May Book List

Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton may have been the most odd memoir that I've ever read. Her childhood seemed idyllic, until her parents divorced and literally abandoned her at age 13. After a short time of stealing cars, washing dishes, and drifting Gabrielle started working in a bar, at age 16. This woman's life has been nothing short of difficult, but every time something bad happened, she pulled herself up by her bootstraps. And, that, is nothing short of admirable.
While Hamilton's life story is remarkable, her writing left much to be desired. I found her thoughts to be disjointed and I kept getting lost in the writing without strong segues between topics. I'll stay neutral on this one and neither recommend it or tell you to skip it, I'm fairly ambivalent about it.

Poser by Claire Dederer captured my attention based upon the title. How can anyone describe their life through yoga poses? That just seemed weird. But, Dederer pulled it off. I learned about yoga, I learned about marriage, parenthood, compromise. I've done a little bit of yoga, but not enough to experience it's "healing powers," Dederer has now convinced me to get back into it. Turns out, introversion and exploring one's own self is a great thing. I felt she got a bit too deep into the sutras and the spiritual stuff, so I just skipped through that. But I really appreciated her experience with the exercises themselves and who she made life applications through that. I would say it's a worthwhile read if you know a bit about yoga; if not, still good, but might get you a bit bogged down.

The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon
I don't know what it is about me reading books about asylums lately... But this book was deep. 2 people escape the "school" where they've been forced to live, running deep into the night, looking for shelter. The runaways end up at an older widow's house, where the lady gives birth. With authorities quickly closing in, the runaways implore the woman to hide the baby. Thus begins a 40 year journey as the woman struggles to care for the baby, the runaways are separated and must learn to live again. Gritty yet sweet, this book was fantastic.

Between Expectations by Meghan Weir Have you ever wanted to know what it really takes to become a physician: beyond the books? the lack of sleep? the social and marital strains? the emotional fatigue? the patience? the patients? Dr. Weir gives a glimpse into this life as she recounts her pediatric residency within a huge hospital system. I loved that she started her book with her NICU experiences and how she revisited them and drew from them throughout her training. She also gives a quick look into a Liberian hospital where she spent some time. Anecdotally, a neonatologist from my unit is currently serving for 6 months in that exact same hospital, the John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Monrovia.