Official Review: Man's 4th Best Hospital by Samuel Shem

[Beatus]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Man's 4th Best Hospital" by Samuel Shem.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Samuel Shem's Man's 4th Best Hospital is a witty narrative about bringing back the humane in the health system. I loved the unique way the author structured the story: it's like he was conversing with himself. The author's word choice also intrigued me because he made the characters real and intimate to the reader. In the first person's point of view, the author went straight to the modern healthcare system's problem. According to him, it is centered more on making money than on the patient's service.

The protagonist, Roy Basch, and his former interns, now veteran doctors, decide to meet again to join in a quest to change the healthcare system for the better. The idea is to take it from the profit-making system to the patient's health service system. Fats, a former mentor and the leading person in this entire project, is undertaking the initiative because he provides the capital. He became rich after his startup, Brainstones for Boomers, which focused on "de-gomering the gomers" (cure forgetting), became very successful.

Besides improving the healthcare system, the world's best hospital is now down to a fourth place. Therefore, another task for these doctor-friends is getting the Man's 4th Best back to Man's Best through a walk-in Medical Clinic for the poor. They saw the gap created by too many screens and too much time spent billing patients instead of caring for them. Patients need care from someone who knows their suffering and assuring them that all will be well, they believe.

Furthermore, the book is about friendship and the power of "we" as things get tough. It taught me the relational concept that gives strength and removes the consequences of anticipating failures such as fear and despair. The author weaved the characters' personalities and their societal, financial, and personal demands brilliantly.

I loved everything about this book. It is funny and easy to read. The only downside is that you might get confused with the language used if you are not careful. There are a lot of acronyms, jargon, and vernacular. I believe the author engaged professionals to edit this book as I encountered only one error. Adult readers will enjoy this book if they are interested in the medical industry's function and betterment.

I wouldn't recommend this book to younger readers and readers who favor action and mystery or romance than anything else. For me, the author made sense, and I laughed out loud, which was more than I expected. Therefore, I rate Man's 4th Best Hospital by Samuel Shem 4 out of 4 stars.

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Man's 4th Best Hospital
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[La_lama]

I love the fact that it seems like an educational book but it doesn’t present itself that way with boring stuff and medical jargon.

[Deval Sodha]

This book sounds to be too helpful.
I will definitely read it.
Thank you for the wonderful review.

[Praise GodWord]

Creating real and intimate characters are the essence of a novel, and this is why I love this one.

[PeterRabitt20]

A fiction about free healthcare for all! This is a good conversation starter over dinner with friends (via Zoom, of course.) I found your review to be enjoyable and genuine. Thank you.

[Sou Hi]

Thanks for your intriguing review. I like the doctor's beliefs in this book. Not just the poor, the whole world also needs doctors like them, who think about the patients and not the money.

[Chizioboli]

Loved how interesting your review is. Truly, the healthcare system is deteriorating and we need to get something done to change it.