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Healing Children: A Surgeon's Stories from the Frontiers of Pediatric Medicine
Written primarily as a guide for parents navigating the unpredictable health of their children, the book also addresses the future of pediatric care, as Newman delves into the most innovative therapies and initiatives in development through the stories of the young patients he has treated. As the current CEO of Children's National in Washington, D.C., the author presents an argument to place children's medical requirements and their need to thrive well into adulthood at the forefront of American medicine, and he admits that 'these kids have been my real teachers
272 pages, Hardcover
First published June 13, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
February 21, 2021
At first I thought this book was going to be the usual enjoyable medical memoir of cases, and so was a little disappointed when the author moves away from surgery into administration. But although reading of the transition was somewhat tedious, the end justified the means. The author wanted to set up dedicated pediatric hospitals and specialities. He says that children's bodies, brains and their ability to deal with illness and to heal are so different from adults, they are almost a sub-species of human, and therefore need to be treated less as small people and more as a different animal altogether.
I understand this. Children's dna is programmed to thrive, to mend, to do anything to achieve adulthood and breed - to pass on their genes, how could it be otherwise?
Kurt Newman's dedication to this seems to have sprung from two sources. The first was his own cancer, which drove him towards medicine, and the second, an incident when the was a young doctor and training.
He entered a 4 year old patient's room to find her grandfather and parents have taped tubes up their noses and on their foreheads in order to make the little girl feel better, 'more normal' about herself and all the tubes that formed part of her treatment. The doctor in charge objected strongly to this and said he would stop treatment and have the child ejected from the hospital if these tubes were not immediately removed. But the author's compassion was aroused and it perhaps set the philosophy of his career path -treating children not just the illness, and including the support system, whether family or medical as being part of that treatment.
The author has had a lot of success in his ambitions and is also a very good writer. Although I enjoyed the overall thrust of the book to a more specialised pediatric medicine, I enjoyed the stories of his young patients even more.
I understand this. Children's dna is programmed to thrive, to mend, to do anything to achieve adulthood and breed - to pass on their genes, how could it be otherwise?
Kurt Newman's dedication to this seems to have sprung from two sources. The first was his own cancer, which drove him towards medicine, and the second, an incident when the was a young doctor and training.
He entered a 4 year old patient's room to find her grandfather and parents have taped tubes up their noses and on their foreheads in order to make the little girl feel better, 'more normal' about herself and all the tubes that formed part of her treatment. The doctor in charge objected strongly to this and said he would stop treatment and have the child ejected from the hospital if these tubes were not immediately removed. But the author's compassion was aroused and it perhaps set the philosophy of his career path -treating children not just the illness, and including the support system, whether family or medical as being part of that treatment.
The author has had a lot of success in his ambitions and is also a very good writer. Although I enjoyed the overall thrust of the book to a more specialised pediatric medicine, I enjoyed the stories of his young patients even more.
December 21, 2024
Healing Children is one of my favorite books by a doctor, and I often turn to it during finals season. It’s a constant source of inspiration, and I must admit, it made me seriously consider pursuing a career in pediatrics.
The book is truly wonderful. While reading it, I felt like I was experiencing Dr. Kurt Newman’s journey firsthand. The resilience of children’s bodies is incredible, and this book does a beautiful job of highlighting just how amazing young patients are. Their clinical progress is always astonishing, and their stories leave a mark you never forget. As a doctor, every child becomes a patient you carry with you each one leaves a lasting impression.
This is a book I know I’ll revisit in a few years. I’m grateful it focuses on advocating for pediatric hospitals, which deserve far more recognition and should be a priority worldwide. Simply put, it’s a marvelous read.
The book is truly wonderful. While reading it, I felt like I was experiencing Dr. Kurt Newman’s journey firsthand. The resilience of children’s bodies is incredible, and this book does a beautiful job of highlighting just how amazing young patients are. Their clinical progress is always astonishing, and their stories leave a mark you never forget. As a doctor, every child becomes a patient you carry with you each one leaves a lasting impression.
This is a book I know I’ll revisit in a few years. I’m grateful it focuses on advocating for pediatric hospitals, which deserve far more recognition and should be a priority worldwide. Simply put, it’s a marvelous read.
