PRESENTLY:
BAD ADVICE
Paul Offit
PASTLY:
Between the World and Me
Ta-Nehisi Coates
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Doctors By Nature: How Ants, Apes, and Others Animals Heal Themselves
Jaap de Roode
A lot of interesting stories and examples of how animals self-medicate. The author spends a lot of time trying to convince you that not only are certain animal actions intentional acts of pharmacotherapy for specific conditions, but that animals would be better off if left to their own devices and allowed to medicate themselves when ill. There is some compelling evidence at least for the former which he uses to support the latter, but the whole book is woven together using interjections of personal beliefs, making it somewhat more difficulty to take his word the the conclusions of the different studies is what he states without reading them myself. But I guess that’s why this is a book and not review article in a scientific journal.
Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet
Ben Goldfarb
This one really makes you think about the human systems we take for granted every day and the effect that these systems, specifically human infrastructure affect wildlife. It was cool learning about the history of “road ecology” and the various iterations of wildlife crossing that have been done, the things that we have tried to make amends for our disruption of countless environments and migration patterns, the the varying success, or in some cases absolute failure/ exacerbation. At this point there is no avoiding the damage we have done and will continue to do. By the end of the book, despite a sense of horror, I was also left with a glimmer of hope in that we are continuing to do more to understand the core issue and effective strategies for minimizing the damage. Perhaps the most difficult part in this all is convincing the world that is is a problem we should care about.
Tattoos on the Heart
Gregory Boyle
Mind of the Raven – Investigations and Adventures with Wolf-Birds
Bernd Heinrich
The Master Builder: How the New Science of the Cell Is Rewriting the Story of Life
Alfonso Martinez Arias
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City
Matthew Desmond
And a Bottle of Rum: The History of the World in 10 Cocktails
Wayne Curtis
The MAn Who Mistook is Wife for a Hat
Oliver Sacks
Moonwalking with Einstein
Joshua Foer
This one’s about the author’s journey from reporting on memory championships to becoming the memory world champion because of a simple idea: you can do it too. The biggest take away from this book was that there are no geniuses (ok may be there are some), but in reality most “genius” comes from ~simply~ putting in the work.
The Poisoner’s Handbook
Deborah BluM
Medical science and science history meets true crime. This one goes through the history of medical autopsies and toxicology, and the story of the somewhat disturbingly symbiotic arms race between murder and science. Feels like it would have been an exciting time in medicine… at least in hindsight. I’m sure it was actually quite a scary time having to face mysterious “diseases” that there were no tests or treatments for.
The Book of Life
Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures
Merlin Sheldrake
The Undying: Pain, Vulnerability, Mortality, Medicine, Art, Dreams, Data, Exhaustion, Cancer, and Care
Anne Boyer
Beautiful commentary on the patient experience through the perspective of the author as she battles cancer. Written in a poetic-prose style, this book has helped me develop a stronger “narrative medicine” approach in my patient care. While being a witness to illness and suffering can be and often is a daily occurrence working in healthcare, we can never fully understand the depths of an individual patient’s experience, even if we have our own personal experience with serious medical conditions. I think it’s important to acknowledge that and keep that in mind for my own humanity and for the care of my future patients.
Attending
Ronald Epstein
This books is about mindfulness in the practice of medicine. Epstein talks about how the practice of medicine has evolved from the age of Hippocrates to now; what things have change, what hasn’t, and what has or should go back to the way they were. Being in medical school now and experiencing the rigors of medical education, reading about burnout rates of physicians is sobering, but understandable. By this point I think medical institutions do a better job of recognizing the causes and symptoms of physician burnout than they did 10-50 years ago, but there is still work to be done, and Epstein provides insight on how we can get there and what we can do on both an individual and communal basis to that end.
THE PRACTICE
SETH GODIN
Another one from Seth. Whereas many of the previous books I’ve read from him are more ideological, this one is a bit more practical as the name implies. He talks about not only why it is important to engage in and create creative work, but how we should go about it. As with his others, he often refers to the readers as potential artists, but the lessons apply to all people with their respective craft. Find what makes your work yours and what makes it worth doing, then go and do it.
tHE SPIRIT CATCHES YOU AND YOU FALL DOWN
ANNE fADIMAN
This book is all about what happens when non-Western culture and traditions clash with the Western healthcare systems. The story of Lea Lee and her family highlights the flaws of overly analytical and patriarchal medical practice. While I honestly believe we have come along way in the culture of medical practice since the writing of these experiences, there is still a lot of work to do and this is a must read for anyone who wants to work in healthcare.
