Sunday, May 19, 2013

Living and Dying and Telling the Tale

It seems disingenuous to complain that a book written by a doctor - an emergency physician, no less - could've been a little better, but here I am.

Sampson Davis, a native of one of New Jersey's toughest neighborhoods, beats the odds and not only avoids drugs, prison (barely), and poverty, he graduates from medical school. Instead of getting out of the neighborhood, though, Davis did his residency (plus a few years) in the hospital emergency room where many of his friends and neighbors arrive - on stretchers.

Davis's story, Living and Dying in Brick City, is gripping, and told as it is in autobiographical vignettes, it could be very instructive to high school and college students who are struggling to make good in a bad situation - any situation, but particularly those who are aiming for a career in the medical profession.

Unfortunately, the narrative wasn't as captivating as the story itself.  I certainly admire Sampson for the work he has done and is still doing, and I really, really wanted to love the book as much as I love the author's philosophy. I just wish Living and Dying has received a little more TLC in the editing room.
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Have you read any of Sampson's other nonfiction tales? If so, I'd love to hear what you thought.






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