Though reading "for fun" is a luxury for most and is associated with lighter rotations or free time, many fourth-year medical students, including myself, have taken advantage of a little extra free time to embrace a good book. We have been inundated with extensive studies and textbook readings through our first 3 years of coursework, the increase of time in our final year makes for a perfect opportunity to read for fun. Although some people may not be interested in reading anything that has to do with medicine, I find myself fascinated by what other physicians have to say about their experiences in medicine.
There are many books that are well-known to medical students: Any novel by Atul Gawande, MD, or The House of God by Samuel Shem, MD, may ring a bell! (I highly recommend these works if you have not read them yet!) However, there are a few novels I have come across and read myself recently that I'd love to share with you.
Last Night in the OR: A Transplant Surgeon's Odyssey
by Bud Shaw, MD
A wonderful memoir recounting Shaw's life as a transplant surgeon, including training under and working with the father of transplant surgery, Thomas Starzl, MD.
