No Apparent Distress

April 15, 2017
A sensitive doctor describes her beginnings navigating the unpredictable, woolly world of modern American health care.Pearson's inspired collective of illuminating clinical episodes immediately sparks to life with anecdotes from her early work in a female-owned and -operated abortion clinic in her 20s. Her experience there as a young, bilingual patient advocate counseling Spanish-speaking women greatly broadened her perspective on women's issues, "the suffering that women go through," and it solidified her decision to pursue a career in medicine. Because many of the artfully and creatively compressed stories she shares are so personal and admittedly "hard to tell," the book takes on an intimate tone, even while the details veer toward the gruesome or the emotionally raw. Intensive medical school classes on Galveston Island led to hospital and family medicine rotations, and all of the experiences exposed the author to the trauma and heartbreak of pain, cancer, and disease and the frustrations of age and death--but also the sincere appreciation from those she was fortunate enough to assist in creating wellness. Pearson's history as a poet and a fiction writer aids with the flow and the tone of her memoir. Eloquently and briskly written, the narrative is moving and will be inspirational and particularly enlightening for pre-med students eager to discover and explore the real insider details found both in and out of school. The author offers a helpful, pragmatic perspective on how the American health care system operates, how and who it helps, and what it has become hobbled by, though, disappointingly, only a few closing pages are devoted to these thoughts. On the whole, Pearson's well-balanced book provides a smooth combination of personal history and patient care cases. Educative and thoughtful--important reading for patients and fellow medical professionals alike.

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from April 1, 2017

Writer, MD, and PhD student (Inst. for the Medical Humanities, Galveston) Pearson writes movingly about American medicine and medical education from the perspective of a working-class student who comes to realize that her medical education (and that of many) is based on learning from the poor and uninsured. The author spent years practicing at the St. Vincent Student Run Free Clinic, learning that treatments for diseases are not always available to patients, even under the Affordable Care Act and with heroic efforts by health professionals. She discovers the extent of bias in medical care, including in herself. "No apparent distress" is used in medical charts for patients who appear stable. Pearson also considers the American medical system of treating the underprivileged, who provide critical experience for medical students to learn from their mistakes on these patients. VERDICT With similarities to Victoria Sweet's God's Hotel, this timely, highly recommended title is for readers interested in medicine, public health, disparities in treatment, and the complicated politics of health care and poverty.--Mary Chitty, Cambridge Healthtech, Needham, MA

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.