Birigham Business Journal (2003), and received the 201 President's Medal from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Since the establishment of the clinic, Dr. Saag has participated in many studies of antiretroviral therapy as well as novel treatments for opportunistic infections. He has published over 320 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has contributed over fifty chapters to medical textbooks. He serves on the editorial board of the journal AIDS and the Sanford Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy and has served on the board of directors of the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Among many other awards, Dr. Saag has received the Myrtle Wreath Award from Hadassah, was listed as one of the top ten cited HIV researchers by Science (1996), and has been listed as one of the Best Doctors in jAmerica since 1994. He received the Hettie Butler Terry Community Service Award, received an Excellence in Teaching Award from the Medical Association of the State of Alabama, was named a "Health Care Hero" aby the Birigham Business Journal (2003), and received the 201 President's Medal from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 28, 2014
Positive is a book I can stand behind! Dr. Saag has eloquently provided both a moving testament to the early days of HIV/AIDS treatment and a scathing indictment of the System of Health Care available to the citizens of the US today.
I recommend reading My Own Country: A Doctor's Storyas a companion volume if you are strictly seeking to learn about the ravages the early years of HIV infection had on small American communities in the south. What Dr. Verghese never spoke of in his memoir was the state of the healthcare system, and his and his patients ability to navigate within that system. This is where Dr. Saag's book picks up the slack and tells it like it is. He describes his own father's struggles with medical issues resulting from lack of insurance. The patients he had who had spotty insurance which directly led to their deaths, the medications not covered, etc.
Dr. Saag ends with 8 things we can do in America to improve our health care system. He also discusses the AHA and it's origins in a Republican Think Tank; how 'Obamacare' is a good start, but ultimately a drop in the bucket of reform.
As a practitioner of the Jewish faith, Dr. Saag explained how these words from the Book of Isiah are spoken at the end of Shiva. They have meaning to me as I finish this review. "Your sun shall set no more, your moon no more withdraw; for the Lord shall be a light to you forever, and your days of mourning shall be ended"
I recommend reading My Own Country: A Doctor's Storyas a companion volume if you are strictly seeking to learn about the ravages the early years of HIV infection had on small American communities in the south. What Dr. Verghese never spoke of in his memoir was the state of the healthcare system, and his and his patients ability to navigate within that system. This is where Dr. Saag's book picks up the slack and tells it like it is. He describes his own father's struggles with medical issues resulting from lack of insurance. The patients he had who had spotty insurance which directly led to their deaths, the medications not covered, etc.
Dr. Saag ends with 8 things we can do in America to improve our health care system. He also discusses the AHA and it's origins in a Republican Think Tank; how 'Obamacare' is a good start, but ultimately a drop in the bucket of reform.
As a practitioner of the Jewish faith, Dr. Saag explained how these words from the Book of Isiah are spoken at the end of Shiva. They have meaning to me as I finish this review. "Your sun shall set no more, your moon no more withdraw; for the Lord shall be a light to you forever, and your days of mourning shall be ended"
February 12, 2014
This book. I honestly don't know how to fully describe my relationship with it. My Uncle's partner died of AIDS. My Uncle was, somehow, unable to get the disease. I have a chronic illness that will probably kill me. This book spoke to me on a deeply personal level. This book is beautiful, honest, and often funny. Dr. Saag explores the evolution of AIDS, from its start to technological advances of today. He provides antidotes that connects the reader to his patients' personal stories. Also, he tells his own story as a father, husband, teacher, researcher, and Jew. Everything one could feel, I felt during this memoir: sorrow, joy, empowerment, anger, frustration, pride, hope, love, and so much more. If you have any interest in queer history, healthcare, or AIDS, you must read this book. It should be a requirement. I feel blessed to have been given a chance to read this, I bought my own personal copy (despite being given a free copy through netgalley), and I plan on purchasing copies for friends.
June 15, 2023
This was a great book detailing the people behind the big and small advancements in the fight against HIV/AIDS but also the bigotry and hatred of those demographics that are most affected by the virus/disease. Dr. Saag takes on his early life which the reader finds his motivation to go into a branch of science-medical research that was the wild west days in the laboratory and massive death on the streets. Dr. Saag never loses his humanity and his capacity to grieve alongside his patients and patients' loved ones while still adhering and enforcing tough standards in his laboratory and studies so that the research could lead to improvements in real people's lives - this really shined when he talked about how drugs (which we now take for granted in stopping the spread and suppressing the virus in individuals) were developed.
