The Science of the Good Samaritan: Thinking Bigger about Loving Our Neighbors

by Emily Smith

What does it mean to love your neighbor in today's fraught, divided world? Join Dr. Emily Smith, global health expert and creator of the popular Facebook page Friendly Neighbor Epidemiologist, as she dives into what loving your neighbor--as illustrated in the biblical parable of the Good Samaritan--truly means. Combining Dr. Smith's expertise as a scientist with her deep Christian faith while drawing from her journey from small-town Texas to a prestigious university, The Science of the Good Samaritan shares fascinating stories from Dr. Smith's life and the lives of other inspiring people around the world to show us how You can help reimagine and create a better world--and it all starts with authentically loving your neighbor.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Psychology, Christian, Faith, Self Help, Religion

288 pages, Paperback

Published October 24, 2023

About the author

Emily Smith is an assistant professor in the department of emergency medicine/surgery at Duke University and at the Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI). During the COVID-19 pandemic, she also became known as the Friendly Neighbor Epidemiologist through her social media outlets which reached 10 million people during 2020-2021.

Before joining the faculty at Duke University, Dr. Smith spent four years at Baylor University in the department of public health and was a research scholar at DGHI for two years. Dr. Smith received her PhD in epidemiology from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC Chapel Hill and a MSPH from the University of South Carolina.

Emily has been married to her pastor-husband for twenty years and they have two fantastic children and one spoiled golden retriever. On any normal day, you can find her outside gardening, reading in the hammock with a good cup of coffee, or trying to become a bird-watcher.

Reviews

[Hannah Peacock · Rating 3 out of 5]

I I liked the premise and the idea of how to be a Christian and a neighbor in today’s world. I liked the global aspect, and how we should look at specific countries or regions instead of just referring to places as “third-world countries”. I could have done without the one-sided Republican bashing (let’s be honest neither side exactly espouses Christian values).

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book so much because Emily was my voice of reason that kept me focused during the craziness of the pandemic. Her experiences with her faith, church, and people with extreme political ideas deeply resonated with me and what I struggled with during Covid and after. Thank you for writing this book and thank you for helping so many of us with our struggle.

[Carissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I encountered Dr. Emily Smith during the pandemic through her writing on Friendly Neighbor Epidemiologist. In a season when political views became a litmus test for religious belonging, her words urged us to act with respect for the least among us.

Reading The Science of the Good Samaritan gave me new insight to her words during the height of the pandemic. She writes with deep background and reliance on the encouragement of her Christian faith, with a perspective on social justice led by data analysis to identify root causes of medical poverty.

Most of the chapters contain scripture references deftly woven into her testimony and calls to action. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to science-minded Christians. Dr. Emily Smith’s introduction includes a nod to other religious traditions, but those unfamiliar with the context of the scriptures she references may need additional references.

[Mayra Lovas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. She found a beautiful way to weave science and scripture. I have a background in public health and have never been able to describe my thoughts the way she did - because sometimes it’s just about being a decent human. If people read this with an open mind and heart, there should be something you and can glean from this. It’s hard to read how negatively her body reacted to her attempt to be tough in the face of ugliness during the pandemic. Our nation needs prayer now more than ever, and we all need to live more like the Good Samaritan. Emily is a new hero of mine. I will recommend this book to others.

[Audrey Marcusen McMacken · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this epidemiologist so helpful during the pandemic. When so many Christian voices were saying things that differed so from how I as a physician felt called to care for neighbors and patients.

There was much less overt covid in this book than I anticipated. While Covid is a key part of her journey there is so much more to this book.

The way she weaves together her own stories with those of American and global neighbors and with scripture makes me want to do better. And also she comes back to realizing while we care we can't each do all the things. And the importance of discerning what where are actually called to build change. This was such a struggle during pandemic years, but in the midst of current reproductive justice challenges and so many others it can still be overwhelming so this reminder continues to be helpful.

Glad to have read this book.

[Jimbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who is our neighbor? Emily Smith uses the parable of the Good Samaritan as the framework for her book combining her life's work, global public health, systemic issues, and pandemic response. I am captivated by her story and I could not put the book down. I had expected most of the book to be centered on the smallest middle of three sections, but was pleasantly surprised by how the other sections clarified incredibly powerful ideas.

