Fragile Lives: A Heart Surgeon’s Stories of Life and Death on the Operating Table by Stephen Westaby: his book was so full of raw emotion that it had me in tears.His stories are phenomenal and his writing excellent, and although neurosurgeon is very different nowadays, it was an engaging read. Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery by Henry Marsh: if you’ve heard of the English Surgeon, a BBC documentary, Dr.I love the way he writes, and I love the topics he chooses, so I am definitely going to read his other books: the Checklist Manifesto, Being Mortal, and Better. As the title suggests, he discussed a lot of the things that go wrong in medicine, and it’s a harrowing read. Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande: he is my favorite medical writer and such an inspiration, as a doctor and as a human.When the Air Hits Your Brain: Tales of Neurosurgery by Frank Vertosick: I loved how raw and honest this writer was, and he shared innumerable fascinating cases. What I liked about his storytelling was that he didn’t leave out the mistakes he made he began the story on his first day of residency, and I could feel his uncertainty and nervousness, almost as if I were there with him.The story of a young resident in Mayo Clinic who moonlights on the weekends, this book gave true insight into the harrowing life of a resident I read this cover to cover in just a few short days. Hot Lights, Cold Steel: Life, Death and Sleepless Nights in a Surgeon’s First Years by Michael Collins: my first foray into the medical world and I was immediately enamored.Happy reading and please share your favorites below! BIOGRAPHICAL I vowed to read every book in the category, and so far I haven’t come across a single one I didn’t like, so take my suggestions with a grain of salt! ? I discovered the genre when I was applying to medical school and I was instantaneously hooked. These books are suitable for medical students, pre-med students, med-enthusiasts truly anyone can read them, because they’re not overly medical or technical. Oh, and I also added those that I started and didn’t finish, for whatever reason, with the reason briefly explained. If you’ve just finished your exams and you’re headed home for Christmas, itching for a new book to read, here’s a list of my favorite medical books, organized by theme: biographical, historical and forensics! At the end, I’ll list the books I want to read, because as we all know, the list never ends. (*These are affiliate links, which means that if you DO decide to buy, I get a tiny percentage of it, for no extra cost to you, so if you don’t mind supporting me, then I would really appreciate it!) But I do read reviews about them, on both Amazon and GoodReads. I often read library books, borrow from friends, or use my Kindle I only buy my absolute favorites.
Best Books to Read for Medical and Premed Studentsĭisclaimer: I’ve linked them all to Amazon* so you can check the reviews and prices, but please note that I don’t buy all these books.