I just finished Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese and my mom is smiling down from Heaven above. Twelve years ago she gave me an autographed copy that she got when Dr. Verghese was passing through Short Hills, New Jersey. I wish I read it then! I picked the book up off a dusty old shelf and started it two weeks ago. It is a magnificent novel that not only educated me on the history of Ethiopia, it also taught me some internal medicine! I never knew that typhoid fever patients had a smell like freshly baked bread!
Dr. Verghese weaves a riveting story about two twins growing up in Africa after a tumultuous entry into this world which includes on the same day the death of their delivering mother, the abandonment of their father, and an attempted termination of one of their lives. Adopted by their delivering obstetrician, they grow to love and live the life of medicine. Due to an amazing series of unfortunate events, Marion, the older more sensitive twin, is forced into confronting his biological father who turns out to be a famous transplant surgeon in America. I LOVED this book and recommend it to any aspiring medical or nursing student. My only regret is that I didn’t have the chance to share my impressions with my mom who so thoughtfully gave me this book. I guess I’m lucky because I got a gift from her again now. And I’m grateful for it.
Edward Weston was a famed (in his time) long-distance and endurance walker who in 1909, at age 70, walked cross-country in 105 days. Wayne Curtis weaves a fascinating read about the power of walking.
I just finished listening to Eben Alexander’s Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife. Because I am in the car driving so much I often “read” books this way and I highly recommend it.
The New York Times and The New Yorker gave Do No Harm, by Henry Marsh. solid reviews, which it deserves. It’s by an English neurosurgeon who chronicles his career experience, the highs and lows.
Book Review of Edmund Morris' Book "The Living Hand". Highly recommended by Dr. McLaughlin. Brain-like, it [The Library of Congress] silently throbs with knowledge, and invisible connections-fact to fact, thought to thought..
My review of Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield. A worthwhile new book to add too your reading list. How can we glimpse the world of the gods with more frequency, even regularity?
I became a huge fan of Andy Andrews, a New York Times Best Seller author, seven years ago. If you haven’t read any of his books, I urge you to pick up a copy of The Traveler’s Gift. It won’t disappoint. An Entertaining and Inspiring read.
Psyched Up: How the Science of Mental Preparation Can Help You Succeed, written by Harvard Business Review journalist Daniel McGinn, covers the entire landscape of mental prep for high achievement. I thought I knew the whole story on this topic, but Psyched Up taught me new techniques that I can use in my daily life.
Firlik covers the entire territory of being a neurosurgeon, the highest of highs and lowest of lows. The need for a surgeon to be a ray of hope, as well as the relater of harsh truth. Dealing with surgeons with big egos. Recognizing when a seemingly straightforward condition may indicate a potentially fatal brain infection.
Today, women neurosurgeons remain a rare species; they represent only about 5% of the total in the United States. But at the time Dr. Nash became one, they were even scarcer; there weren’t any at all! She was the very first neurosurgeon of her gender in the U.S.
Review of Christopher Ahmad’s book SKILL: 40 Principles That Surgeons, Athletes, And Other Elite Performers Use to Achieve Mastery. I also identify my pick of the top three skills that neurosurgeons should strive to adopt. Ahmad's book is a powerful and insightful read for anyone who is pursuing the goal of peak performance.
How do we make sense of the senseless? On July 15th, 2020, people from as far afield as Russia and Canada came together to listen to Dr. McLaughlin help us make sense of it all.
A review of "Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War" by Karl Marlantes. With a son of my own following a career as a Marine, this was an intriguing and challenging book.
Never underestimate what a hand written note can do for someone. I was lucky enough to have parents who consistently encouraged me not only with words but also in writing.
Here are eight of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations that I found great meaning in over the course of 2021. He is foundational in Stoic thought and philosophy, and Roman Emperor in his spare time.
Just finished Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. Mom is smiling down from Heaven. 12 years ago she gave me an autographed copy that she got when Dr. Verghese was passing through Short Hills, NJ
Cognitive Dominance: Reflections on the 5th Anniversary of Publication. Dr. McLaughlin reflects on the publication of his ground breaking book on the nature of fear and performance.
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