A great collection of essays on the practice of medicine. Gawande really lays it all out there and is quick to point out his own mistakes and failures. I felt like I was getting a straight and honest impression of the profession as I read it. Very humanizing. We read this for book club 2/09 and all nine readers really liked it. We had one of our most interesting talks in a long time. The book is divided up into three parts and the most fascinating section was on mysteries. I particularly found intersesting the essay on pain and its origins in the body. How responsible is mentality when it comes to pain? How does the environment play into an individuals perception of toleration of pain? Very deftly handled in the book. ( )

This is a well-written, thoughtful series of essays on surgery, medicine, and doctors as people. I came out of it feeling more informed about the decisions doctors make every day, what goes wrong and what goes right. There were very few dull moments. Gawande's prose is matter of fact but lively. Recommended. ( )

This book is pretty great. It offers the audience a true look into the surgeons mind and body of knowledge. While I read, I began to understand more about the limitations of medicine and science in general. Surgeons are brilliant and dedicated, but still human. ( )

I wasn’t sure if this was a good book to read given all our involvement with the health care system in recent years. Would it be too frightening? No, it is well written and seems to be an honest “behind the scenes” look at a surgeon’s experience in a major hospital. Although the focus was not on the hospital, but on the circumstances and dilemma’s that confront a surgeon on a daily basis. One of the aspects of the book that made it more interesting than others written on this subject were the choices the author made of the cases to discuss. He chose unusual, conditions that one might not first think worthy of discussion, but then wove them into a discussion of the underlying issue he wanted to present. Chapters on pain, nausea, blushing, obesity, and finally necrotizing fasciitis were fascinating. This last chapter spoke to me in a profound way, bringing me back to summer 2005. It gave me additional insight into the events that were playing out behind the scenes as the doctors came to us regularly with updates of their “best guess” diagnosis. Well worth the read for anyone who is curious about the “workings” of a hospital team. ( )

Parts of this book, especially in the middle, primarily appeal to our curiosity about the body. All well and good, but what takes this to the next level is Gawande's willingness to tackle the philosophical question of how to resolve the paradoxes of medical practice. Of course, there is no simple answer to this, but his discussions add to our ability to choose and understand our doctors.

Highly recommended, especially for those who enjoy things like Oliver Sacks and medical mysteries. ( )