Doctors Cry, Too: Essays from the Heart of a Physician

Rating:
Summary: An Uplifting Gem
Review: Dr. Boehm's essays are not just about the doctor-patient relationship. They are much richer than that.

As a leading specialist in high-risk pregnancies, Dr. Boehm obviously shares life-and-death experiences with patients every day. Many of his essays address human relationships in the medical context. While the other essays present valuable insights on life in general, they too are connected with Dr. Boehm's medical background. These additional insights, and Dr. Boehm's interest in expressing them, are clearly driven by the emotional intensity of his medical practice. His constant encounters with mortality and the life crises of his patients and their families have inspired him as a heartfelt proponent of full, happy and healthy living. He carries this message with plainspoken eloquence.

There can be nothing truly "new" in this or any other "perspective" book, because the messages are timeless. But we never tire of well-crafted reminders, and this is one.

My wife and I both enjoyed the book. The essays are only a few pages long each, so this is the perfect book to keep around the house in those places where you periodically have a few minutes of quiet reflection. Each essay will leave you thinking.

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as I'd hoped
Review: I wanted to like this book; I really did. I wanted a book full of doctors' stories that showed human concern for patients. To my dismay, I found that very few of the stories are like that. It seemed that most of the stories were just Dr. Boehm's tales about his own family, growing up with his father, raising his kids, etc. Very few of the stories are actually about his PATIENTS. That's why I really found it tiring to read after a while. It was not at all what I wanted.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but not much new
Review: The author obviously cares about his patients; and there are some interesting and important points raised: e.g. that there is medical evidence that bereavement can in itself sometimes be fatal. There are also some very crucial, salutary and courageous points made about certain controversial issues. But for my taste the book overall contains too little about patients or medicine and too much vaguely 'inspirational' writing.