June 7, 2017
This was so well written it was almost a work of literary non-fiction. The author is able to connect with readers at a personal level and creates vivid stories of hope, goodness, heartbreak and humanity. I got so sucked into his world and musings that I couldn't stop reading. I hope this book brings attention to the appalling disparity in funding for children's health research. It thoroughly makes the argument for the importance of children's hospitals and their place in our healthcare system. It also gave me an incredible appreciation for the unsung heroes who work on the front line of medicine, particularly those who are able to maintain their humanity.
September 21, 2019
This book was a gift from my sister, who's also MD. When I started reading it, I immediately understood that every chapter needs to be readed cautiously to understand what Dr. Newman wants to show you, a special case that marked his life, the problems he had when he started as a Pediatric surgeon resident or a person that was not a patient but thought him an incredible lesson about hoy to be a better person.
One of the central topics of the book is true, beacuse in my country, Panama, some people believwe that kids are adults in small size. This point of view is completely wrong, beacuse all the physiology of the children is so complex and different tan adults that requieres a new understanding and learning to comprehend the clinical situatiuon that is going on.
Some diseases are shared both by adults and children, but the latter ones has some specific from their stage of life and even specific from certain ages, like Meckel's diverticulum, intususception or Kawasaki disease. And as a newly graduated MD, I can say that is a big challenge beacuse sometimes thay can´t speak to you and the only solution relies on your physical exam.
Other important point is how well organized are the Pediatric hospitals and clinics in U.S.A., how every member of their team plays an important role in the recovery of the patients along with the parents. Also, teaches some models that could be emulated in other countries to improve the pediatric medicine.
Finally, this novel this is a book that every person that study or practice medicine, nursery, psychology or any other health science should read to understand the importance of the health of our children as the future of the society.
One of the central topics of the book is true, beacuse in my country, Panama, some people believwe that kids are adults in small size. This point of view is completely wrong, beacuse all the physiology of the children is so complex and different tan adults that requieres a new understanding and learning to comprehend the clinical situatiuon that is going on.
Some diseases are shared both by adults and children, but the latter ones has some specific from their stage of life and even specific from certain ages, like Meckel's diverticulum, intususception or Kawasaki disease. And as a newly graduated MD, I can say that is a big challenge beacuse sometimes thay can´t speak to you and the only solution relies on your physical exam.
Other important point is how well organized are the Pediatric hospitals and clinics in U.S.A., how every member of their team plays an important role in the recovery of the patients along with the parents. Also, teaches some models that could be emulated in other countries to improve the pediatric medicine.
Finally, this novel this is a book that every person that study or practice medicine, nursery, psychology or any other health science should read to understand the importance of the health of our children as the future of the society.
March 8, 2017
Absolutely heartbreaking cases handled by not lingering on the pain, but focusing on what parents did/can do right and explaining treatments used on the children. Unfortunately, the book focused more on the author and the establishment of Children's National than I had been hoping when picking up the book.
March 19, 2025
Thank you to Jade for this rec. An important book that was super well written.
January 10, 2018
Overall it's a great book. Dr. Newman intertwines his experiences and patient stories to illustrate the importance of specialized pediatric hospitals. His message was preaching to the choir with me. It was interesting to learn about the evolution of treatments during his career. For any parents, I think his epilogue which contains the 8 steps for parents to establish a pediatric care plan is really great information I wish I would have had when my sons were small.
June 29, 2023
'You've got the bad statistics, but we treat kids one by one'
I'd been looking for a book about experiences in pediatric medicine ever since I've chosen pediatrics as a vocation five years ago, and finally, I was recommended this book by a colleague a few months ago.
Reading this book felt incredibly validating, as I found that many of my observations and aspirations for pediatric care were shared by Dr. Newman. I feel empowered to fight for change, just like he did at Children's National.
As pediatricians, we often like to gripe that "children are not young adults", but Dr. Kurt put a new spin on it: children are future adults. We definitely ought to think of them that way, for our interventions and the experiences children have under our care, can have lasting effects on their futures. I plan on adopting this mantra into my daily practice.
