Audiobook14 hours
The House of God
Written by Samuel Shem M.D.
Narrated by Sean Runnette
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
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About this audiobook
By turns heartbreaking, hilarious, and utterly human, The House of God is a mesmerizing and provocative journey that takes us into the lives of Roy Basch and five of his fellow interns at the most renowned teaching hospital in the country. Young Dr. Basch and his irreverant confident, known only as the Fat Man, will learn not only how to be fine doctors but, eventually, good human beings.
Samuel Shem has done what few in American medicine have dared to do-create an unvarnished, unglorified, and amazingly forthright portrait revealing the depth of caring, pain, pathos, and tragedy felt by all who spend their lives treating patients and stand at the crossroads between science and humanity.
With over two million copies sold worldwide, The House of God has been hailed as one of the most important medical novels of the twentieth century and compared to Sinclair Lewis's Arrowsmith for its poignant portrayal of the education of American doctors.
Samuel Shem has done what few in American medicine have dared to do-create an unvarnished, unglorified, and amazingly forthright portrait revealing the depth of caring, pain, pathos, and tragedy felt by all who spend their lives treating patients and stand at the crossroads between science and humanity.
With over two million copies sold worldwide, The House of God has been hailed as one of the most important medical novels of the twentieth century and compared to Sinclair Lewis's Arrowsmith for its poignant portrayal of the education of American doctors.
Reviews for The House of God
Rating: 3.2733118971061095 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
311 ratings23 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Was worth reading when you didn't have Scrubs, ER, Gray's Anatomy... kind of depressing, much like real residency.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This was entertaining......curious as to how out of date it is, regarding the experience of interns. I didn't necessarily love the style of the writing. It reminded me of a weak attempt to write in the style of Catcher in the Rye (a book which I ultimately dislike but which does have a distinct voice). I agree with one review that I read who commented that this book made her think "so what?" What he seems to present as being "shocking" about the treatment of the ill and the dehumanization of the elderly doesn't have nearly as much punch to it as I believe the author expects. Perhaps because the medical field is no longer on the same pedestal that it was when the book was written? Regardless, I enjoyed this but wouldn't read it again. And I would be reluctant to recommend it to someone unless I really knew what they liked in a book.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Raunchy, funny, and heartbreaking. A read that's more philosophy than medicine and trust me that's not a bad thing!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Related to the story, both, deeply & hilariously. Fantastic read/listen for anyone in the medical community!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Read this book when it first came out. Was working as a nurse in a large teaching hospital, and Level 1 trauma center, at the time. I found it refreshingly funny as did the staff who also read it. It's exactly as described, irreverent, satirical black humor. (We were fully aware of patients as human beings deserving of respect and the best we had to give, regardless of diagnosis or personality.)
This book is obviously a satire, poking fun at the life (or lack thereof) of residents 40-odd years ago.
Satire:
| sa tī (ē)r |
NOUN
the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Detailed description of medicine and medical training presented with black humor is fascinating. Gives a sense of the cynicism inherent in the health care system. The soft-core porn is just a little too over the top -- every boy's fantasy.