MixedThe New York Times Book ReviewThis is the kind of story that gives life to books about medical training. Unfortunately, there are too few of them here. The back story of the various characters takes too long. Drawn-out digressions on medical racism or the history of the internship system further disrupt the narrative flow. By the time we get to the wards, the book is nearly a third over. Goldberg would have done better, I think, to start the book when the internships begin and fill in the back story later. How Gabriella’s mother started her hair salon isn’t as interesting to us as the sounds, smells and action on the front lines ... When the action does begin, the stories are often truncated. We thirst for more details. We want to know more about what these young doctors were thinking in life-or-death situations. We yearn for a glimpse into their souls as they come of age in their new profession. On this measure, the book falls a bit short ... Still, I believe the book is a valuable chronicle of what interns and residents went through fighting the pandemic this past year.
Vincent T. DeVita Jr. and Elizabeth DeVita-Raeburn
MixedThe New York Times Book ReviewDespite my uneasiness with DeVita’s take-no-prisoners strategy, I thoroughly enjoyed his book. He gives an authoritative review of the history of surgery and radiation therapy. His depictions of the behind-the-scenes search for new cancer drugs and the turf wars between radiation, surgical and medical oncologists are dishy and fascinating.
