Review of Doctoring in Nicaragua

Use this section to discuss drama books and poetry books. Drama includes plays but not novels. This includes work by Shakespeare, Marlowe, Miller etc. Poetry anthologies can also go here.
Forum rules
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
Post Reply
Annelore Trujillo
In It Together VIP
Posts: 591
Joined: 29 May 2016, 22:01
Currently Reading: Strong Heart
Bookshelf Size: 169
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-annelore-trujillo.html
Latest Review: NOAH by Naazir Aram Musa

Review of Doctoring in Nicaragua

Post by Annelore Trujillo »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Doctoring in Nicaragua" by Greg Stidham.]
Book Cover
5 out of 5 stars
Share This Review


Doctoring in Nicaragua by Greg Stidham is a poetry collection. Dr. Stidham was a pediatric intensive care unit doctor for over 30 years before retiring in 2013. After retirement, he was able to reignite his love for writing, especially poetry. This collection contains poems that he wrote about things he saw and felt during his medical career and poems about his own medical experiences. These include some of the difficult parts of being a pediatric intensivist. He had to deal with lives that were lost way too soon and the grief that the families of these children felt. You’ll have to read these poems to see just how much this author was able to pack into a few lines.

I loved the emotion within these pages. I felt an indescribable release while reading this book. For context, I am a pediatric intern. This means that I am in my first year as a doctor and am training to be a pediatrician. I am currently six months into my internship, and I am starting to feel that emotional burden that medicine brings. The author’s ability to transform these feelings into words made me feel like I am not alone in this journey. I was able to feel his emotions and realize that I too will be okay. Despite the themes of many of the pieces being sad, I didn’t feel that the sadness was a weight. I felt lighter after reading it.

The book itself was excellent. Each poem was unique and flowed well. The metaphors and other figurative language elements that he used provided great descriptions of the diseases he treated and the situations he was in. I liked that each poem was relatively short and that each differed in length and rhythm. This kept the book moving well. I read the whole thing in one sitting, ironically during a slow emergency department shift. I also didn’t notice a single error throughout this book. Overall, the editing was flawless, which is difficult to find.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. The only critique I had was that it wasn’t long enough. I could find no reason to take off a star. The poems were well-written, and the book was a fulfilling read. This is a book that will go on my bookshelf to read over and over again, especially as I progress through my own medical career.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves poetry, especially those in the medical field. This is an excellent book for trainees who are just figuring out how to deal with the emotional side of what we do. I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone who would have a difficult time reading about the deaths of young patients.

******
Doctoring in Nicaragua
View: on Bookshelves
Nicholas Bush
Posts: 438
Joined: 15 Oct 2022, 18:24
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 177
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-nicholas-bush.html
Latest Review: We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz

Post by Nicholas Bush »

I love your review for this book and must admit that I love how well detailed it is too. Would be nice to read this book someday adding it to my bookshelf ASAP. Nice review, kudose
Post Reply

Return to “Drama and Poetry Books”