Heart in the Right Place - a new James Herriott?

Although my dad reads a lot, he recommends very few books. Don't get me wrong; he enjoys most of what he reads. But, he hates recommending a book to someone who then reads it, and doesn't like it. So, when he went out on a limb and said to me, "You might like this," you better believe I grabbed the book as soon as I could.

It was Carolyn Jourdan's Heart in the Right Place, a sort of family memoir. I found it to be a bit of an antidote to today's healthcare nightmares, although a very temporary one. (Sigh. Let's not go there today.)

Heart reminded me a little of the James Herriott books I loved so much as a kid, which is a great compliment. 

Jourdan begins her tale as a highly-paid, expensively dressed D.C. lawyer who goes home to temporarily fill in for her mom as her father's assistant-everything in his medical practice in rural Tennessee. As the weeks turn into months, Jourdan realizes she's been both humbled and improved by her stint as a "lowly" medical office receptionist.

Jourdan is a good storyteller, and she certainly has some stories to tell, so this non-fiction account is interesting but frankly not always compelling. OK, here I must admit that I was honestly hoping for something as fabulous as The Immortal Cells of Henrietta Lacks, and folks, that's just not fair. Writers like Rebecca Skloot are extremely rare, and - let's hope - stories like Lacks' are even rarer.

Would I recommend Heart in the Right Place? Yes I would, and I'm glad my dad did. In addition to enjoying many of the stories, it made me wonder if the advancement of the medical profession might lie in offices like the Jourdans,' where the occasional farm animal seeks treatment along with its owner, and both get quality care. Yes, I recommend this title - and I'll read more from Carolyn Jourdan.

~Diane Stresing