The book has less explicit biblical and religious reference than I was expecting, and where it is used, it is in a cohesive a way. She uses the book of Nehemiah, one which I was not familiar with, as an analogy for the benefits of limiting or eliminating using social media - something I have recently been addressing myself.

This book deals with weighty, powerful issues in a personable and relatable way; however, it does not shy from challenging preconceived ideas. It provides a critical perspective on issues of science, faith, public health, and equity. This is a great book and I highly recommend it.

[Jane Die · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Emily Smith speaks with compassion and courage about what it means to be a good neighbor- in our community, in our nation, and in the world. This book provides some of the best explanations I have heard on difficult and often divisive subjects like health equity, structural racism, and structural violence in a way that calls the reader to reflect personally without being ‘preachy’ or holier than thou. And, it is a call not just to reflect, but to ask the harder questions about how I can be a good neighbor in my world.

Emily, if you are reading this, please know that you were a huge blessing to those of us working on the front lines of healthcare during the pandemic. I, too, went through the struggle of finding out that who I thought were my people, weren’t my people, though not in the scary way you did. During that time, you were a constant light and someone to whom I could point my friends for helpful and accurate information. And, I’ve never met you, but You are my people!

[Lily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this as a winner on Goodreads. I would rate it maybe 1 1/2 stars because I finished the book. I liked her using Scripture, but it seems she has done it to her own benefit. She also seems to have a real chip on her shoulder. And, she seems to be one of the well off who is staying that way. Is she really putting her money where her mouth is. For example, think of the widow's mite.
If she was just "preaching" her own agenda, I would have put it down much sooner. But, she did interweave some of her life experiences.

[Lisa Lewton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admire Smith for her faithful work, particularly these past few years. She widens the lens of loving our neighbor to view the entire world as neighbor, deserving of equality by way of healthcare.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author, which I felt helped me get to know her better. The book is tender hearted while also informative and well-written. I followed her during the pandemic on Instagram; this book further the Christian work of calling us to love the neighbors most of us never consider, crossing political and social boundaries, just as Jesus did.

[Julie H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very sciency. I like it.

[MaKenzie Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up to 4.

I liked how the book was laid out and how the author made you feel like you were effortlessly learning. For example no word or phrase that could be considered taboo or political was left without a definition or example to go with it as to make it harder for people to ascribe or assign their own meaning to something.

I walked away not agreeing with everything per se, but I had a list of books and people to research and my previous worldview on certain ideas was challenged and in some ways changed.

[Shirley · Rating 2 out of 5]

A strange mixture of Christianity and Scientism. I can see why she lost a lot of friends with her emphasis on loving everything and everyone pro-pandemic (masks, covid testing of people that come to her house, singing praises of the WHO, pro vax & boosters, etc ) Good grief woman as a scientist do you not read updates on the aftermath of the pandemic - do you not at least consider that many other people equally or better educated than you disagree now with many of your positions? This book felt like one long slog justifying all the bad policies of the madness that was the pandemic. Just for fun I looked up her Substack and saw that she was still testing friends that came to her house at the end of 2023 and insisting we should wear masks. Seriously?

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t finish this audiobook but I listened to most of it. Some of it is interesting. Most of it felt very virtue-signally, even if they’re virtues i myself value. It becomes distracting and detracts from the book as a whole.

[Kyra Dawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. I think Dr. Emily Smith, through delving in history and being vulnerable about her own learning experiences, has crafted an incredible book that emphasizes both narrative and action, theory and practice. I also feel encouraged in that my faith and intellectual and activist desires for change cannot only coexist, but are actually meant to strengthen each other. My faith is the reason why I can work for more for everyone. We are all neighbors and we deserve better for each other. This book is a beautiful and personal reminder of that.

[Morgan Crandall · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Epidemiology is the science of the Good Samaritan… it’s a science of quantifying who is most at need so that we don’t walk by.”

I really appreciated hearing the perspective of someone who integrates faith with both scripture and science. The author’s reflections on her faith, her church, and her interactions with people holding extreme and often hurtful political views during the pandemic deeply resonated with me. I found her approach to social justice, grounded in data analysis, both refreshing and inspiring.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Emily Smith was one of the epidemiologists who kept me informed during the pandemic, and I love her perspectives as a person of both faith and science. In this book she uses the story of the Good Samaritan to show us that truly taking care of our neighbors on a global scale is essential. I liked her use of personal stories as well epidemiological and worldwide examples of how living out the good Samaritan story means centering those on the margins.

