The DO Book Club, Dec. 2024: Thought-provoking reads to enter the new year

With the busy holiday season in full swing, many of us are itching for an excuse to sit down and enjoy a quiet afternoon reading. With the new year on the horizon, even more of us are looking to dive deep into our psyches and work on bettering ourselves for 2025.

For those looking to be educated, entertained, inspired and moved, The DO staff and Book Club writers have pulled together our top suggestions for cozy winter reads—ranging from autobiography to fiction, there is something for everyone, and each selection has a medical component.

Below are The DO’s recommendations for winter 2024—let us know in the comments what your favorite recent read was!

‘Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted’ by Suleika Jaouad

Recommended by: Joan Naidorf, DO

When young Suleika Jaouad contracted a rare and aggressive form of leukemia, she had barely gotten started on her post-college career, a move to Paris and a romance with a cute new boyfriend.  As she returned to her supportive New York family, she got set to take on a bear of a disease with an equally brutal course of treatment.

Jaouad chronicles her illness, treatment and unique journey of post-illness discovery in the beautifully written memoir “Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted.” As the work of a musician and an artistic soul, this memoir takes on more twists and turns than a cross-country road trip. Oh yes, this is exactly what the young lady (who could barely drive a car) sets out to do. To liven things up, she takes along her new best friend, a terrier mutt named Oscar.

With equal measures of strength and courage, Jaouad plans her stand against the disease. “I decided to reimagine my survival as a creative act,” she writes. “If the chemo sores in my mouth made it too painful to talk, I would find new ways to communicate. As long as I was stuck in bed, my imagination would become the vessel that allowed me to travel beyond the confines of my room.” (p. 109)

Jaouad starts a blog that improbably gets picked up for publication by The New York Times, which also begins to publish videos she creates about her illness. She wanted to shed light on the challenges of facing cancer treatment as a young adult. Her columns and videos touched thousands of readers, and many folks reached out to her to share their own stories and relate to her experiences.

After finishing several brutal courses of chemotherapy and a bone-marrow transplant, Jaouad was declared cancer-free. With little driving experience, she embarked on a cross-country road trip in an old VW van. She connects with an odd cast of characters who become her pen pals. She learns a thing or two about how one might carry on and thrive with life after cancer.

In a most personal and terrifying way, the author brings readers right along for the soaring highs and crashing lows of her diagnosis and treatment journey. She allows readers into her darkest and lightest places with a relentless sense of purpose and optimism. We get to know and root for several of her pals from the New York oncology ward. Jaouad reconnects with an old friend, the award-winning musician Jon Batiste, who later becomes her devoted husband.

Patient memoirs enable the reader to have an illuminating and frightening glimpse into what it is like to have the illness and undergo the rigors of treatment. Some are so heartbreaking because we know in advance that the author did not survive. When the spouse must step in to write the final chapter or postscript, we know.

Suleika Jaouad wrote every word of this very enjoyable and emotional memoir. We cannot help but root for her every step of the way.

‘The Breaking of the Surgeons,’ by Neil Hyman, MD

Recommended by: Daniel Waters, DO

I became aware of this book when Dr. Hyman, an accomplished university colorectal surgeon and teacher, asked to sample something I’d written on how the health care industry was breaking physicians. The title is a play on the beloved book “The Making of a Surgeon” by William Nolen, MD (1970). It’s a depressingly accurate book—whether you’re a surgeon, a family doctor, a pediatrician, an ER/ICU doc or a doc in any specialty which must straddle the widening crevasse between direct patient care and administrative insanity.

Dr. Hyman writes with a clear eye and in an optimistically pragmatic voice that most practicing docs will recognize. His emails to hospital leadership and the ensuing responses (which he thoughtfully includes) remind one of what Sisyphus would encounter in the digital age: a terabyte boulder and an army of minions devoted to returning it to the bottom of the hill every night. This is no screed, no rant, no medical manifesto—it’s a breathtaking description of the forces that may yet destroy medical care as we once knew it.

‘Rearranged: An Opera Singer’s Facial Cancer and Life Transposed,’ by Kathleen Watt

Recommended by: Daniel Waters, DO

Ever wonder why there isn’t Shoulder Recognition Software? Of course you don’t. Our shoulders don’t define us as individuals. Our faces do. This book by Kathleen Watt is a welcome entry in patient memoir—a tricky genre which can include self-pity and self-therapy as motivations for writing. Watt’s story springs from neither.