Honestly speaking, though it may sound superficial, I was a bit weary of the book being written by a surgeon, that wouldn't fully understand or convey how pediatricians think (I know, we sound like a cult). I had mentioned that jokingly to the colleague that had presented the book to me, but I'm sure that joke came from somewhere inside my head where my lovey-dovey pediatrician brain was reflecting on the stereotypes of surgeons I had in mind. I was very wrong. Dr. Newman is no ordinary surgeon, he's a pediatric surgeon. I quickly found out that my worries were unfounded when he addressed this point early on in the book, about how he had felt alienated by the practice of general surgeons, and found his calling with pediatric patients. Throughout his book, he embodied and conveyed every aspect of pediatric ideals and practice. To me at least, he's an honorary pediatrician.
Having put my prejudices aside (seriously I need to loosen up), I found that I couldn't finish the book in one sitting, I had to savor it. So, for the past six months, I read one or two chapters every couple weeks to a month, and tried to reflect on his insights, contrast and compare with my own, and build new heuristics and principles in my mind. It's as if I had found a mentor, and wanted to spend as much time as possible learning from him.
I recommend this book for all healthcare workers working with children, and all parents, new and old, especially parents of sick children.
I think this book will validate and empower you to make the right decisions, be it for your child, or patient. and after all, is there a difference?
I'd been looking for a book about experiences in pediatric medicine ever since I've chosen pediatrics as a vocation five years ago, and finally, I was recommended this book by a colleague a few months ago.
Reading this book felt incredibly validating, as I found that many of my observations and aspirations for pediatric care were shared by Dr. Newman. I feel empowered to fight for change, just like he did at Children's National.
As pediatricians, we often like to gripe that "children are not young adults", but Dr. Kurt put a new spin on it: children are future adults. We definitely ought to think of them that way, for our interventions and the experiences children have under our care, can have lasting effects on their futures. I plan on adopting this mantra into my daily practice.
Honestly speaking, though it may sound superficial, I was a bit weary of the book being written by a surgeon, that wouldn't fully understand or convey how pediatricians think (I know, we sound like a cult). I had mentioned that jokingly to the colleague that had presented the book to me, but I'm sure that joke came from somewhere inside my head where my lovey-dovey pediatrician brain was reflecting on the stereotypes of surgeons I had in mind. I was very wrong. Dr. Newman is no ordinary surgeon, he's a pediatric surgeon. I quickly found out that my worries were unfounded when he addressed this point early on in the book, about how he had felt alienated by the practice of general surgeons, and found his calling with pediatric patients. Throughout his book, he embodied and conveyed every aspect of pediatric ideals and practice. To me at least, he's an honorary pediatrician.
Having put my prejudices aside (seriously I need to loosen up), I found that I couldn't finish the book in one sitting, I had to savor it. So, for the past six months, I read one or two chapters every couple weeks to a month, and tried to reflect on his insights, contrast and compare with my own, and build new heuristics and principles in my mind. It's as if I had found a mentor, and wanted to spend as much time as possible learning from him.
I recommend this book for all healthcare workers working with children, and all parents, new and old, especially parents of sick children.
I think this book will validate and empower you to make the right decisions, be it for your child, or patient. and after all, is there a difference?
July 10, 2023
I would say this book is a 4.5/5 stars but Goodreads doesn't really do that. I am reading this book after working as an administrative intern Children's National Hospital and meeting Dr. Newman personally (just a few days before his retirement as CEO). The stories with patients are very touching and his role as an administrator has encouraged a lot of great ideas to better pediatric healthcare. This book has not only increased my already immense respect for him as a leader and a doctor, but has genuinely moved me as a future healthcare administrator.
February 6, 2024
The first half of this book is truly incredible and captures the training experience and history (over the past 50 years) of the surgical care of children well, and teaches important lessons on the critical role good mentorship has in a medical career. While the second half of the book is a little bit duller, it is taken well as a documentation of Dr. Newman's career through the administrative lens and the important things that must be considered for a children's hospital to function and have an impact on its community at a high level.
