Why am I passionate about this?
Iām a family physician and therapist, but I was a book-lover first. At age seventeen, I had to choose between studying medicine or literature, and I chose a profession with a clear-cut career path. But books and writing never lost their hold, and I began to write seriously in my late thirties. Iāve had four novels published, and Iām well into my fifth. Being a writer makes me a better doctor, more empathic and curious, and more engaged with patientsā narratives. Medicine is such a rich and fascinating field, and I feel privileged to write about it from an insiderās point of view.
Jacinta's book list on doctors that show their professional struggles
Why did Jacinta love this book?
I loved this evocative and moving novel, winner of the Voss Literary Prize, for its accurate portrayal of the personal conflict that doctors often struggle with (particularly female doctors) as they try to balance the demands of work and family life.
It follows a day in the life of pregnant family physician Dr. Dina Ronen as she attends to the diverse needs of her patients and her young family while struggling to reconcile with the demanding ghosts of her personal and collective past. This is a beautifully constructed and visceral work from Australian family physician Leah Kaminsky.
1 author picked The Waiting Room as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
āThe Waiting Room is both haunted, and haunting.āāGeraldine Brooks, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of March
The Waiting Room unfolds over the course of a single, life-changing day, but the story it tells spans five decades, three continents, and one familyās compelling history of love, war, and survival
As the daughter of Holocaust survivors, Dinaās present has always been haunted by her parentsā pasts. She becomes a doctor, emigrates, and builds a family of her own, yet no matter how hard she tries to move on, their ghosts keep pulling her back. A dark, wry sense of humor helps Dina maintain herā¦