Highly recommend for both the humanity and the science.
Highly recommend for both the humanity and the science.
December 16, 2013
Summary provided by the book is accurate:
Positive traces the life of Michael S. Saag, MD, an internationally known expert on the virus that causes AIDS, but the book is more than a memoir: through his story, Dr. Saag also shines a light on the dysfunctional US healthcare system, proposing optimistic yet realistic remedies drawn from his distinguished medical career.
Positive is Dr. Saag's tribute to the unforgettable patients he has known and an urgent call to create a comprehensive, compassionate, accessible healthcare system in the name of those we can save today.
For those interested in the history of the medical war against AIDS and the problems with the medical System, Positive is an honest appraisal and portrayal of both.
Positive traces the life of Michael S. Saag, MD, an internationally known expert on the virus that causes AIDS, but the book is more than a memoir: through his story, Dr. Saag also shines a light on the dysfunctional US healthcare system, proposing optimistic yet realistic remedies drawn from his distinguished medical career.
Positive is Dr. Saag's tribute to the unforgettable patients he has known and an urgent call to create a comprehensive, compassionate, accessible healthcare system in the name of those we can save today.
For those interested in the history of the medical war against AIDS and the problems with the medical System, Positive is an honest appraisal and portrayal of both.
December 20, 2019
Part memoir, part tribute to victims of AIDS, and part rant against the U.S. health care system, "Positive" is just what it subtitle advertises, one doctor's personal experiences with death, life, and the system.
Just a few paragraphs in, I really liked the author, Michael Saag, who is world renowned for his work with AIDS and the research of the disease. Saag comes across from the start as someone with a sense of humor, someone interesting (he makes short films, he wrote plays in high school), and someone with plenty of ideas, which he calls "magical thinking," a phrase that I loved and which was used throughout the book.
Saag biographically gives us a few chapters of introduction to himself, briefly relaying his childhood, his decision to go to medical school (or really, his mother's decision), his residency and rotations, his surety that he will be a cardiologist until he is swayed by the lure of infectious diseases instead, for being "brilliantly unpredictable."
After beginning research, somewhat offhandedly at first, Saag is swept up in a whirlwind of obsessive experiments and, soon afterward, medical prestige, publications and speeches in Paris. His account of wild nights wandering the streets making a film there was one of the best paragraphs in the book.
As a second year fellow, Saag writes out a plan for a revolutionary clinic specializing in AIDS, which would be the first of its kind, and presents it to his boss, who stops him a few minutes in and says simply "We need to do this."
From there, Saag and many other dedicated individuals form the 1917 Clinic in Birmingham, Alabama.
Saag's stories of patients are numerous, and all of them are both inspiring and tragic, since all of them in the end eventually succumb to AIDS.
In working so closely with terminally ill patients, that have a disease for a long while not even acknowledged by the government, Saag is introduced to the darker side of the U.S. health care system, and he isn't at all afraid to give us a long rant about its failings - all in lucid, straightforward, essay-like chapters. He also has no qualms about criticizing the highly profit-driven methods of training future doctors, and the exorbitant costs of medical school, and touches lightly on politics when mentioning how presidents have avoided the issue of AIDS and healthcare.
Overall, this is an inspiring and informative book that I enjoyed reading.
Thanks to NetGalley.com and Greenleaf Book Group for providing me with an advance review copy of this book.
Just a few paragraphs in, I really liked the author, Michael Saag, who is world renowned for his work with AIDS and the research of the disease. Saag comes across from the start as someone with a sense of humor, someone interesting (he makes short films, he wrote plays in high school), and someone with plenty of ideas, which he calls "magical thinking," a phrase that I loved and which was used throughout the book.
Saag biographically gives us a few chapters of introduction to himself, briefly relaying his childhood, his decision to go to medical school (or really, his mother's decision), his residency and rotations, his surety that he will be a cardiologist until he is swayed by the lure of infectious diseases instead, for being "brilliantly unpredictable."
After beginning research, somewhat offhandedly at first, Saag is swept up in a whirlwind of obsessive experiments and, soon afterward, medical prestige, publications and speeches in Paris. His account of wild nights wandering the streets making a film there was one of the best paragraphs in the book.
As a second year fellow, Saag writes out a plan for a revolutionary clinic specializing in AIDS, which would be the first of its kind, and presents it to his boss, who stops him a few minutes in and says simply "We need to do this."