August 7, 2025
for some reason it took me a year to start this book fr but it was extremely excellent i was on the verge of tears like every chapter idk how doctors aren’t sobbing through their appts these kids are so amazing and medicine is amazing
July 22, 2023
Really great book with insight on peds! Would have liked a little more patient encounter stories, but still had really interesting topics.
June 12, 2017
Healing Children
A Surgeon's Stories from the Frontiers of Pediatric Medicine
by Kurt Newman, M.D.
PENGUIN GROUP Viking
Viking
Biographies & Memoirs
Pub Date 13 Jun 2017
I am voluntarily reviewing Healing Children through Penguin Group Viking and Netgalley:
This book tells of a Pediatric Surgeons cases in medicine. He talks about a little girl named Ella who needed a g-tube after surgery, and the way her family helped her through that.
The author reminded us that Pediatric Surgery is a young medical speciality, as late as the 1970's adult surgeons were operating on children.
He talks about dealing with children with life altering, and even Life stealing injuries.
I give Healing Children five out of five stars!
Happy Reading!
December 6, 2020
Having spent more than enough time in a children's hospital, this book hit home. It's an insightful, inspired read. Most importantly, Dr. Newman's prose is light and the book moves along at a nice clip. Highly recommend.
January 9, 2019
Nicely insightful. Newman has had quite a career, so a large portion of the book focuses less on patients' cases and more on the development of his hospital. I'm typically more interested in the patient-story end of things, and I would have preferred that the pendulum swing that way a bit more often, but it's still interesting to see more of the 'back end' of things. Probably also a good fit for parents, as Newman talks at some length about things like how to pick your go-to emergency room in case of an emergency with your child, which...sounds more useful to people who have, or expect to soon have, children! (Though perhaps a good reminder that not all emergency rooms are created equal, whether they're designed for adults or for children.)
March 30, 2023
There seem to be so many memoirs written by doctors out there, so I wasn't expecting much more from this one, assuming it'd be much like most others. However, I was pleasantly suprised by how unique Dr. Newman's experiences and perspectives are from other MD memoirs out there.
Newman's book is split into 2 sections: (1) his experiences being a doctor and surgeon at various hospitals and institutions and (2) his experiences and aspirations being the CEO of a large children's hospital, Children's National in DC. Throughout his books, he brings up notable cases and children. He talks about doctors that were his mentors. He talks about how children's hospitals weren't really a thing when he first became a doctor. His career shows the growth of children's hospitals and how children need specific treatments that may often differ from adults. Throughout his career, the reader can see how he pushed the field of pediatrics, specifically, pediatric hospitals. I especially enjoyed reading about how he advanced the science through many of his initiatives and efforts as CEO. He pretty much touched on every aspect of medicine, including mental health, pain, and others, especially discusses each patient and individual and their special cases as well as personalities.
Must read for anyone involved in pediatrics and pediatric hospitals. May also be helpful for parents with children that may visit a childrens hospital.
Newman's book is split into 2 sections: (1) his experiences being a doctor and surgeon at various hospitals and institutions and (2) his experiences and aspirations being the CEO of a large children's hospital, Children's National in DC. Throughout his books, he brings up notable cases and children. He talks about doctors that were his mentors. He talks about how children's hospitals weren't really a thing when he first became a doctor. His career shows the growth of children's hospitals and how children need specific treatments that may often differ from adults. Throughout his career, the reader can see how he pushed the field of pediatrics, specifically, pediatric hospitals. I especially enjoyed reading about how he advanced the science through many of his initiatives and efforts as CEO. He pretty much touched on every aspect of medicine, including mental health, pain, and others, especially discusses each patient and individual and their special cases as well as personalities.
Must read for anyone involved in pediatrics and pediatric hospitals. May also be helpful for parents with children that may visit a childrens hospital.
September 21, 2023
I would recommend this book to not just budding students who are interested in pediatric surgery but to any new parents who just want to know how to get the best medical care for their children. Dr. Newman does an excellent job weaving in the personal stories of his patients alongside technical discussions about the rapid innovations being done in this field. I didn't really understand the details surrounding many of the surgical procedures, but it was still cool to see how far this field, which used to be very neglected and underfunded, has come in such a short time. As a tech guy myself, I really liked when he spoke about process optimization and how he and his team leveraged data to make more informed and personalized decisions about patient care. Always nice to see an institution embrace modern technology while also making sure to retain its humanity.
