Anthony Youn

I love funny and heart-warming memoirs, and this one is one of, if not the best. I'm glad I didn't know Dr. Tony Youn is so well-known, otherwise I would have missed out on this little gem of a book, due to the fact that I usually avoid books written by Hollywood celebrities and the like.

Youn, a Korean American raised by very old-fashioned and stern Asian parents, recounted his childhood experiences up to and included his 4 years of medical school. His father, an OB/gynecologist, decided that Tony was going to be a surgeon right after he was born...and constantly reminded Tony of that; "Family Practice: Work all day, all night, weekend, make no money. Go broke! Surgery only thing. Psychiatry? No. Too many crazy people. Pediatrics? No. Little Kids, little dollah. Surgery! One proceejah, two thousand dollah!" Without doubt, Youn knew he was going to grow up becoming a doctor.

The book wouldn't be so fun to read if Youn lacked either the humor, or his deep understanding of life. I have read lots of so-called humor books that lack substance; the writer tried too hard to be funny. Youn has the talent of presenting us one joke after another within the same page or even paragraph. The humor is always just right. He knows exactly when to stop.

On the other hand, he has a pretty clear and deep sense of what life is all about; what make us human. One of my favorite passage was from his chapter on his Anatomy class, where he found a whole bin full of cadaver hands. This is what he wrote, "Doctors need to be detached, right? Impersonal. What is more personal than our face? Our hands. We use our hands for everything-to touch, to write, to build, to play, to cook, to clean, to feed, to feel, to guide, to caress, to love. Our hands serve us as extensions of our minds and our hearts....." It took Youn four year, or almost four years, to finally understand why he has become a doctor, and what he's going to do with it.

Every little joke, or experience in this book offers valuable insights for other students who's thinking about a medical career...or any student who's facing life. Youn is gifted in his writing style. He probably has the same witty personality that's wise and humorous. No wonder he's so well-known. This book deserves a 4.5 stars, and I'm eagerly waiting for another book.

… (more)

In Stitches is a great book to read if you have ever wondered what life is like in medical school. Anthony Youn takes the reader on a quick tour of his childhood years and then delves into the study-filled days and nights of life as a medical student.

During those years of college, his obsessions seemed to be split equally between his studies and his desire to find a girl who would stick around long enough for a second date (or even make it to the end of the first one). His self-deprecating humor can be a little over the top at times, but serves as a good contrast to the seriousness with which he addressed his studies.

The parts of the memoir that I enjoyed the most were those where the author discussed his passion for plastic surgery, and how he discovered that passion. When someone feels that strongly about something their enthusiasm shines through when they talk about it and it is contagious.

I didn’t know that much about the process that medical students go through (I’m not a fan of medical TV dramas, so that might have something to do with my ignorance), so Anthony Youn’s stories of his harrowing first year of study, the actors paid to pretend illnesses for the students to diagnose, and his time on rotations after that were informative and entertaining.

I know I shouldn’t have been surprised at how much work was involved, or how quickly the students get thrown into the fire when it comes to treating and diagnosing patients, but the harshness of the learning environment was shocking. For example, on his first day of rotations he is told to draw blood with no previous experience or training.

“Do the draw,” she says to me.
“As I mentioned a moment ago–”
“Do the draw! We don’t have all day.”
Hands shaking, mouth dry and tasting of paste, I fumble with the needle kit she hands me.
Word of advice.
When you’ve got a razor-sharp implement in your hand and your job is to puncture someone’s flesh, take your time. Not great to search for a vein when you’re on the clock. Page 155

Which brings me to another point – there is a decent amount of swearing in this book. I didn’t find it horribly offensive or anything, but it’s there (a point of which I was reminded when searching for the above quote, and had a hard time finding a way to excerpt it without including profanity).

The chapter about the third year rotations made me wonder if there wasn’t possibly a better way to initiate medical students into the actual hands-on portion of doctoring. It also made me want to steer clear of hospitals with medical students, and reaffirmed my belief that I made the right decision in pursuing a degree in the liberal arts.

I enjoyed this book and would love to read more about Anthony Youn’s subsequent years of training to become a plastic surgeon, and his experiences in the profession thereafter.… (more)

Anthony Youn grew up as a first generation Korean-American in a small town. Living in a household that was steeped in Korean heritage, but living in an American town, Mr. Youn definitely had an interesting childhood. This book touches on his childhood and the journey he took to become a doctor. It is funny and Mr. Youn will be the first person to make fun of himself. He looks back on his journey fondly and it comes through.

One of the things I didn't like is how the first half of the book Mr. Youn focused on the fact he couldn't get a girlfriend. We get hit over the head with that fact. Really hit over the head. It detracted from the other parts of his story.

I wish Mr. Youn would have had included his siblings more when he speaks about his childhood. His older brother, Mike, gets mentioned a few times but we never get a feel about how he and his younger brother, Anthony, got along and how they braved the small town they lived in together.

If Mr. Youn treats his writing like he did getting his medical degree, then I am sure that we will be seeing more of his stories in print. That would be great, but please leave out the part about not having a girlfriend.

*I received this book as a winner in the Goodreads book giveaway, that in no way affects the content of my review.*… (more)