Review of The Long Tale of Tears and Smiles
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Review of The Long Tale of Tears and Smiles
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Long Tale of Tears and Smiles" by Rana Bitar.]
The Long Tale of Tears and Smiles: An Oncologist's Journey by Rana Bitar, M.D. is part-memoir, part-patient stories. Covering the author's childhood in Syria, her medical training, and the growth of her family, Doctor Bitar weaves in story after story of her patients' battles with cancer and how they face it. The memoir portion of this book is somewhat non-linear - stories are presented based on how they connect to each other, rather than from earliest to latest.
The two threads, Bitar's life and the patient stories, are beautifully woven together; it's easy to see how they are connected, and how one experience feeds the other. The non-linear aspect of this book makes for an interesting read - it feels less like just reading through someone's life story and more like a collection of tales we as readers are being taken on a journey through. I was sucked in by the author's way with words from the very first pages, which made the parts of the story where she recounts struggling to learn English when she first started practicing in the USA that much more impactful, knowing what a command she has on the language by the time she sat down to write the book.
The medical aspects of this book are only lightly explained, so the names of some of the treatments may leave your eyes slightly glazed over! The non-linear structure was also slightly confusing at first, until I became more accustomed to it.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. This book tugs at the heartstrings and the author has a wonderful way with words that kept me turning the page long past when I should have gone to sleep. There are a few very minor typos, mostly with hyphens which could be down to ebook formatting issues. They did not detract from my enjoyment of this book in any way.
I sank into this book due to having lived through several family members with cancer, and so I saw my family's experiences and feelings reflected on the pages. If you have a personal connection with this disease, or you just generally get invested in tales of ordinary people going through a terrifying disease, this book will resonate with you. If you gravitate towards first-hand accounts of what medical professionals see and experience, particularly immigrant medical professionals, this book will also be for you. The author touches only glancingly on the war in Syria and her experiences with that, so if you're specifically seeking out first-hand tales of the Arab Spring this will likely not satisfy that itch for you.
******
The Long Tale of Tears and Smiles
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Long Tale of Tears and Smiles: An Oncologist's Journey by Rana Bitar, M.D. is part-memoir, part-patient stories. Covering the author's childhood in Syria, her medical training, and the growth of her family, Doctor Bitar weaves in story after story of her patients' battles with cancer and how they face it. The memoir portion of this book is somewhat non-linear - stories are presented based on how they connect to each other, rather than from earliest to latest.
The two threads, Bitar's life and the patient stories, are beautifully woven together; it's easy to see how they are connected, and how one experience feeds the other. The non-linear aspect of this book makes for an interesting read - it feels less like just reading through someone's life story and more like a collection of tales we as readers are being taken on a journey through. I was sucked in by the author's way with words from the very first pages, which made the parts of the story where she recounts struggling to learn English when she first started practicing in the USA that much more impactful, knowing what a command she has on the language by the time she sat down to write the book.
The medical aspects of this book are only lightly explained, so the names of some of the treatments may leave your eyes slightly glazed over! The non-linear structure was also slightly confusing at first, until I became more accustomed to it.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. This book tugs at the heartstrings and the author has a wonderful way with words that kept me turning the page long past when I should have gone to sleep. There are a few very minor typos, mostly with hyphens which could be down to ebook formatting issues. They did not detract from my enjoyment of this book in any way.
I sank into this book due to having lived through several family members with cancer, and so I saw my family's experiences and feelings reflected on the pages. If you have a personal connection with this disease, or you just generally get invested in tales of ordinary people going through a terrifying disease, this book will resonate with you. If you gravitate towards first-hand accounts of what medical professionals see and experience, particularly immigrant medical professionals, this book will also be for you. The author touches only glancingly on the war in Syria and her experiences with that, so if you're specifically seeking out first-hand tales of the Arab Spring this will likely not satisfy that itch for you.
******
The Long Tale of Tears and Smiles
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
