Letters To A Young Doctor: Amazon.ca: Richard Selzer: Books

Product Description

Highly candid, insightful, and unexpectedly humorous essays on both the brutality and the beauty of the profession in which saving and losing lives is all in a days work. A timeless collection by the best of the writing surgeons (Chicago Tribune). With a Preface written by the Author especially for this edition.

About the Author

Richard Selzer is a former surgeon and Yale School of Medicine professor. He has received many awards for his writing, including a National Magazine Award, a Pushcart Prize, and a Guggenheim fellowship. He is the author of several collections of stories and essays as well as a memoir. He lives in New Haven, Connecticut.

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Customer Reviews

5 Reviews

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

4.4 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Notes from a veteran doctor's perspective, excellent writing, Dec 26 2001

By

atmj (Rochester, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Letters To A Young Doctor (Paperback)

Having read Doctor's stories first, I was prepared for Richard Selzer's excellent writing. This book must be the origin of some of the stories that wound up in Doctor Stories (Imelda, Impostor, Chatterbox)

MOSTLY THE LIFE OF A DOCTOR IN PRACTICE OF SURGERY (70% OF BOOK)
Unlike Doctor Stories which have a wider range of stories, this book except for a couple of sidelines is about the craft of the Doctor, in and out of the Operating room and Hospital. Also, the doctor's perspective on the outside world. However, I wonder how many other doctors have his sense of service. Some of us can't imagine a high-priced surgeon performing the service he does in "Toe nails" one of the stories within.

DETAILS AND THE EMOTIONS AROUND THEM, FILL THIS BOOK:
Richard Selzer writing is poetic in his description of a doctor's musings on the Art of Surgery, the halls of the hospitals and the feel of working inside the human body. In many sense his reflections on his relationships with the tools he uses could the same a mechanic, a draftsman (of the 50s-80s), or the artist feels about the tools they use to perform their craft.

POETIC DETAILS ON EVEN THE MOST ORDINARY SITUATION:
He finds beauty in the minute details of life and has the gift to write about them. I also have his book "Mortal Lessons" that I hope to read soon as well. His books are addicting in the sense that you too also begin, if you don't already, to see the details of your own work and the relationships you have with the world around you. Either I think similarly or his thought process is universal, but he captures the magic of living and the impressions we all have at time. Even if you are not a doctor (and I'm not), you will find a sense of familiarity in his writing.

MEDICINE MAY BE WHAT HAS FINE-TUNED HIS SENSES:
Medicine however, has a draw that few other crafts do. It is the mystery of our own plumbing. It also has the human element of relationships and drama within it as well. The author does well to capture the patient's relationship with the physician. Richard Selzer does well to capture the detached relationship; a physician has with the body but not the soul of the patients, he treats. When he acknowledges the person within the body the relationship broadens and he as a physician has opened himself up to the pain as well. He does this from time to time.

ZEN-LIKE IN THOUGHT:
I found this book very Zen-like in its concentration of detail. If Richard Selzer decides to write a book like "Sweeping Changes" a book on Zen philosophy on cleaning, but except on the art of living, he would be well-qualified. He makes holy what many take to be ordinary. Bravo.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Good but not great. Score: 7, May 27 1999

By

David Graham (Shell, Ecuador) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Letters To A Young Doctor (Paperback)

Under the old Amazon.com ranking system, I would give this book a seven on a ten point scale. As a fellow surgeon who enjoys Selzer's writings, I thought this was a good, yet not great collection of ruminations. Some of the chapters were quite touching, some were funny, and some were quite plain. A few actually suffered from Selzer's exuberant imagination as he tried to stuff meaning and metaphor into patients' stories that didn't fit. Taking it all together, I'm glad I bought it, but I liked his book Mortal Lessons much better.

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5.0 out of 5 stars For anyone in the human 'helps' professions, April 14 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Letters To A Young Doctor (Paperback)

This book delivers a knockout punch of genuine compassion. Teachers, ministers, politicians; even peace officers can find value in these writings. Doctors are not healers, but servants. Dr. Selzer knew the meaning of humility.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Selzer prepares medical hopefuls for the art of surgery.
Richard Selzer prepares those with an interest in surgery, specifically medical hopefuls, for the science of medicine through personal experiences that are shared with the reader... Read more

Published on Jan 11 1999 by SimonR007@aol.com

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for future doctors and people interested in medicine
Selzer is an amazing writer. His style and flow of language took a little getting used to as first, but once the reader is acquainted with his writing style, the book literally... Read more

Published on Oct 25 1998