That being said, I think the last third of this book was the least interesting as he sort of delves into the administrative work that he undertook as CEO and he spent a good deal of time hyping up Children's National. Like I get it, it's a great hospital and all, but sometimes it felt like I was watching a PR campaign.
Still a great book though - would suggest even if you're not in the medical field!
That being said, I think the last third of this book was the least interesting as he sort of delves into the administrative work that he undertook as CEO and he spent a good deal of time hyping up Children's National. Like I get it, it's a great hospital and all, but sometimes it felt like I was watching a PR campaign.
Still a great book though - would suggest even if you're not in the medical field!
August 28, 2023
A marvellous read on the frontiers of pediatric medicine. Dr. Newman starts of with his early career from his surgical residency at Brigham and Womans Hospital. Throughout his residency he realized that there was a vastly different system across pediatric and adult medicine - with pediatrics being less funded and less saturated. Dr. Newman mentions profounding cases that inpsires into thinking about each patient differently. Where Healing Children defers from other medical memoirs is Dr. Newman being a visionary himself. With the mentourship of philanthropic millionaries and great physicians and scientists Dr. Newman turned Children's National into the pediatric hopsital of the future, focusing on preventative care, patient/family experience and the patient's psychology. Dr. Newman emphasizes on the collaborative approach of multidisciplinary teams and frontline pediatricians that potentially saves thousands of children across the US. Healing Children is a book of a great surgeon and visionary who is working passionately on working to carry pediatric medicine to the future.
January 11, 2024
If you know me at all, I'm into the natural world as much as possible and believe in many ways that we don't employ enough of that; we are overmedicalized. Over the years, it's almost fostered a cautiousness when it comes to the medical community. That being said, books like this help give my thought process another avenue. Dr. Newman is an example of not only an extremely skilled doctor but almost as important a doctor who is teachable. Throughout this memoir, he speaks of many times when he was brought to an "aha" moment due to something a colleague or a patient would witness or experience that he hadn't considered. Then he acted on it and was able to bring about major change with the help of others in his sphere. This book is a prime example of why we should be grateful for the medical advances we have; it saves children's lives. My hope is that the example Dr. Newman put forward would spur other skilled physicians to look at their practices through a patient-focused lens to help bring about great advances in total care.
September 6, 2017
This was a great book. I just could not put it down. The story is told in three parts. The first part talks about how he came to choose the field of pediatric medicine. He is overflowing in his praise of his mentors. In the USA there are over 5000 hospitals that specialize in adult health care and only 35 that specialize in care for children. In a population of 300 million people 75 million are below the age of eighteen. The real money is in the end of life and palliative care, "while children's medicine is painfully undervalued and underfunded." The second section of this book is the story of how he became the chief surgeon of the children's hospital. The third section deals becoming the CFO and fund raising effort to expand the hospital. The book is chocked full op personal stories of being on call 24/7. He ends with a chapter talking about en uterus too prevent birth defects as surgery can take place while the baby is in the mothers womb.
March 2, 2020
I read this book because I live in the Washington DC area and know of the Children's National Health System.I have donated to its oncology clinic in Falls Church, Virginia. My contact there is actually an art therapist, who is part of a team of professionals trying to help children process their feelings about cancer. What interested me the most were the Dr.'s personal stories of healing, and also those of loss--even though those stories were hard to read. The information about the different levels of NICU was interesting because I too was not aware of the differences. The two hospitals near my house each has a level III NICU; now I know what that means. The need for aggressive fund-raising by the hospital system was very eye-opening, but it is definitely something that pays off. I am heartened by the stories of the doctors, nurses, mental health professionals and others like Dr. Newman who are determined to cure various childhood diseases.
