Pre-Med Reading Public

Created and curated by Craig

These are books I've read (or plan to read) and would recommend to anyone pursuing a career in medicine. Some tell the stories of medicine's history, some are the personal accounts of medical professionals, while others speak to the nature of medicine as a practice.

Books are not listed in a significant order.

  1. Being Mortal by 

    4 stars

    Medicine has triumphed in modern times, transforming the dangers of childbirth, injury, and disease from harrowing to manageable. But when …

    Craig says:

    A true must read for anyone involved in healthcare, patients and practitioners alike. This book changed the way I think about palliative care and how I view our final days.

  2. The Real Doctor Will See You Shortly by 

    5 stars

    "This funny, candid memoir about the author's intern year at a New York hospital provides a scorchingly frank look at …

  3. Lights & Sirens by 

    5 stars

    A true account of going through UCLA’s famed Daniel Freeman Paramedic Program—and practicing emergency medicine on the streets of Los …

  4. The Gene by 

    4 stars

    Brilliantly interweaving science, social history, and the story of his own family, Pulitzer Prize winner Siddhartha Mukherjee explains the science …

  5. The Emperor of All Maladies by 

    4 stars

    Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and now a documentary from Ken Burns on PBS, The Emperor of All Maladies is …

    Craig says:

    I first read this book as a senior in high school, and I can credit it for being the spark that ignited my passion for medicine.

  6. When Breath Becomes Air by 

    4 stars

    At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade’s worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi …

  7. The spirit catches you and you fall down by  (FSG Classics)

    No rating

    The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down explores the clash between a small county hospital in California and a …

  8. This Is Going to Hurt by 

    4 stars

    The story of an overworked, underpaid junior doctor in the employ of the UK's National Health System, as told through …

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