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If Wishes Were Horses
A woman recounts her struggle to realize her dream of becoming a veterinarian when already past age thirty, describing her working-class upbringing, chauvinist professors, the fellow students who called her "Mom," and her work treating animals. Reprint.
295 pages, Paperback
First published January 15, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 19, 2018
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Reading the older edition, found in Rolla library, for their Summer Reading Bingo of "How-to." I was thinking I'd do cookbook or decor, but this caught my eye somehow. Maybe because I liked Herriot's books and thought it'd be interesting to compare & contrast....
... ok done ...
Too many animal bodies, not enough animals, for me. But I'm not complaining, because the book does state directly it's about vet school and personal growth, so I know I was lucky to meet any animal characters.
Not for the squeamish. Gage and most of her classmates are grateful to the animals they trained on, and Gage explicitly promises, to the dying animal, as she administers euthanasia, to save more lives than she's been responsible for killing. But still, there's a lot of blood & guts, and a lot of facing the reality of the economics of the choices, and a fair bit of advocacy for spay/neuter but not so much for other facets of animal welfare (for example, don't surprise your toddler with a bunny in her Easter basket, eat less meat, etc.).
Anyway, this is a smooth and fascinating read, even for those of us who have no special interest in domestic animals or in veterinary medicine. And it's an exhausting read, as in, her struggles came alive for me and I felt them through her and her sister Nancy's words.
Reading the older edition, found in Rolla library, for their Summer Reading Bingo of "How-to." I was thinking I'd do cookbook or decor, but this caught my eye somehow. Maybe because I liked Herriot's books and thought it'd be interesting to compare & contrast....
... ok done ...
Too many animal bodies, not enough animals, for me. But I'm not complaining, because the book does state directly it's about vet school and personal growth, so I know I was lucky to meet any animal characters.
Not for the squeamish. Gage and most of her classmates are grateful to the animals they trained on, and Gage explicitly promises, to the dying animal, as she administers euthanasia, to save more lives than she's been responsible for killing. But still, there's a lot of blood & guts, and a lot of facing the reality of the economics of the choices, and a fair bit of advocacy for spay/neuter but not so much for other facets of animal welfare (for example, don't surprise your toddler with a bunny in her Easter basket, eat less meat, etc.).
Anyway, this is a smooth and fascinating read, even for those of us who have no special interest in domestic animals or in veterinary medicine. And it's an exhausting read, as in, her struggles came alive for me and I felt them through her and her sister Nancy's words.
May 8, 2008
I am not in the vet profession but I enjoyed this book very much. I felt almost like I was going along with Loretta to her classes and such. I certainly have much more respect for my vet (who I love anyway)after reading all the things they must learn and go through to become a D.V.M.
If you are at all sensitive to the lives of animals ending to be used as learning tools for the vet students it could be hard to read for you. There were a couple of times I did find myself very emotional and in tears. But overall I did like this book.
If you are at all sensitive to the lives of animals ending to be used as learning tools for the vet students it could be hard to read for you. There were a couple of times I did find myself very emotional and in tears. But overall I did like this book.
October 30, 2019
So awful I couldn't even finish reading it. It actually started off quite interesting and I was really enjoying learning more about vet school. However, the author comes across as callous, unfeeling, and cold. Someone who really shouldn't be a vet given how ambiguous she is to animal suffering. The part that really bothered me was when she boasted of killing her 18 year old cat and cut off it's head to send for rabies testing, all because it was unvaccinated and it bit her mother. Ever heard of quarantine and observation? Plus even if it was a possibility that the cat had rabies, her mother could very easily go and get her rabies shots. Problem solved.
November 5, 2019
I really enjoyed this memoir, admittedly very slowly. I would guess you'd have to be an animal-loving person who is incredibly curious about what it takes to be a vet to truly appreciate the book. I found it fascinating. There are a lot of the grisly details and as a person who appreciates honesty and vulnerability in a writer, I have great respect for author. I'm also impressed that she worked with her sister to create the book - that takes some serious sibling love. Glad I read it- I'm already looking differently at my vets!
March 18, 2015
As a child, I wanted to be a veterinarian for a while (like every girl?). This book gives an in depth look into the years of schooling and challenges that veterinary students face. While the classwork wouldn't have been a problem, having to euthanize so many healthy animals would have been. On the whole, it gave me great respect for veterinarians and made me glad to be a molecular biologist in a nice, clean lab.
December 9, 2010
Enjoyed reading about the educational path required of vets. Opened my eyes to the moral dilemmas facing many veterinarians...performing procedures abhorrent to personal beliefs (tail/ear cropping, declawing, debarking) vs. earning a living (to include paying off student loans, purchasing state-of-the-art diagnostic machines/methods, stocking office with necessary supplies, medicines, etc.).
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October 5, 2007I probably checked this book out of the library 10 or 15 times when I was a kid -- this one and a real-life account of being an OB/GYN resident (whose title I've forgotten). Oddly enough, I had no desire to be either a vet or a doctor, I think I just liked the nonfiction format.
February 17, 2014
This was a pretty good memoir from an alum of the DVM program at Colorado State. I think having witnessed friends going through this program helped me to understand this more.
October 5, 2014
One thing and most important to say....GREAT READ! Fascinating and well written book to show how Vet school is I was told and I can believe it!
May 3, 2016
Excellent book about veterinary training in the 80s. Made me glad I decided not to attempt vet school. Excellent chapter on growing up in the 50s and 60s.
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September 27, 20183. Hoping to get this question answered before my cruise in mid-October:
I read pretty voraciously, across lots of genres. I particularly love and collect veterinary memoirs. My favorites are the James Herriot books (English vet); While You’re Here Doc by Bradford Brown (Maine vet); The Rhino with the Glue-On Shoes by Lucy Spelman (zoo vet); and Tales from the Tail End by Emma Milne (James Herriot meets Bridget Jones). I’ve read some others as well (Horse Vet by Courtney Diehl, which was kind of sad actually), but it’s hard to know where to go next. Can you recommend some good vet memoirs or similar books for me? I prefer a balance between the funny and sad (i.e., not too much sadness!), and I’m not a huge fan of self-published books. Also, I know a lot of the titles in this genre are terrible puns (and there’s some some really terrible covers), but I don’t let that stop me from reading it, as the content is usually great!
–Haley
I read pretty voraciously, across lots of genres. I particularly love and collect veterinary memoirs. My favorites are the James Herriot books (English vet); While You’re Here Doc by Bradford Brown (Maine vet); The Rhino with the Glue-On Shoes by Lucy Spelman (zoo vet); and Tales from the Tail End by Emma Milne (James Herriot meets Bridget Jones). I’ve read some others as well (Horse Vet by Courtney Diehl, which was kind of sad actually), but it’s hard to know where to go next. Can you recommend some good vet memoirs or similar books for me? I prefer a balance between the funny and sad (i.e., not too much sadness!), and I’m not a huge fan of self-published books. Also, I know a lot of the titles in this genre are terrible puns (and there’s some some really terrible covers), but I don’t let that stop me from reading it, as the content is usually great!
–Haley
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews