Complications

ByAtul Gawande

Release Date: 2003-04-01
Genre: Medical

Score: 4.5

4.5

From 292 Ratings

Description

2002 National Book Award Finalist for Nonfiction

“No one writes about medicine as a human subject as well as Atul Gawande. His stories about becoming a surgeon are scary, funny, absorbing....Complications is a uniquely soulful book about the science of mending bodies.” —Adam Gopnik, author of Paris to the Moon

In gripping accounts of true cases, surgeon Atul Gawande explores the power and the limits of medicine, offering an unflinching view from the scalpel's edge. This book is exploratory surgery on medicine itself, laying bare a science not in its idealized form but as it actually is—uncertain, perplexing, and profoundly human.

In dramatic and revealing stories of patients and doctors, he explores how deadly mistakes occur and why good surgeons go bad. At once tough-minded and humane, Complications is a new kind of medical writing, nuanced and lucid, unafraid to confront the conflicts and uncertainties that lie at the heart of modern medicine, yet always alive to the possibilities of wisdom in this extraordinary endeavor.

Reviews

Great
5
By Lane Christian
“You have to be smart enough to know how stupid you are.” Author embodies this in the best manner possible. You can tell he’s a empathetic, caring, and very intellectual man, yet instead of arrogance, it has bred humility, which is the greatest tool of the wise for it gives them discernment. Great book, awesome guy!
Very Interesting and Honest
4
By Long legion
This is a book that was written with great honesty and empathy. The topics were interesting and eye opening. Anyone interested in what doctors really think and struggle with would enjoy Complications very much
Simply brilliant!
5
By Bennybrak
A brutally honest compendium of a surgeon's experiences. You should definitely read this book!
A physicians perspective
5
By scapula0002
A refreshing book indicating that physicians are human at making unforced errors. Although this percentage is low, but looking at the big picture, they are far far from being perfect.
Need more stars
5
By Tuuppari
Very rarely have I come across a book with the depth, intelligence, human touch, humility and perspectives such as Complications has. I wish there would be special exception in the rating system for this kind of cases: I think Complications deserves 6 stars. Gawande's insights into the medicine, doctors and patients will broaden your mind permanently.