From there, Saag and many other dedicated individuals form the 1917 Clinic in Birmingham, Alabama.
Saag's stories of patients are numerous, and all of them are both inspiring and tragic, since all of them in the end eventually succumb to AIDS.
In working so closely with terminally ill patients, that have a disease for a long while not even acknowledged by the government, Saag is introduced to the darker side of the U.S. health care system, and he isn't at all afraid to give us a long rant about its failings - all in lucid, straightforward, essay-like chapters. He also has no qualms about criticizing the highly profit-driven methods of training future doctors, and the exorbitant costs of medical school, and touches lightly on politics when mentioning how presidents have avoided the issue of AIDS and healthcare.
Overall, this is an inspiring and informative book that I enjoyed reading.
Thanks to NetGalley.com and Greenleaf Book Group for providing me with an advance review copy of this book.
May 6, 2024
UAB is very fortunate to have had Dr. Saag at the helm of its HIV care and research efforts for so long. This book is an informative and interesting account of progress in HIV care over the years. It also weaves in personal narrative and critique of the US healthcare system. Dr. Saag is absolutely correct that while the Ryan White program is a godsend for HIV patients, it shouldn’t be necessary in a country with as many resources as we have. Equitable access to care for all should be the norm, not a special exception. I highly recommend this book to anyone who interacts with the US healthcare system (read: all of us!)
January 22, 2019
“Too many Americans who fall ill are forced to worry about how to pay their medical bills and the threat of medical bankruptcy, rather than focusing on getting well or coping with maladies that won’t improve. Too many Americans cannot obtain decent, affordable insurance because they have preexisting conditions, lack the financial resources, or work for a small business. Too many Americans with permanent disabilities must wait too long before Medicare covers them. Too many Americans who are eligible for Medicaid and CHIP (the Children’s Health Insurance Program) fall between the cracks. Too many insured Americans are only one illness away from discovering they have inadequate coverage that leaves them with overwhelming bills. Too many Americans have to fight their insurance companies to obtain covered benefits.
That these and other indignities have persisted so long is an indictment of U.S health policy and its moral quality. If there is one thing we should learn from the experiences of other countries that have universal coverage, it is that it doesn’t have to be this way. None of these problems are natural or inevitable-They are all the result of policy choices the United States has made.” -Oberlander
That these and other indignities have persisted so long is an indictment of U.S health policy and its moral quality. If there is one thing we should learn from the experiences of other countries that have universal coverage, it is that it doesn’t have to be this way. None of these problems are natural or inevitable-They are all the result of policy choices the United States has made.” -Oberlander
June 4, 2019
This book spoke to me on so many levels. It joined all of my worlds as a doctor, a member of the LGBTQ community, a cultural Yid, and an vocal activist who has been in my fair share of protests. He spoke eloquently about the human side of medicine and mourning the loss of so many lives and potential. The only reason why I didn’t give it 5 stars is that some parts of the discussion on the healthcare system were redundant. However, it was one of the most moving books I have read in some time. Highly recommend!
August 26, 2019
About his work and what he has learned in serving the HIV/AIDS world.
January 4, 2022
Good read. First part is about aids and research second part applies what Dr. Sagg has leaned to improving our healthcare system.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2014
Good writing, like good medicine, starts with finding the true narrative in the facts before you. Like he has done for three decades in the world of medicine, Saag enters the world of writing as a raconteur of the first order. He recalls the dark days of HIV medicine, when the disease was diagnosed based on a demographic, and recounts the harrowing reality of well-meaning providers with no tools to treat their patients. But he finds the light before the dawn in research, and retells his own part of bringing those discoveries directly to his patients. Looking back from the comfortable couch of 2014, it is easy to forget that this chronic disease we call HIV used to be a disease to be feared, not managed. Of the many characters who appear in his narrative, none encapsulates the power of hope like the unforgettable patient nicknamed Pearly James. In this one man's willingness to try the next best thing in AIDS medical management, he rose above the certain death sentence of his diagnosis to become a shining example of what a willing team, and collaborative partnership, can mean in the lives of individual patients. The reader is left with a resounding sense of hope and an outlook for the future of HIV that is nothing short of positive.
May 22, 2014
As a medical student, I really enjoyed this book. Dr. Saag remembers the early days of HIV and isn't afraid to point out the not-so-pretty side of medicine during that time. The reality is painful but necessary to understand in moving forward with medicine. You are left with the realization of just how far we've come since those early days. But he also discusses how far we still have left to go and how the state of our medical system effects healthcare delivery, challenging us to continue to do more and do better.