Other Minds
Peter Godfrey-Smith
Godfrey-Smith dives, both literally and figuratively into the world of cephalopods. He discusses current theories of consciousness and subjective experience. Cephalopods, especially octopuses have many behaviors that seems to indicate some level of consciousness, though perhaps not as we know it. Given how far removed they are from humans and other animals which we consider “intelligent,” the cephalopods represent an alternate experiment in the development of large nervous systems and intelligence.
The Sixth Extinction
Elizabeth Kolbert
Published in 2014, this book has aged extremely well (yea yea 6 years is not that old), and presents a sobering look at how what’s happening in our world right now mirrors what has occurred in the previous 5 great extinction events, and yet like each of those events is unprecedented in it’s own way. Kolbert provides a history of our understanding of how species come and go, and the driving forces behind those processes.
Homo Deus
Yuval Noah Harari
The “sequel” to Sapiens, Harari now discusses where humanity is going. Much of it is focused on how if we follow current trends the world of the future will be run by computers and hyper-efficient algorithms. While this may sound like a conspiracy/ doom-day scenario, Harari’s arguments are well reasoned, and he merely offers this future as a possibility and leaves it to us whether or not this future is one we would like to be realized.
Factfulness
Hans Rosling
The tagline is 10 Reasons Why We’re Wrong About the World. This book argues that despite what it may seem, the world is not as bad as we think. Not that we shouldn’t be concerned, but in order to move forward we have to use truth to guide us, not fear mongering and misplaced urgency. Everyone can benefit from reading this book and the world would be a better place if they did.
The Gene
Siddhartha Mukherjee
LONG, but interesting. Goes through basically the whole history of genetics, as well as where we’re at and where we may be going. Gives you a lot to think about ethically and scientifically. Mukherjee is a compelling writer and makes you care about this somewhat convoluted science.
Sapiens
Yuval Noah Harari
History of humanity. Talks about why humans are where we are, and the different biological and social/ cultural “evolutions” that make it possible. May challenge faith perspectives. Personally this was humbling, in a we-are-all-human type of way. Good if you like science and math.
When Breath Becomes Air
Paul Kalanith
Non-fiction, but more of a narrative. A father’s (who’s a doctor) writing to his daughter. Beautiful story. Probably will make you cry.
The Icarus Deception
Seth Godin
Motivating. About finding and doing you’re art. Don’t sell yourself short and don’t set out to please people for the sake of pleasing people. You don’t need to fit in. A lot of good business perspectives.
LinCHPIN
Seth Godin
Also by Seth Godin, similar themes. Find what makes you indispensable and be that. If what you’re doing doesn’t allow for it, do something else. Also a good business book (Seth is a marketing guy)
The Book of Joy
The Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Interfaith talks between two leaders in their respective communities, who are friends. They talk about what it means to be happy in ways that transcend any ascribed identity. Another book that would make the world a better place.
Algorithms to Live By
Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths
Good read if you like math/ mathematical thinking. This one gives you a lot of interesting ways to think about how you go about your daily life. Counter-intuitively, it makes life seems simpler (math is supposed to be complicated and scary right?!).
Stiff
Mary Roach
Makes you think about death. Very funny though, and talks about something that people usually don’t like to talk about too much. Good if you like science and aren’t squeamish.
Beyond Brilliance
Lucas Miller
Argues there’s no such thing as being naturally gifted. (Most) Every skill can be acquired if you take the right approach, and it provides strategies.
A Confederacy of Dunces
John Kennedy Toole
Funny and satirical. Kinda cringey and requires a certain (dry) sense of humor, but one of my favorite books of all time.
Catch 22
Joseph Heller
War satire. Same as above, though maybe more poignant, also somewhat dry in its humor, but more inclusive.
nANIMOv 