Seeking the Cure

Seeking the Cure: A History of Medicine in America by Ira Rutkow is another book I grabbed off the new books shelf at the library. At only 356 pages, it isn't really as much of a history as a series of chronologically ordered stories about American medical advancements and personalities, and the social and economic consequences. The author clearly explains in the introduction that the book is not comprehensive and that "the personalities and advances that are highlighted are the ones that struck me as most illustrative, important, or, occasionally, simply fascinating". And so it was. The book was well-written, engaging, and covered a broad spectrum of topics and people-- from smallpox inoculation in Colonial times to today's abundance of medical malpractice lawsuits. Definitely a fun read!

Surviving Your Doctors

I grabbed Surviving Your Doctors by Richard S. Klein, M.D. at random from the "New Books" section at the library. It is subtitled: Why the Medical System is Dangerous to Your Health and How to Get through it Alive. I expected a boring discussion of common-sense things you should do when visiting the doctor-- make sure lab samples have your name, make sure you get the correct medicine, ask questions, etc. The book had a lot of this, but also tons of stories of malpractice incidents (the author is a practicing physician that also reviews malpractice claims) and quite detailed medical information about common conditions. It was sloppily edited and the writing was sometimes too hokey (i.e. lame jokes or puns), but, if you're interested in medicine, it's a somewhat interesting read.

In the Land of Invisible Women

In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom by Qanta A. Ahmed, MD is a fascinating memoir of a western Muslim female doctor's experience of working and living for two years at the turn of the 21st century in Saudi Arabia. The writing was sometimes over-dramatic or too flowery, but no so much so that I wanted to stop reading. Each chapter tackled a different experience-- things like abbayah (the clothing used to cover women in public) shopping, a discussion with a Saudi divorcee, the author's experience performing Hajj, etc. I recommend the book.

Food Rules

Food Rules: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan is a collection of 64 rules about what and how we should eat (e.g. "Drink the spinach water" and "Pay more, eat less"). The book lacked depth and seemed simply like a bunch of random factoids taken from The Omnivore's Dilemma. I highly recommend The Omnivore's Dilemma, or even the abridged children's version of The Omnivore's Dilemma, but not this.

Nurture Shock

Nurture Shock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman is a collection of essays with titles such as, "The Inverse Power of Praise" and "Why White Parents Don't Talk About Race". The authors use scientific studies to show that many parenting assumptions are incorrect. It was a fun and quick read that reminded me a lot of Freakonomics.

A Year Without "Made in China"

A Year Without "Made in China" by Sara Bongiorni is the story of the American author's family's year-long experiment to live without buying anything made in China. It is definitely a little over-dramatic and wordy at times, but at the core a captivating, eye-opening, and sometimes humorous read. The family has difficulty buying toys, shoes, sunglasses, and Christmas decorations, among other things. Quite a bit of the book focuses on what the rules of the "Made in China" ban should be (the author decides, for example, that accepting Chinese-made gifts is okay) and on what others think of the ban (views are quite varied). The book, predictably, confirms that much of what America buys is made in China, but doesn't make a judgement as to whether this is good or bad. I came away with that same view-- and a new tendency to turn over toys and housewares and read clothing tags, eager to see for myself where all those goods are made.