[Kari Shepherd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I followed Dr Emily Smith during the pandemic and found her to be a great resource, so I love the content of this book - I agree wholeheartedly with her message and appreciate her scientific knowledge and viewpoint. I found the narrative voice to be a little cutesy for my taste and some of the more scientific bits to be unclear for the reader with no science background (me).

[Debi Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Profound. Real. Empowering. The reader is a guest at the huge, abundant table of equity, justice, & love created by Dr. Emily Smith. Welcome abounds. Grace is realized.

[Donna Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite non-fiction book of 2023. Epidemiologist Dr. Emily Smith challenges White Christian evangelicals to examine their capacity to empathize and love their neighbors. She argues that an ignorance of root causes to today's societal trauma distorts our viewpoint and understanding. This, in turn, perpetuates an ineffective response to environmental, poverty, food insecurity, and medical problems (to name a few). She purports, "in the name of God," we have exacerbated world problems rather than provided solutions because we can't see past our easy spiritual and shallow answers to the complexities of brokenness and suffering. While she leans into a Christian worldview, she contends that many Christian leaders lack the knowledge needed for progress in a host of debilitating issues. This book was captivating. I highly recommend it.

[Leslie (PaperAndKindness) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is perfect for fans of Half the Sky. The author is a Christian and she writes from her own experience, but she is affirming of other faiths.

[CybercrrEDU · Rating 1 out of 5]

Full transparency, I reviewed this copy free from Goodreads in exchange for a review.

I don't even want to rate this 1 star. It's hideously biased and not worth the read. It feels like a giant virtue signal. I dislike that the book is nothing but buzzwords. Feels like mass propaganda, littered with misinformation. She doesn't even correctly use citations or quotations from religion. You have to be more specific because religious texts are more nuanced. She isn't even quoting from other religions correctly, taking things out of context.

I feel like this lady is stuck in an echo chamber and is more interested in advancing her career at the expense of others. I do not side politically because both parties have massive issues, and it feels like this lady has an axe to grind, comes off as a White Savior and is obnoxiously self righteous. She's very firmly involved with the Bill and Melinda Foundation and many other people of political and religious influence. She seems to have a blind eye for her own party and their misdeeds.

I don't mind learning about different beliefs or opinions or even being open to new ideas or things. What I dislike is the agenda. I dislike that she feels the need to bash Republican's. If you want to win people over the last thing you should be doing is attacking them.

If you want to reach people, do so without the high and mighty educated speak. Talk to people on their level. She should be talking to those she despises with care. Because it's obvious she does not love her neighbor. It all rings of false empathy and narcissism.

I bring this up because there is no doubt in my mind so many people that pick up books do not have a college education. So if you want to help those people change you have to be on their level. Not cater to the intellectual or you risk losing your potential audience.

This was a massive disappointment for me because I was really expecting something much different. Something more spiritual. It lacks and feels devoid.

Sorry, not sorry.

[Ari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so, so good. It read a little bit like a memoir, which I wasn’t expecting but didn’t mind. It came from a Christian perspective but the focus wasn’t really on religion- just on religious values of kindness and compassion. And I think it’s good & important to read regardless of your religion/lack of (but I think every Christian should read it). She explained the systematic ways that minorities are most negatively affected by most everything with some specific examples & did a great job explaining health inequity. Also I really appreciated her commentary on the phrase “third world countries”. It was just very important & well written & I loved learning from it 9.3/10 (religious)

[Phyllis Bahou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone needs to read this book. It brings humanity & kindness & science & faith together in a great easy read. I want to be a better person after reading Emily’s words & thoughts. I hope she writes more books.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: A book that looks at what it means to love our neighbor through the lens of global public health.

I first encountered Dr. Emily Smith through posts on Facebook under the title of “The Friendly Neighborhood Epidemiologist” (which later migrated to Substack). This was during the Covid epidemic when many of us were searching for accurate and understandable information and perspective to get us through a time when bodies were being stored in refrigerated trailers in our major cities. As an epidemiologist, Dr. Smith gave us daily doses of good information about infection rates, measures for staying healthy, what to do if we got sick, and how to protect our vulnerable loved ones.