March 4, 2022
When I started reading the book I thought it was going to be more stories about cases of illnesses in children and their success stories. While the book does talk about some of the cases and successes, it is mainly about the development and advances of children's medicine. There are some helpful tips for parents or care givers of children about the types of facilities to use for the best medical care for the children. While it was interesting to see how the children's medical advancements have grown over the years, I was very uninterested in finishing it by the time I got to the last 3-4 chapters but finished anyway. Kudos to the author because the book is very well written and would be great for those with more of an interest in the subject. I rated a 3 because I felt it would be unfair to rate lower because this book wasn't one of usual interest.
December 31, 2025
When I picked up Healing Children, I was hoping for a collection of pediatric medical memories—nuanced, real-life clinical anecdotes that capture both success and failure, and the quiet lessons that emerge from them. Instead, the book unfolds largely as a chronicle of medical administration and institutional challenges rather than a reflection on the practice of pediatrics itself.
While there are occasional engaging clinical cases that briefly rekindle interest, they are too sparse to define the book’s overall character. As a result, my impression shifted back and forth as I read, hovering between a 3 and 4 out of 5.
I close the book with measured appreciation rather than genuine excitement, and I hope my next selection will offer a more intimate and compelling exploration of clinical medicine.
While there are occasional engaging clinical cases that briefly rekindle interest, they are too sparse to define the book’s overall character. As a result, my impression shifted back and forth as I read, hovering between a 3 and 4 out of 5.
I close the book with measured appreciation rather than genuine excitement, and I hope my next selection will offer a more intimate and compelling exploration of clinical medicine.
August 8, 2017
Children are not small adults; their biology differs from that of adults and therefore they have different medicine to treat the same illnesses that adults suffer from. Dr. Kurt Newman, President and CEO at Children’s National Health System, says that we don’t invest as much as we should in our children’s healths. On our weekly radio show Radio Health Journal, we discuss children's health care with Dr. Newman. If you would like to hear the full story, check out this link: https://radiohealthjournal.wordpress....
July 28, 2021
Hands down One of the most educational and eye-opening pieces of writing I have ever read, not only for new parents or old parents but for people in general related to the healthcare industry. The ideas that are laid out in this book are monumental to the future of medicine and the stories in here or jaw-dropping. I recommend this book to anyone in the slightest interest related to the healthcare industry one of my top five favorite books. Thank you doctor for taking your time and sharing your journey!
October 9, 2021
I bought this book as a Christmas present for my high schooler who is contemplating a career in medicine and this book was perfect for that age group. My 8th grader also read it and she loved it too. I read it in one sitting on a long plane ride and thoroughly enjoyed it. Personal patient stories, career decisions and big picture medical issues. We were all a little wistful that the author wandered away from patient care to advance the hospital reputation and level of care. Many great family conversations after this book.
December 19, 2021
I picked up this book because I'm interested in going into pediatrics as a career. I found lots of valuable insights for this end, but this book definitely seemed written to parents. Newman provides (and reiterates) many tips for parents to do to prepare for medical emergencies in their kid's life. The book itself is as advertised: a collection of (short) stories in approximate chronological order. It was a quick read and so sometimes Newman did not always go into the depth I wanted him to at certain points, but it was still an enjoyable book—would recommend!
January 6, 2021
This book was not on my radar and wouldn’t have been except for a fluke happening at work. I loved the “backstage pass” to pediatric medicine and how it evolved throughout the author’s career. As someone who helps to steward philanthropy at a children’s hospital in Michigan, I also appreciated the stories of how philanthropic gifts build and sustain these important institutions. Great read that will inform, inspire and certainly tug at your heartstrings.
December 16, 2025
I read this a person friend of one of Dr Newman’s child patients. My friend would not be here if it were not for the Lord and Dr Newman. Dr Newman’s program and the work that he accomplished speaks for itself. His efforts to further pediatric heath care will not soon be forgotten. Hopefully they will continue to be built upon, and though this program had met its end I hope another is started and finds even more success.
July 7, 2018
I found Dr. Newman's book to be very interesting. He gave the reader a wonderful timeline on the beginning look into his long career history at Children's National. The stories were very heartwarming, eye opening and had me shed a tear or two. I would recommend this book to any parent or young adult looking wanting to put yourself into a healthcare professionals shoes.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews