Mary's review
The Anatomy of Hope: How People Prevail in the Face of Illness
by Jerome Groopman
Mary's review
The Anatomy of Hope: How People Prevail in the Face of Illness by Jerome Groopman
Mary's review
rating:
recommended for: people who know illness, especially
The love I have for (most of) this book is largely irrational... (although I suppose I could get all philosophical and point out that love generally is.) Until the last few chapters, it reads almost like a memoir of the author's experiences with hope as a doctor, and (perhaps thanks to the schmaltz-patrol he thanks in the acknowledgments) manages to be genuine as opposed to simply cheesy. It's very grounded in reality - hope does not cure cancer, hope does not stop AIDS - which contributes greatly to the power of his assertions on what hope can/ does do, and what it has done for him. Even though my experience as a patient with an uncertain future is largely (knock on wood) in the past (and never fell into the hemotology/ oncology bracket in which Groopman specializes), and even though I have no plans of pursuing a career as a doctor, I found this rather accessible, and even comforting at times. I was disappointed when it shifted from personal stories to the case studies and scientific ...more