But more than that, as the political divisions arose, she rose above them and helped us to think as Christians rather than partisans about how we might live and love through this horror. A recurring theme was what neighbor love meant and could be practically expressed. She drew on her training as an epidemiologist, knowing how airborne viruses spread, and helped us think about decisions about masking, family gatherings, and in-person worship. She wrote as both a scientist and as the wife of a pastor, and for me, brought those two worlds together seamlessly. Sadly, like so many, especially women, in public health, she paid with death threats to herself and her family as others tried prevent her from rising above partisan politics by asking what it meant to love our neighbors, like the good Samaritan.

In this book she continues to explore that question. It is not a re-hash of her Covid experience although she does reference it at points. Rather she asks the question of what it means to be a modern day Good Samaritan. Principally, it means a concern for others beyond our own groups. She explores what it means to care about those who experience greater mortality rates simply because of their race or national origin. She describes how the calibration of devices as simple as pulse oximeters ignored differences of race, giving false readings for people of color. She describes the care she received for preeclampsia during a pregnancy, treatment unavailable to many women in the world who die without it.

Along the way she introduces to neighbors who model that concern, like Edna Adan Ismail, Somalia’s first midwife, a WHO official who used her retirement income to buid a hospital in war-torn Somaliland amid the communal dump because that was the only land given her. It was a hospital among the most marginalized. She describes the work of Dr. Paul Farmer, who identified a child needing surgery as the key factor in many parts of the world that submerges families below the poverty line. She shows the cost effectiveness of investing in child surgery and describes her own work with a team of Tanzanians to remove barriers for children with cancer to receive treatment. This is what happens when people refuse to walk by but stop and care.

This lens motivates her to address issues evangelicals (of which she is one) want to remain silent about. Runaway capitalism results in wide income disparities placing much of the world at risk due to lack of access to affordable health care, Climate change expands the range of vector-borne diseases like malaria, dengue fever, and Zika. She raises the challenging issue of equity in health care–that if we truly notice the person on the side of the road and are to be neighbor to them, it means directing more resources to the least-served. In Paul Farmer’s words this means the five S’s of staff, stuff, space, social support, and systems (as in good referral systems).

A side story of this book is her journey as a woman in science. Her life reflects the importance of door openers like the university prof who worked with her and invited her into her lab as a high school student, and of models and mentors, like her research mentor Dr. Henry Rice, an ongoing collaborator who invited her to give testimony at the United Nations.

Dr. Smith’s passion for her work is evident but also friendly and vulnerable. In her book, she invites us to pull up a seat as it were, at her table, to talk. I also discovered that she is a changed person from the person I encountered online during Covid. She talks honestly about the year-and-a-half struggle with migraines where she lived in darkened rooms. She learned to “untether,’ to go slower, and to know that she was loved by the One who also suffered.

I reflected as I read on the parallels between Dr. Emily Smith and Dr. Katherine Hayhoe. both Christian women in science bringing faith and scholarship together around the existential issues of the day, climate and public health. Both have husbands who are pastors. Both have winsomely pushed against evangelical resistance to their work in science. Both are posing the very questions Jesus posed in answering the question of “who is the neighbor I’m required to love?” Who is it, lying at the side of the road, in our world? What is the care they need? And who will be the Good Samaritan?

____________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher.

[Brandi Diamond · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book… inspiring, challenging, delightful, sobering. Highly recommend.

[Shanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Dr. Emily Smith and everything that she stands for. She was the voice of reason that got me through 2020. I lost my political identity that year and, I don't say this lightly, but I might have lost my faith had it not been for Emily. Her experiences with her church, faith and people with extremist political ideas hit painfully close to home. Reading her story and thinking back to my own experiences made this difficult to read at times. I actually had to take an extended break from reading because it was stirring so much emotion in me. I'm glad I finished it though because I found it very healing.

Throughout the book, Emily challenges White Christian evangelicals to lay our American identity at the foot of the cross to follow the teachings of Jesus to truly love our neighbors—to care about the marginalized or "the least of these." The teachings of Christ don't always line up our political parties and that's not something most want to think about.

It was hard to read about all the hate and harassment Emily suffered because of her message, especially from many in her hometown. However, living in the same area she grew up, I wasn't surprised as I faced the same on a smaller scale. I say all the time, if I didn't already know Jesus, I would never want to based on so many that claim to represent him, especially based on some very personal experiences I had in 2020. Like Emily, I no longer felt at home in evangelical spaces and honestly I still do not.

With compassion, kindness, and scriptural backing, Emily gave me a lot to think about when it comes to divisive subjects like structural racism and health equity. She challenged me to ask myself "who is my neighbor?" and then stop rather than walking by.

In short, Emily makes me want to be a better person. I highly recommend this book.

[Jacob Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first few pages of this book definitely set the tone for how the rest would be played out. It honestly became a distraction to me and I continued to argue through out the coming chapters. It wasn't that I was unable to see what was being said, I feared that a lot of what was said became more emotional/personal and not scientific.

This book would have been better suited as having the title "A Philosophy of the Good Samaritan". Dr. Smith spoke more of her cultural convictions and relayed them onto us as if we should carry them the same. I have never read a book where someone could have such a positive presence and yet see the bad in everything history has been through.

The statistics that were shared in this book were definitely polarizing. Unfortunately, they were filtered through the agenda she has been fed and was/is regurgitating. I feel awful of the harm and risks that she had and is facing as no one should face such turmoil because of their beliefs.

Ultimately, I would give this a 2 star, but I relate to Dr. Smith in that she is passionate and loves what she does. I agree, that Christians need to be more caring and put into action living beside the broken and poor but this book too many times missed the mark for the sacrificial gods of coveting the masses compassions and sympathy and not having the biblical conviction of honoring G-d.

John 14:6 "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me".

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great introduction to the concept of epidemiology for the lay reader and a beautiful discussion of realistic ways to help those most in need, locally or globally. I was deeply moved by Dr. Smith's articulation of how epidemiology integrates with her faith and I appreciated both the specific references to scripture and discussion of values shared across faiths (and with many people of no formal faith).

The book is not a scientific text (nor does it purport to be), so as someone with a solid epi background I didn't learn a lot, but I would enthusiastically recommend it for:
-People who first heard of epidemiology/epidemiologists during the pandemic and are unclear on what that discipline is [spoiler: it's not dermatology ;) ]
-People who feel compelled to do something, especially at a structural level, and don't know where to start
-People interested in framing population health work in faith-based language and/or building bridges with kind-hearted folks who struggle with the idea of systemic inequality
-People who enjoy memoir with a healthy dose of beyond-the-self research -- Dr. Smith's story is unique but relatable, and she writes like she's speaking with a friend.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I know Emily personally and am good friends with the pastor-husband she praises so much in the book.

She writes with a high level of expertise, tackling big, big problem. Yet, she writes in a style accessible to non-experts. Her approach is hospitable. She wants you to care for the world the way she does; she wants you to feel like you're sharing the world with her, and with everyone else.

This is a must-read because she has a unique perspective that blends deep faith and scientists' knowledge, and she expresses both passions around a massive topic: global health.

If you are a more conservative Christian, and you did not like how experts in the medical community responded to the 2020 pandemic, please read Emily's work with your Bible and your heart open. You don't need to agree with all her conclusions. But, I ask you to trust that she comes from a place of profound faith, a love for God's word (and a really strong knowledge of it), and she deeply loves Jesus and her neighbors. Even if you don't think she has everything right, trust that she's trying and her heart is genuine.

I trust her knowledge as a scientist and I admire her testimony as a Jesus-follower. I give all respect and appreciation to Emily Smith for sharing her story in this book.

[Behrooz Parhami · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to the unabridged 7-hour audio version of this title (read by the author, Zondervan, 2023).

I am really ticked off by this book and its author. The word "Science" in the title along with the author's "Dr." honorific (she is a Duke U. faculty member with a PhD in epidemiology) strongly suggest a popular science book about what makes us humans an altruistic species, a la Matthieu Ricard's Altruism: The Science and Psychology of Kindness. So, I was shocked by the fact that the book contains no science, other than occasional references to the author's scientific background.

There are, however, many references to Jesus and Bible verses. I'm not saying that the book is worthless but that it is offered in a misleading package. A perfectly-fine box of cookies may similarly be dismissed if the package bears the label "Chocolates."

I liked some of the author's musings, such as her criticizing Texas Governor Greg Abbott over blaming the very high COVID rates in his state on a relatively small number of undocumented immigrants who tested positive, while Texas already had one of the highest COVID infection rates in the nation. Such logical statements do not overcome my primary objection to the book.