Once a painter and later a professional opera singer, a routine visit to a dentist does more than turn Watt’s life upside down—it completely rearranges it. A malignancy is discovered, which starts the author down the arduous road of surgery and serial craniofacial reconstructions. Lucidly but not dispassionately told, there is more than enough emotional depth to document the author’s personal journey on an equal footing with her clinical one. A worthwhile read for any physician.

‘Outer Order, Inner Calm’ by Gretchen Rubin

Recommended by: Rose Raymond, AOA director of content

Clutter and home organization are a struggle for many Americans. More than half of us have reported feeling overwhelmed by clutter, according to a survey by the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO).

Several studies have found a link between clutter and disorganization within one’s home and anxiety, depression and stress. Many of us feel more calm, content and productive when our environment includes minimal clutter, but we have difficulty finding the time, energy and resources to declutter or avoid clutter in the first place.

In “Outer Order, Inner Calm,” happiness researcher Gretchen Rubin takes us along on her own decluttering and simplifying journey while sharing plenty of manageable tips for readers to adapt for their own homes and lifestyles. Her writing style is personable and fun, and she injects her infectious enthusiasm into each page. She recognizes that there are few one-size-fits-all solutions for organizing a home, and instead shares tips that are adaptable to different circumstances.

Through the different sections of the book, Rubin guides readers on choosing what to keep in your home, developing systems to keep things organized, understanding your own preferences and tendencies as well as those of the people you live with, cultivating helpful habits and adding beauty to your environment.

At the end of the book, Rubin shares the top 10 decluttering/organizing tips people she’s spoken to have found the most useful. Here are the top three:

1. Make your bed.
2. Follow the “one-minute rule”—anything you can do in less than one minute, do without delay. (Rose’s note—I’ve personally found that this one is not possible to follow at all times, but it has helped me take care of little things, like taking out the garbage, in a timelier manner and avoid letting things pile up)
3. Have a weekly “power hour”—make a list of tasks you’d like to accomplish and spend one hour, once a week, tacking the items on the list. (p. 211)

And here are the two tips that I personally liked best:

1. Don’t put things down; put things away. (p. 137) (Rose’s note—Again, I don’t follow this all the time, but strive to do this when I can)
2. Keep pens, a notepad, Scotch tape and a pair of scissors in every room. “Life is much easier when you have the tools you need right within reach,” Rubin writes. (p. 81)

‘We’ll Prescribe You a Cat’ by Syou Ishida

Recommended by: Katie Arvia, multimedia digital specialist

Imagine a clinic where the prescriptions come with paws. “We’ll Prescribe You a Cat” by Syou Ishida transports readers to the streets of Kyoto, Japan, and the magical Nakagyō Kokoro Clinic for the Soul, where cats are the medicine of choice.

The story is told through a series of five vignettes, each featuring a patient seeking advice or treatment from the eccentric Dr. Nikké and his aloof nurse Chitose. A disillusioned businessman, a clashing mother-daughter duo and a grieving geisha are among the clinic visitors who are prescribed a unique feline companion. As each story unfolds, unexpected connections emerge, linking these characters in surprising ways.

The book’s magical realism adds a layer of enchantment to each story, blending everyday challenges with a whimsical, almost mystical, atmosphere. At the Nakagyō Kokoro Clinic for the Soul, cats are more than mere pets; each cat seems to possess the intuition to understand and heal the people they’ve been “prescribed” to, often in remarkable ways. These eye-opening moments invite readers to not only believe in magic, but also in the power of connection, patience and self-discovery.

“We’ll Prescribe You a Cat” is a quick read, clocking in at just under 300 pages. It’s the perfect book for animal lovers, as well as readers who are looking for a heartwarming experience. Osteopathic physicians and medical students will appreciate the whimsical, yet profound reminder of the many forms healing can take. In fact, the story mirrors the osteopathic approach to treating the whole person, as the cats ultimately balance different areas of their companions’ wellbeing, highlighting how transformative healing can be when care addresses the body, mind and spirit.