The best part of this book was that he made it personal. I was drawn in by the stories of his father's medical struggles and memories of past patients. He gave us a personal look into his life and the life of patient's with HIV. His compassion and dedication to health care came through on every page and you can't help but want to care as much as he does. Through his use of both medical facts and personal anecdotes, Dr. Saag managed to give his cause a face that you won't soon forget.
The best part of this book was that he made it personal. I was drawn in by the stories of his father's medical struggles and memories of past patients. He gave us a personal look into his life and the life of patient's with HIV. His compassion and dedication to health care came through on every page and you can't help but want to care as much as he does. Through his use of both medical facts and personal anecdotes, Dr. Saag managed to give his cause a face that you won't soon forget.
March 23, 2014
US Healthcare Viewed From the Trenches of AIDS Research & Care
Dr. Saag is an academic clinician, doing AIDS research and care in Alabama, who grew up and did medical training in Kentucky.
This book is a recount of his medical training, HIV research, AIDS care and encounters with the inequities US healthcare.
The later half and big part of the book concentrates on how the various special interests control the US healthcare dollars and shaft the the average person for whose benefit the whole system is meant.
Overall the book is well written, makes an easy read, and gives overview of the American healthcare system from the trenches. I got the Kindle version of this book from Netgalley for review and I see that as of now, only the expensive hard copy version is available for purchase. That is my only quibble. I hope the publisher makes the Kindle version available at a reasonable price.
Dr. Saag is an academic clinician, doing AIDS research and care in Alabama, who grew up and did medical training in Kentucky.
This book is a recount of his medical training, HIV research, AIDS care and encounters with the inequities US healthcare.
The later half and big part of the book concentrates on how the various special interests control the US healthcare dollars and shaft the the average person for whose benefit the whole system is meant.
Overall the book is well written, makes an easy read, and gives overview of the American healthcare system from the trenches. I got the Kindle version of this book from Netgalley for review and I see that as of now, only the expensive hard copy version is available for purchase. That is my only quibble. I hope the publisher makes the Kindle version available at a reasonable price.
June 10, 2014
Michael Saag was a medical resident when HIV hit. He never intended to make infectious disease his specialty, but HIV was a force he couldn’t ignore. Saag gives us a poignant, brilliant recollection of the early years of HIV, the anguish and despair not only of those who had the virus, but the healthcare providers racing to discover treatments. Interspersed with vignettes about patients, Positive chronicles the early research for pharmaceutical interventions as well as the scientific understanding of this complex virus.
Positive is also a scathing indictment of the U.S. healthcare system. Saag demonstrates how “the system” turned its back on many of our most vulnerable, stigmatized citizens.
Saag’s memoir is engaging and gripping. It should be recommended reading for all healthcare students. As George Santayana said, “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
Positive is also a scathing indictment of the U.S. healthcare system. Saag demonstrates how “the system” turned its back on many of our most vulnerable, stigmatized citizens.
Saag’s memoir is engaging and gripping. It should be recommended reading for all healthcare students. As George Santayana said, “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
December 24, 2013
I laughed, I cried and I learned.
Dr. Saag has intertwined his love of life, love of family and love of his calling with a teary-eyed backdrop of incredible human tragedy occurring due to the cruelty of a healthcare system needing repair. He captures the reader by exposing his most intimate emotions through a unique writing style combining the elements of a humorist, your favorite teacher and caring husband, father and human being.
Meanwhile, I believe an unintended consequence is coming to understand how we in the U.S. actually avoided a catastrophic crisis due to the unselfish efforts of a group of dedicated highly intelligent researchers, caregivers and philanthropists.
Read Positive.
Dr. Saag has intertwined his love of life, love of family and love of his calling with a teary-eyed backdrop of incredible human tragedy occurring due to the cruelty of a healthcare system needing repair. He captures the reader by exposing his most intimate emotions through a unique writing style combining the elements of a humorist, your favorite teacher and caring husband, father and human being.
Meanwhile, I believe an unintended consequence is coming to understand how we in the U.S. actually avoided a catastrophic crisis due to the unselfish efforts of a group of dedicated highly intelligent researchers, caregivers and philanthropists.
Read Positive.
