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Stories from My Heart

Name: Stories from My Heart
Author: M. P. Ravindra Nathan
ISBN: 978-1484053584

A CARDIOLOGIST'S REFLECTIONS ON THE GIFT OF LIFE

by M. P. Ravindra Nathan ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 9, 2013

An often insightful memoir about the human side of medicine, from a physician who’s still willing to learn.

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A cardiologist shares a wealth of experiences from his 50 years of practice.

Nathan doesn’t just treat people’s hearts; he also puts his heart into his work. In these 45 short anecdotes, he tells about his years as a physician in India, England and America. He eventually settled in Florida, and for the last few decades, he’s tended to the special needs of the elderly. In the first section, “The Art of Medicine,” readers get a glimpse into Nathan’s character when he quotes a few comforting lines from the Bhagavad-Gita to a sick patient, including “Don’t grieve for the living or the departed.” He often returns to the theme of treating patients with compassion, although he believes that patients’ distrust of doctors has increased over the years. Some of the prose is a bit mechanical and choppy (“Mr. Dugan, a sixty-five-year-old somewhat obese businessman, recently retired, and he moved to my hometown, Brooksville”), and it includes many undefined medical terms, such as hepatomegaly and amebiasis. However, Nathan’s authenticity and humanity shine through as he candidly tells of lessons he’s learned from his own clinical and personal experiences, including his own heart attack and kidney transplant. Although a few snippets lack drama, most offer a peek into a world that many readers are unfamiliar with; he shares his frustration at being sued, for example, and tells of how he must constantly balance the delicate relationships among the patient, the patient’s family and the insurance company. He also writes that he feels that his learning is never complete. He includes absorbing stories about a prominent surgeon friend who succumbed to Alzheimer’s; a 23-year-old AIDS patient who asked to be taken off her respirator; and a simple prank among friends that led to death. The book also discusses the differences between India’s and America’s medical practice; in India, Nathan says, doctors still make house calls, as many people avoid the hospital, believing it’s where people go to die. Overall, the author’s sincerity and humility give this varied collection tremendous appeal.

An often insightful memoir about the human side of medicine, from a physician who’s still willing to learn.

Pub Date: Aug. 9, 2013

ISBN: 978-1484053584

Page Count: 284

Publisher: CreateSpace

Review Posted Online: March 24, 2014

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.