As each character embarks on their own unique “treatment” journey, and ultimately discovers a renewed sense of hope and self-understanding, “We’ll Prescribe You a Cat” reminds us that healing extends beyond medication; it involves connection, compassion and, sometimes, just a “whisker” of magic.

‘Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing’ by Matthew Perry

Recommended by: Alexa Matthews, AOA multimedia content specialist

As an avid “Friends” fan who has always related to Chandler Bing, I was saddened by the loss of Matthew Perry in 2023, and turned to his memoir “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing” for comfort. I had heard rumors of his struggles with addiction to alcohol and drugs throughout the years, but to be honest, hadn’t fully realized the depth of them until taking this look inside his thoughts. Although it was difficult and oftentimes heartbreaking to read, I found this memoir to be an important and educational one that shows the reality of having a substance use disorder, and how much the Hollywood culture can exacerbate it.

With a foreword written by “Friends” costar Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe), Perry shares of his childhood growing up in Canada with his single mom after his dad abandoned both when Perry was less than a year old. From the start, Perry found solace and comfortability through humor and making people laugh—which often got him into trouble. His mom’s various jobs moved them around a bit as a kid, and without much of a constant in life, Perry first turned to alcohol at age 14.

This pivotal moment centered around a six-pack and bottle of wine altered the rest of his life, as he described “This is the answer, I thought; this is what I’ve been missing. This must be how normal people feel all the time. I don’t have any problems. It is all gone. I don’t need attention. I am taken care of, I am fine.” (p. 32)

From there, Perry details the lengths he would frequently go to access the alcohol and eventually drugs that he wanted, and how his actions harmed the people he loved, as well as impacted his time working on Friends, The Whole Nine Yards, Don’t Look Up and other projects. The dream of Hollywood, although successful, was a rollercoaster for his sobriety.

“It was everything I thought I wanted … I was going to be so famous that all the pain I carried with me would melt like frost in sunlight; and any new threats would bounce off me as though this show was a force field I could cloak myself in.” (p. 93)

Throughout my reading this book, I really appreciated how Perry didn’t shy away from talking about his true feelings in each scenario, giving me an inside look into the disease and how much it can mentally harm you. Although I felt melancholy as I read the pained words of an actor I had loved for years, I admired his strength to continue overcoming addiction while putting a smile on the faces of the rest of us.

This memoir takes a hard look at what it’s really like to go through addiction, and how common it is to attempt to quit multiple times before being fully successful. It brings a reality to readers that gives us a glance into how best to care for those around us with the same disease.

“Addicts are not bad people,” Perry wrote. “We’re just people who are trying to feel better, but we have this disease. When I feel bad, I think Give me something that makes me feel better. It’s as simple as that.” (p. 226-227)

If you or someone you know are struggling with addition, please reach out to a local Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)/Narcotics Anonymous (NA) chapter, or connect with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) hotline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

“The Lakota Way: Stories and Lessons for Living” by Joseph M. Marshall III

Recommended by: Tim Barreiro, DO

The holidays are about family, stories, customs and traditions. My holiday book features all these components. “The Lakota Way” explores the spiritual and cultural teachings of the Lakota people passed down through generations. The book is worth your time for its traditional stories, personal anecdotes and valuable lessons on living in harmony with the world, embracing adversity and finding peace. It provides a unique perspective on Native American wisdom and offers guidance for individuals seeking a deeper connection with themselves and the world.

Joseph Marshall III is a member of the Sicunga Lakota Sioux. The book shares a lesson on respect that is imparted by the mythical Deer Woman as well as a lesson on humility that is embodied by the legendary Lakota leader Crazy Horse. Marshall offers an elegant blend of homilies, retold folktales, anecdotes, family memoirs and tribal history. Marshall’s story on bravery, “being strong in the face of pain,” offers several anecdotes about persistence in the face of overwhelming odds, including pressures from modern-day mainstream American society that could easily have erased Lakota culture.

“The Lakota Way” provides profound teachings on ethics, integrity and spirituality, guiding readers to a deeper understanding on their own life and the choices they make. It made me appreciate the small things, the everyday deeds that are the foundation of a purposeful and fulfilling life.

Related Reading:

The DO Book Club, Nov. 2024: ‘Night Watch’

The DO Book Club, Oct. 2024: ‘The Autumn Ghost’