September 1, 2014
I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
I really enjoyed this book because not only did it cover the practice of HIV/AIDS medicine from the beginning of the epidemic through today, the author also discussed the status of our pitiful health care system and ways that we can improve it and make it work for everyone.
The author is very engaging and personable, even when he is explaining the ins and outs of laboratory science. Anyone can read this book and walk away with a good understanding of the subjects in the book.
I commend Dr. Saag for writing this book and for all of the hard work he's put in to help those with HIV and AIDS. I highly recommend this book to anyone.
I really enjoyed this book because not only did it cover the practice of HIV/AIDS medicine from the beginning of the epidemic through today, the author also discussed the status of our pitiful health care system and ways that we can improve it and make it work for everyone.
The author is very engaging and personable, even when he is explaining the ins and outs of laboratory science. Anyone can read this book and walk away with a good understanding of the subjects in the book.
I commend Dr. Saag for writing this book and for all of the hard work he's put in to help those with HIV and AIDS. I highly recommend this book to anyone.
May 25, 2014
A heart breaking and inspiring walk through the early days of the AIDS crisis and the hard learned lessons that we don't seem to be applying to our healthcare system as a whole. The only discontinuity I saw was that at several points Dr. Saag is asking the reader to think like a doctor to some extent, see the long range implications, be fact-based. He does this by telling a series of personal, emotional vignettes. While an appeal to emotion is likelier to work, it would seem to defeat the point of one of his central arguments. Slight annoyance: might be a early edition problem, but there are small portions of the book that seem to be inexplicably in 3rd person.
February 8, 2014
This book was amazing. I started out reading it thinking it told me way too much about the author and that I was getting bored. But that was quickly out of my mind. He put me in his shoes during a huge event that infected the world. This book was one of my favorites that I read from netgalley and I would definitely read any other book that this author wrote. He kept me entertained and engrossed in the book and I just couldn't put it down. My hats off to you.
June 8, 2014
In the interest of full disclosure, I should say that I was a friend of Cyndie's, one of the patients Dr. Saag mentions in this book. He captures her spirit beautifully and treats the story of her journey with gentle respect. In fact, he does this with all his patients. The book is filled with humor, compassion, information and inspiration. It's a part biography, part history and part commentary on the state of health care in the United States.
October 29, 2014
An excellent book. I highly recommend this book to those interested in the medical history of the AIDs epidemic, and in reading a perceptive analysis of our US health care system, as of 2014. I am married to one of the NP's in the book, and have known Mike Saag for the 19 years she has worked at The 1917 Clinic, described so correctly in his book. The descriptions included are accurate and real, as is his assessment of the US health care system.
February 25, 2014
The personal stories were raw and powerful and drew me in from the start. I read it while traveling and honestly could not put it down until I was done. I especially appreciated learning more about his family and the sacrifices they've made to support his life's work. What a wonderful legacy for such a gifted and caring person.
July 21, 2014
Since I am familiar with the author, the 1917 clinic, some of the staff and some of the patients there, there is no way I can be unbiased in this review. I AM heartened that an AIDS diagnosis is no longer the death sentence that it was 25 years ago. As for the US healthcare system....that's another story.
April 14, 2014
I have had the honor and privilege of working with Dr. Saag at the 1917 Clinic. He is just as compassionate as he comes across in his book. The patients themselves were such a gift. He describes the clinic so eloquently, and everyone in it. Reading it was a wonderful experience!
Read
July 31, 2015Dr. Saag states his case and tells his moving stories well. I learned a lot about AIDS, AIDS patients, physicians, the medical community in my hometown (Birmingham), and the challenges facing all of us regarding our healthcare system.
November 7, 2016
I liked reading about Michael Saag. I feel like I know him since I credit him with saving Ben McWhorter's life. Also a great follow-up to "The Band Played on". I couldn't believe that book did not reference all the work that was going on at UAB on AIDS research and care.
May 26, 2016
One of my favorite books ever. Dr Saag is great story teller and a great human being. I deeply enjoyed reading this book!
February 3, 2016
HERE IS THE DOCTOR OF MARY FISHER...AND A WEIL SAAG COLLABORATION. HE MAY BE FOUND AT THE 1917 MIRACLE OF THE SUN CLINIC.
November 1, 2016
Beautifully written, funny and poignant first-hand account of the Aids epidemic.
May 19, 2021
This was the most boring book I have read in a while. I thought it was going to be a lot more interesting than it was, but it just simply was not. I did not enjoy it in the least.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews