Emotional Female

by Yumiko Kadota

Yumiko Kadota was every Asian parent's dream- model student, top of her class in medical school and on track to becoming a surgeon. A self-confessed workaholic, she regularly put 'knife before life', knowing it was all going to be worth it because it would lead to her longed-for career.But if the punishing hours in surgery weren't hard enough, she also faced challenges as a young female surgeon navigating a male-dominated specialty. She was regularly left to carry out complex procedures without senior surgeons' oversight; she was called all sorts of things, from 'emotional' to 'too confident'; and she was expected to work a relentless on-call roster - sometimes seventy hours a week or more - to prove herself.Eventually it was too much and Yumiko quit.Emotional Female is her account of what it was like to train in the Australian public hospital system, and what made her walk away.Yumiko Kadota is a voice for her generation when it comes to burnout and finding the resilience to rebuild after suffering a physical, emotional and existential breakdown. This is a brave, honest and unflinching work from a major new talent.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Feminism, Audiobook, Medicine, Medical, Mental Health

Mass Market Paperback

First published March 2, 2021

Reviews

[Yumiko Kadota · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hello! I'd like to humbly introduce myself as the author of Emotional Female. Thank you in advance for reading. Please note that I've written a trigger warning at the start of the book, as the book does cover some heavy topics such as mental illness. As such, please do take care if any of the themes are difficult for you to read about.
This book is a memoir about my time as a medical student and junior doctor in the Australian public health system. The opportunity to write the book came about after I wrote a blog post about why I quit training in surgery. If you're interested in the original blog post, you can find it here:
https://mindbodymiko.com/the-ugly-sid...
Sadly, the terrible experience I blogged about is not uncommon worldwide, not just among doctors but other health care workers. I think being in a toxic workplace and burning out is something that many people go through, without knowing whether to walk away or not. If I may share with you a quote that has stayed with me over the years, it is this one by Eckhart Tolle:
If you find your here and now intolerable and it makes you unhappy, you have three options: remove yourself from the situation, change it, or accept it totally.
In 2018, I was being overworked - am I able to change it, or do I remove myself? The title itself came from a slur I received during that time. Being called "emotional" happens almost exclusively to women. But you know what? Being emotional is a wonderful thing - it makes us more human.
If anyone else out there is struggling with work or a difficult situation, I hope that reading this book might give you the courage to leave. Know that you deserve better.
I hope you will genuinely like my book, or at least find it interesting.
Sending my warmest wishes,
Yumiko xx

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I’d always had a path. But now that I was off it, and so far from the recent stress and mayhem, I didn't know if, when or how I would get back onto it. I had no handbook to follow.”

I find medical memoirs absolutely fascinating so it's no surprise I picked up Emotional Female. This memoir is a vulnerable account of the highs and lows Yumiko Kadota experienced working in the medical profession, from a medical student to a surgical registrar. Yumiko reflects on the gruelling realities of the profession, as well as the ingrained racism, sexism and nepotism that exists in the public hospital system.

Reading her memoir, I felt each of Yumiko's successes as well as her setbacks, and was enraged and disappointed at each injustice she experienced in the seemingly cutthroat world of surgery.

A confronting and very powerful read. I was completely engrossed and devoured this book over a few days. I think Emotional Female is an important read for those both in and outside the medical industry, it raises such crucial issues and I pray will mean a step forward for change.

Highly Recommend

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a medical trainee who identifies as a woman of color, I was inexplicably excited to read "Emotional Female," ordering the book immediately after I had read its description. Having finished it, I feel extremely conflicted about what to think of it. On one hand, I feel grateful for Dr. Kadota's brave and honest account of the painful and traumatic experiences she went through - there are far too few of these stories shared publicly in comparison to the number that are experienced privately. However, as a piece of literature, I feel immensely disappointed for I found the writing to be bland, overly simplistic, and lacking in personality.

The novel is structured as a biography of Dr. Kadota's experience from medical school to when she ultimately quits during her training as a physician in Australia. The first few chapters attempt to explain her motivations for pursuing medicine and the type of person she was early in her career and later transition into stages of her training. At each stage of her story, I tried my best to understand who she was as a human being and attempt to bring her character to life in my head, but no matter how hard I tried, it never got beyond one dimension for me.

I attribute this directly to the way this novel was written, which felt more like a laundry list of experiences, encounters, and thoughts Dr. Kadota has had, thrown onto paper in a stream-of-consciousness exercise, than a piece that was a culmination of reflection and introspection. She rattles off anecdote after anecdote exemplifying the consuming toxicity that permeates through hierarchal training systems in a rapid-fire manner, but then just as quickly puts a close to those impactful experiences with a simplistic platitude or wave of the hand. I find it to be such a lost opportunity that she stuck to sharing them in a strict timeline rather than taking pause to comment on the larger themes at play that she sold her book on - being a woman and person of color in a predominantly white male field. It was that commentary that I was excited for, and instead I felt like I read a list of Dr. Kadota's personal grievances. There were moments in which I felt an emotional connection to her story and felt like it truly came to life - when she talked about her burn and in the last few chapters when she detailed the aftermath of her resignation when she had to learn how to pick herself up again - but these moments were few and far in between.

All that said, while I didn't enjoy Dr. Kadota's writing and do not walk away from her book feeling more inspired or understood, I do want to applaud her for her vulnerability in sharing her story and for her strength in being able to ask for help when she felt like things were crashing down on her in such a catastrophic way. That, in and of itself, will always above reproach.

[Jen]

I really prefer not to ‘rate’ people’s personal stories. But as a book? I demolished this and I am posting a copy to people who I know will benefit from reading it. Reading the story of Dr Kadota made me feel so angry at the power structures that operate (ha) in the medical profession. It is terrifying to read what is expected of talented and intelligent people to climb a professional ladder. It is shocking to hear that emotion can be considered a bad thing, and yet we all know this to be true in professional circles. I think Dr Kadota is so brave and I’m glad I read this book. Thank goodness for women and minorities finding ways to have voices in the world outside professions keen to silence their experience.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a female medical student and this book was a punch in the gut. I’m so glad I read it now and I’m so grateful to Dr Kadota for sharing her story - for the horrible things she went through and talks about here, she has changed the way I think about practising medicine for the better. There is something powerful in giving voice to the taboo, and the taboo that exists in medicine really is insidious and difficult to resist. I’ve been following Dr Kadota’s story since her original blog post and it was a privilege to read the entire saga here. It was not only deeply insightful but also extremely well written and a compelling read. I highly recommend this book to all readers, and especially to other medical students who should be aware and prepared for what may lie ahead - if we can’t acknowledge a problem, we can’t work to change it. All the best to Dr Kadota with her future endeavours, please know that you have been an inspiration ❤️

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this book, I have so much more respect for junior doctors and just female doctors and surgeons as a whole. It was so interesting to read about Yumiko and all the hard work she put in, to crazy times with rostering and schedules, to applying for hospitals and not being accepted, to being overworked and eventually breaking down. I truly felt for her. The first three parts felt like the same person and then the fourth part felt like someone completely different and I understand that because of the overwhelming mental strain that the job had caused. Reading about what she had to deal with being a woman in this industry, from casual racism, to harassment, to being called emotional and always being assumed she was a nurse and not a doctor because she was female. Crazy stuff. Overall, the book was solid and I did enjoy the first half better than the second half. I was actually tossing up with it being a 3.5 or 4 star read but I went with 4 star just because I feel it’s important for a book like this to exist and it takes courage for someone like Yumiko to share her story.

[Lily · Rating 1 out of 5]

A hubristic memoir. I honestly wouldn’t recommend this book. There are some interesting stories here that certainly ring true of my own experiences as a doctor (especially as a female unaccredited registrar in surgery). But there is an overwhelming lack of insight here that makes it hard to empathise: getting annoyed at critically unwell patients needing an urgent gastroscopy or caesarean bumping her stable patient’s hand operation. Essentially brushing aside a code crimson and preferring a patient bleed out in the CT scanner. Regretting that she saw her partner off instead of watching an operation.

I would’ve loved to hear more about her mistakes, lessons that she’s learnt, dealing with complications - but there is none of that. It really is quite narcissistic. All you hear is that she is the best. But read for yourself - don’t get caught up in the circus and form your own opinions.

[Hilary Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a first-year graduate Junior Doctor who is keen on surgery, and is working in a large city hospital known to house Australasias busiest ED I resonated with this book alot.

It was extremely brave for her to write this. I remember reading her famous blog post when it went viral and I was disgusted. I did not expect Yumiko to become so unwell towards the end. It was really shocking and saddening to read.. at least on Instagram she looks like she is doing better now?

I noticed another reader had commented on Yumikos style of writing, and thought it too 'list' like due to endless examples of toxic behavior in the workplace, with minimal critical reflection at the end. I remember laughing when I first noticed her style of writing. It was punchy, direct and succinct; just like the perfect medial handover! We all have busy lives, as Yumiko knows, so if she wants her intended audience to be able to engage with this book she delivered it to them in an easily digestible and palatable way.
The cover of the book is applaudable, very cheeky even. Yumiko has taken the framework of a cornerstone junior medical textbook (The Oxford Pocket Guide to Clinical Medicine). As if she wants to let the reader know - this is the real cirriculum you need insight on, if you want to survive in this game. The unoffical different standards for men and women, the way the training schemes for specialties are still designed for a male with a wife at home to look after him.

My sincerest thanks to Yumiko - A true modern-day hero, you are so brave. Through your contribution to the discussion around race, gender and safe working hours in the medical system I hope you have generated some change.

[Madelon North · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book in two days. I normally avoid medical memoirs because I’m squeamish. But this one drew me in mainly because it’s written by a female, and wow that title!


I think this is an important read for those both within and outside of the medical industry. I know I have felt similar things to her and I’m in an entirely different field. Within the medical industry I think it may help those junior doctors to feel less alone if they’re experiencing similar things, and know that there are people out there trying to change the system as has happened from the events in the book. I also think it may be useful for older doctors to know that just because they had it badly doesn’t mean you keep the cycle of workplace abuse up. Goes for any profession really.

In Australia tall poppy syndrome is rife, and it’s so refreshing to read someone say yeah I was really good at this job, especially a woman. Let’s normalise saying you’re good at things. Especially when you’ve spent 6 years studying towards it. I have enormous respect for anyone in the medical industry, and this just certifies that we actually need to tell these people how much we appreciate them. This book also made me realise the path to being a doctor in your speciality isn’t as simple as getting an MD and then interning for a year.

A couple of other things I really liked about this one is how it was made to be okay that you can leave your chosen career and take a different path. No job/career is worth your mental or physical health. I think instead of thinking that people should suck it up we should be interrogating the systems that made them to the point they want to quit in the first place. I also loved how even though yoga and a lifestyle change helped, there was never any shaming of medical intervention for mental health. And that’s important.

Overall; super well written, and I hope that it helps the right people when they need it.

CW: lot of hand injuries

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this memoir. Couldn’t put it down!
I am a medical student and have been interested in pursuing surgery since middle school (being inspired by Christina Yang as well!)

I loved picking up some clinical tidbits. It is easy to see that Yumiko is an amazing doctor and person - I hope to be able to care for patients with the same warmth in a couple years.

The last few chapters about those fateful four months in 2018 were heartbreaking and very difficult to read. The lack of empathy and support from many of the consultants and some of the coworkers is so disappointing. The final chapter inspired a spark of hope, though. Here’s hoping that increased awareness and policy changes will filter down into day to day life.

p.s. thank you Yumiko for signing the title page! a lovely personal touch :)

[Cameron Gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

My feelings about Yumiko and her story shifted drastically in part four of this four-part book. It was unexpected and moving. I truely felt for her – angry and devastated. This is in stark contrast to my initial impressions.

It probably didn’t help that I read this straight after ‘Know My Name’. I was still feeling the rush of reading such a powerful feminist story and thought that thematically ‘Emotional Female’ would be similar. It is in a broad sense. But as much as Yumiko has a captivatingly interesting story to share, she is not a natural writer and this fact was only magnified in juxtaposition to ‘Know My Name’.

I’m going to talk about a few issues I have with the writing that ultimately took me out of the story and affected how I felt about the book over all. Most of this comes down to a lack of intellectual or emotional analysis:

At no point did I know where the stories were going. I don’t mean that they were shocking. What I mean is there are times where it’s as if the author accidentally builds suspense or creates a tense narrative tone that doesn’t lead anywhere. Moments where I would think “oh no, what’s going to happen?” and the answer would be nothing.

I truely couldn’t tell if she was self aware or not. There were moments, passages, that really threw me. Comments such as:
“I was so ready to be a resident; I was sick of writing ‘Intern’ - it made me feel like a trainee at McDonald’s.”
Her drive and ambition is amazing but the fact that she so easily felt pathetic, unaccomplished and worthless seems so unhealthy. I suppose she is aware, given how her story ends, but her narrative voice was just so difficult to interpret.

What also irked me was the feeling that she so often positioned herself as morally superior to all of her peers. I can understand the intention of trying to portray herself as someone who had issues with the collective attitudes and status quo of the medical industry but – again – the way she writes it, with such little analysis, just makes her sound judgemental and unempathetic.

Despite my feelings in relation to Yumiko’s writing, I must stress that she has a fascinating story and it’s no wonder she got a book deal. If you’re someone who doesn’t get so distracted by the literal arrangement of words in a book then I recommend you read this. I genuinely think that this story, Yumiko’s experiences, would make a great television series. Medical dramas are hugely popular and one that brutally confronts racism, misogyny, mental health and Japanese culture - a really valuable element of this story - on an even deeper level than this book does would be something I’d devour without question.

3.5 ⭐️

[Jawad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr Kadota’s “Emotional Female” is an exemplar of the phoenix’s rebirth. Her story is a disturbingly sad yet hopefully empowering one, a beautifully written memoir of a young medical student turned plastic surgical registrar who grows to find her own path forged from her resilient spirit. It is both an emotional and raw story of her life thus far, filled with genuine experiences; ambition, heartbreak, exploitation, discrimination, healing, smiles and love which I am sure many can resonate with.

I would highly recommend you all check it out. As an avid reader, I can frankly say this has made it into my top 10 books!

I look forward to reading her future works and following her journey. I sense a true legend in the making!

~From a fellow doctor

[lucinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Sometimes, I realised, the most important thing I could do as a doctor was to be kind.”

3.75 stars rounded up - via audiobook!

[Pip G · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s taken me 4 months to push through this book - I have had to stop and start when things got a bit heavy and intense. BUT I am so glad to have finally read this incredible book based on Yumiko’s own experience with burnout, depression and becoming a a surgeon.

I’m truely shocked at the misogyny, racial micro-aggression and disrespect Yumiko faced throughout her studies and career. I think we all assume going through medical school and becoming a surgeon is hectic and fucked but it’s worse than I could have imagined. And to think this is happening in hospitals here in Melbourne is terrifying. It’s fucked how industries take advantage of the passion and excitement young people have for their future careers. They exploit them, and then turn around and mock them for “not being strong enough”. This happens in many professions, including my own - communications/advertising. I experienced burnout three years ago and I still reap the repercussions mentally to this day. It’s downright manipulative, unkind and inhumane.

I’ve given this book 4 stars as I would have loved to have read more about her recovery from burnout. I think we only got to Yumiko’s resignation at about 85%.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t recommend this book enough. Definitely one of my fav reads of the year so far and one I thought about for many weeks after finishing. ⁣⁣

Yumiko’s memoir chronicles her experience in the public health system as a junior doctor. She details the hurdles that needed to be jumped through in order to qualify in the first place, and then the excessive working hours, sexism, racism and toxicity she was faced with when she got there. From being overworked to the point of losing continence, to having a patient say “I’d like an Australian doctor thanks”, the treatment Yumiko was subjected to was nothing short of disgraceful. Yumiko’s story sparked many important discussions with my family and friends about drawing boundaries, prioritising mental and physical health and women in the workplace. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
I honestly felt so validated reading this! While mine and Yumiko’s experiences have been vastly different, I empathised with her as a young female professional in a demanding field, having just started my career in corporate law. I agreed with her frustration about the narrative being focused on individual resilience as opposed to looking at systemic factors (though promising changes are starting to be made). Most of all, I welcomed her criticisms about the acute pressure to be “more like Chad” (my words not hers) in the workplace - taking on assumed male traits like being unemotional, frowning more, apologising less... instead of being able to adopt our own style of operating. As Yumiko said, “𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘫𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘉𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐’𝘮 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴. 𝘒𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭, 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨.” ⁣⁣

Thank you to Yumiko Kadota for peeling back the layers of a demanding profession and calling it into account, and for being so open and honest while doing so. From one emotional female to another 💛💖❤️⁣⁣

(Many thanks to Penguin Books Australia for sending me this review copy)⁣⁣

[Liam || Books 'n Beards · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Think about it. How many female plastic surgeons do you know?"
"Hmm... not many. How about her?"
"She doesn't count. She's a dyke."

What an absolutely appallingly unsurprising story.

Yumiko Kadota is Japanese-Australian, and this book is her somewhat disjointed story of her upbringing and aspirations to be a plastic surgeon in Australia - including all the racism, misogyny and horrendous working conditions that this entailed.

I've been wanting to read this since I bought it back in March, but have only just gotten around to it. Once I picked it up I struggled to put it down and I absolutely devoured it, despite being in an almost constant state of 'ugh'ing and grimacing at the page.

Kadota's story is overall quite depressing because of how believable I find it. I don't work in a male-dominated field such as medicine (in fact my field is traditionally female-dominated, if anything), but the casual misogyny even I witness on an almost daily basis is staggering. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be both female and "foreign" in a competitive field like surgery.

EMOTIONAL FEMALE isn't the most perfectly written book - it is, as I said, a bit all over the place - it jumps haphazardly through time, across events, and I sometimes found myself skimming back a page or two to see if I had missed something important. However, if anything I found this enhanced the experience, especially during the years of 2017 and 2018 when it seemed like that was her existence - time skipping away with no perception of how.

I was curious to see what kind of negative reviews there would be for EMOTIONAL FEMALE and I'm relatively pleased to see there were few - however a couple did stick on the fact that Kadota sometimes is unreasonable and even mean-spirited. Being annoyed about a surgery being delayed for something more urgent and the like - but I think these people miss the point.

Everybody has been pushed to that point where you are simply furious with the situation, regardless of how reasonable it is for you to feel that way. I certainly have - and considering the constant strain and stress that Kadota was clearly under, I am not surprised at all that she was as well and the book doesn't hide from reflecting the ugly side of herself at times, as well as of surgery.

An important book, I think. I sincerely hope that she is doing better (as it appears she is from the last couple of chapters and a quick skim of her socials), and that such a viral explosion surrounding her original blog post and now this book will inspire real change in the industry.

[Amanzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Consider my jaw DROPPED at some parts. I had some superficial idea of how grueling the medical field - particularly surgery - is, and even more so for a woman, especially a woman of colour - but wow. Dr Kadota does not shy away from the years of micro aggressions, stress, the toll on all levels of her health, and everything in between that led to the most extreme burnout and depression. My sincere thanks to her for boldly speaking her story and my sincere hope she continues to recover.

[Alana Schutz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone (& my healthcare girlies!!) needs to read this

[Ella Y · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a female medical student, this memoir hit hard. Since I’m still at the start of my training in this marathon of a career, I could definitely relate to the passion, ambition and excitement that Yumiko also felt as a young medical student. There were times where I had to pause and really reflect on the experiences that Yumiko described. I really felt ignorant as to what really goes on in the hospital training system. The few months that Yumiko described in 2018 made me feel sick to my stomach and I also felt so sad, disappointed and angry about what she had endured throughout that time and through her whole training. It’s difficult to see the reality of how women may be treated in a male-dominated medical field. But it also made me inspired that change can happen, no matter at what pace, and I am excited to see the myriad of people this memoir will touch and inspire.

[Megan Maurice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would have finished this book even more quickly if it wasn’t for the fact that I was hit very badly with chemo side effects when I was about 3/4 of the way through it! Completely compelling from start to finish and such a sad indictment on our medical system in Australia. It was sad to see the way Yumiko’s passion was stripped away slowly through the pages and heartbreaking to watch how it affected her.

There are definitely parallels to be drawn with other areas of life and some of the points on mental health and sickness in general are so illuminating. The author does a brilliant job of pulling tiny threads together from page one that weave an incredible illustration by the end of the book. From a technical perspective I also found the chapter lengths perfect - the kind of book where you always want to read one more chapter and can’t find a reason to put it down!

[Sharondblk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yumiko certainly has a hard time of it. The problem for me (and I feel very heartless and unsympathetic writing this) is that the second half of this book felt like listening to that friend we all have - the one who complains about work a lot, and it's not really that interesting. I'm sure her colleagues were as awful as she says, but it got pretty tedious. I think Yumiko has important things to say, but this would have been better as a TED talk - or a blog post, which is where this book originated from.

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook version of this, and I think it was better for hearing the story in Yumiko’s own voice.
This was an interesting account of her experiences as a doctor and with depression. Working conditions were definitely too much to ask of anyone. I’m glad she told her story and is helping to change things.

*** Wanted to add a small update to this review. Since posting it, I read a few negative reviews that really disturbed me. Though I suspect some of those critising Yumiko were actually trolls, I think they highlighted exactly why Yumiko has written this book and told her story. I would certainly like to think that someone doing an operation on me had not been worked into the ground to the point they hadn't even been able to sleep for phone calls or had any type of break for weeks. These are people, not robots. If these things also happened to those calling Yumiko weak and implying it's part of the job, then that's not okay either. We really need to work on this mindset that just because things happened in a work environment that was not okay years ago, then the next lot of workers also need to suck it up ***

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

It feels wrong to say I thoroughly enjoyed a book that details someone's suffering, but I did. This book is a recount of all the difficulties that Yumiko went through during her medical training which eventually led to severe burnout and depression. It also highlights the unique struggles of being a non-confrontational female in health care. I highly recommend it.

[Tess · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a surgical trainee I was very interested in reading Yumiko's story. I've previously been an unaccredited trainee and was for a few years before being accepted to my program and I remember when her blog/post about her experiences at her last hospital hit mainstream media and how I was horrified for her. I can attest to how vulnerable a group unaccredited registrars are, rocking the boat really does feel like you're risking your career going up in flames. I am very thankful that my experiences have been very different (though certain things feel very familiar), and hers are hopefully becoming much more the exception. That being said, regardless of your career, there is a lot to learn from Yumiko's journey about burn out, mental health, unsupportive work environments, and the risks of letting your work consume and define you whether it's in medicine or something else. Yumiko seems to be a very passionate person who put all her being into surgery, aiming to impress and please and this seems to have been a double-edged sword that ultimately allowed her to be exploited, overworked and made to feel she wasn't good enough. I am so glad she is recovering, what strength and resilience! The majority of the book gives me the sense of ongoing resent, anger, bewilderment and a feeling of never being in the wrong. But this is her story, told her way and she seems a different person at the end. She doesn't touch much on how things should change to improve doctor's health & wellbeing or who should take responsibility for the treatment/mistreatment of unaccredited registrars, which I would have liked to have read her take on. Love it or hate it, her book is certainly a conversation starter, written simply and emotionally, plus it's an easy, quick read. Recommend!

[Lk123 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raw and powerful.

This memoir is beautifully written, and I’m sure a very eye opening read for those that have not stepped foot in a hospital. There is heartbreak and humor, blatant discrimination, sexism and racism - all that is unfortunately too accurate. Dr Kadota’s resilience, dedication and passion to the medical profession is beyond admirable, and it oozes from her words.

She has so eloquently encapsulated what it is to work in an Australian public hospital, particularly for those women aspiring to be surgeons. This is the most honest and truthful depiction I’ve ever seen in the literature. It is powerful, confronting, and as a woman, so incredibly inspiring. You would be hard pushed to find a woman that has not encountered at least one of the situations and scenarios that Dr Kadota describes. There is comfort in her words, and relief that we are not alone. She has clearly made sacrifices to share this story, and as a woman I am incredibly grateful.

On the eve of International Woman’s Day, this is a reminder that this voice and this narrative is one that needs to be heard loud and clear.

An absolute must read.

[Paul Howat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr Kadota has written a book describing her journey from a passionate and clever medical student with a burning interest in surgery, to someone the system almost destroyed. Racism, sexual harassment and brutal working conditions gradually annihilated her. No-one was willing to help because “this is how we do it" and “toughen up princess” aided and abetted by racism and sexism. Supervision levels were appallingly low or absent. No wonder doctors kill themselves. I know all of this is true because I work in the same system. If you do as well you will recognise the bullies, perpetrators and enablers described beautifully ( and botanically) within. I expect there will be a lot of fake one star reviews from perpetrators and apologists, those who benefit from a deeply flawed and skewed system and who have a vested interest in continuing it. Don’t believe them. People like this are real, work conditions like this are real, and we are destroying careers and lives. Dr Kadota’s voice must be heard if we are to cherish and protect young doctors.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emotional Female is a really interesting memoir about Kadota’a experiences in medical training and working in hospitals in Australia as a young, Asian, woman. It’s a really balanced memoir which explores the challenges of medical training and work generally, the experiences of minorities in Australia, sexism in the field of medicine and education, and the particular experience being part of all these things at once. Kadota’s story is just the right amount of personal, and her willingness to explore her own vulnerability contributes significantly to the effectiveness of her messaging. Both a call to arms, and a reminder that life doesn’t always become what we expect it to. I found this incredibly engaging.

[ASHDAISLEY · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING MEMOIR. So eye opening about the pressures and stress junior doctors are put under; you assume Australia is different but no no, the conditions are horrendous. Even if you don't work in healthcare I would definitely recommend reading this! Also amazing how open and vulnerable Yumiko was. I'm not even going to try and go on and explain how good it was because I can't do it justice, just go read it.

[Annabel Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Yumiko for sacrificing your dreams of becoming a plastic surgeon to elicit change in the medical sphere. There’s a long way to go but improvements have been made. I could not wait to get my hands on this book and purchased it the day of release. A harrowing read however, an important one. Love from, an Emotional Female

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like validation is constantly needed to create courage with speaking up about these issues but

various thoughts as an emotional female on this especially with my current clinical placement but we'll save it for the formal feedback that will be lodged at the conclusion of placement so it doesn't affect how the supervisor marks my assessments xoxo