Graphic Medicine and Other Media

Against the backdrop of World War II France, from Paris to St. Malo, Marie Laure navigates a challenging world after losing her vision at age six. This portrayal offers a unique perspective on disability and support compared to those commonly seen in contemporary novels. For example, Marie's father creates a detailed model of their neighborhood, including every stair and manhole, so she can confidently navigate her surroundings.

Twelve interwoven stories follow four young and ambitious doctors as they transition from the challenges of medical school to the high-pressure environments of emergency rooms, evacuation missions, and emerging health crises. They navigate complex relationships as they study for exams, grapple with moral dilemmas as they perform autopsies, confront law enforcement who mistreat their patients and care for individuals with mental health conditions that reflect their own internal struggles.

This is the story of a recently graduated doctor who begins his first practice in a remote province of Russia. The book is important because it highlights the role of individual decision-making in medicine, particularly in a world where modern medical science often relies on algorithms, guidelines, and medical teams. It emphasizes the critical moments when decisions must be made based on one's knowledge and available resources. -- Vladimir Andric, pulmonary medicine specialist, Serbia; served as an emergency department and ICU chief in wartime Libya.

Wildly imaginative... Verghese has the rare gift of portraying his characters in varying lights as the story unfolds, shifting from moments of tragedy to humor to emotional depth, with an ending that echoes the complexity of classic literature and modern medical drama. The novel works as a family saga, but it is also much more, a heartfelt tribute to the medical profession. --Entertainment Weekly

Struggling with grueling hours and the immense responsibilities of life-and-death decisions, Roy Basch and his colleagues, under the leadership of their unconventional senior resident known as the Fat Man, must learn not only how to be skilled doctors but, eventually, compassionate human beings. A phenomenon since its publication, The House of God was the first candid and unvarnished portrayal of what medical training is truly like, with all its challenges, exhaustion, and dark humor. With over two million copies sold worldwide, it has been hailed as one of the most influential medical novels ever written.

The Gold children — four adolescents on the brink of self-discovery — sneak out to have their fortunes told. These prophecies shape their lives over the next five decades. Golden boy Simon moves to the West Coast, searching for love in 1980s San Francisco. Dreamy Klara becomes a Las Vegas magician, fascinated by the intersection of reality and illusion. Eldest sibling, Daniel, pursues stability as an army doctor after 9/11, seeking to control his destiny. Intellectual Varya dedicates herself to longevity research, exploring the limits of science and immortality.

Middlemarch is one of the great English-language classics, published in 1874 and set in an English town in the 1830s. An intriguing subplot involves an idealistic young physician attempting to bring a new approach to medical practice into a town dominated by the entrenched medical establishment of the time. The story resonates remarkably with the debates of our time: How should physicians be paid? Is medicine a business or a calling? How should communities finance care for the poor? Should physicians be paid for cognitive work, or more for procedures and prescriptions? --Marjorie Schulman, MD

A child holds the hand of his dying mother, terrified and aware that something is taking her. Orphaned, an itinerant barber-surgeon takes him in and becomes a fast-talking swindler, selling a dubious medicine. As he matures, his unusual gift—an acute sensitivity to impending death—remains with him, and he longs to become a healer. Arab madrassas are considered some of the most respected medical schools, and he embarks on a dangerous journey to Persia. Although Christians are excluded from Muslim schools, he claims to be Jewish and studies under the world’s most renowned physician, Avicenna. The woman he loves must contend with her only rival—medicine—in a story that weaves timeless drama and passion. The Physician is the first book in New York Times bestselling author Noah Gordon’s Dr. Robert Cole trilogy, followed by Shaman and concluding with Matters of Choice.

Alice Howland – a Harvard professor, gifted researcher, lecturer, wife, and mother of three grown children – sets out for a run, only to realize she no longer recognizes the familiar route home. Though she has run this path for years, everything now appears unfamiliar. After medical consultations, Alice is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Over time, she experiences a gradual decline in memory and her connection to reality, narrated from her perspective. She struggles to follow conversations, keep track of a story in a book, or recall information she has just encountered. Genova illustrates the disease's progression through others' reactions, mirroring Alice's experiences so readers can empathize with her growing sense of confusion and fear.