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Summary: Physician & Philosopher, Dr. V. illumines Aides' human face
Review: Having read Dr. Verghese's Tennis Partner first, I wanted to read his first book as well. And then I wanted to read another book with his signature of insight, tenderheartedness, depth of understanding in the practice of medicine. There was no other to be found. What he is able to do in this human history of the appearance of Aides in a rural city, far from the places where Aides originally tallied high mortality rates, is to make you look again at who has the disease, what toll is takes on those who love them, and the very particular social structure in which they find themselves. He tells us, as well, about the culture of the hospital in its attitude toward the patients and he the physician in his treatment of the increasing numbers who seek his care--healing he cannot bring, but care in abundance. Best of all, he shares himself with us--as he did in the Tennis Partner. To expose oneself this way takes great courage. And that is what I like best about Dr. Verghese--his courage. Please continue to write, Dr. V., about the things which matter most. Thank you.
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Summary: Unforgettable
Review: "My Own Country" is an unforgettable and deeply moving account of AIDS in the small city of Johnson City, Tennessee. Extraordinarily well written, with countless memorable characters it succeeds on so many different levels. In helping to break the continued stereotypes of southern Appalachia as well as putting a human face on AIDS, Dr. Verghese has done a great public service. It is a brilliant first book, and a very vital and important story.
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Summary: This is one of the best books I have ever read.
Review: Dr. Verghese has done us all a service, not only in his extraordinarily sane treatment of AIDS patients in rural Tennessee in the early '80s, when people, mainly young men, were coming home from the larger cities to die, but in his open acknowledgment of his own sense of displacement--as an Indian born in Africa, following his love of medicine to Johnson City, Tennessee (and later to El Paso, Texas). He is an inspiration to all of us who feel displaced in the world.
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Summary: This account of the early days of AIDS rings true.
Review: As a physician who was just finishing training when AIDS burst on the scene in the 80's, the panic and fear among medical staff described in this book are actually tame to what I saw in my hospital. I am one of those "who would, " as Dr. Verghese categorized those who would or would not care for HIV infected patients, and this truly separated us from the vast majority of those at that time who let their fear rule over their intellect. Dr. Verghese tells this exciting story with great compassion for his patients and their families, and it is clear that his emotional connection to them, which is stongly discouraged in medical training, came at great personal cost. As someone who now lives and practices in East Tennessee, I feel he accurately described the people, the culture, and the region's great beauty. His yearning to fit in--to have a home--is poignantly obvious throughout the book even as he becomes more and more isolated from his family and his collegues. Several of my collegues trained under or worked with Dr. Verghese during this time, and they all attest to his brilliance as a diagnostician, his great empathy for his patients, his nonjudgemental approach to the gay lifestyle, and his decency and approachability as a person. This book, in their opinions, is an accurate portrayal of the AIDS story in the rural setting. I am drawn to medical writing, particularly when written by physicians themselves, and Dr. Verghese is a master. This book moved me to tears as the deaths of all of these patients began to add up toward the end of the book, and one can't help but to feel the great waste of life that this virus causes. As a hospice medical director, I was also touched by Dr. Verghese's struggle to understand the process of dying, moving from his all-out attempts to save lives at the beginning of the book to his hospice-oriented approach toward the end. This is a masterful telling of how AIDS affects everyone -- patients, families, and doctors alike.
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Summary: Story of an immigrant dr. and AID's is fascinating .
Review: This is not the typical emotionally manipulative book about a young doctor as the AID's hero. Dr. Verghese writes a sincere account of a young immigrant facing challenges to become a licensed doctor in the US. His candor about his family, abount how he chose infectious diseases as his specialty and about the earliest days of AID's made me feel as though I personally knew him and his patients. With so many books to read, this one is worth the time.
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Summary: Compassion and medincine in balance
Review: After my brother was treated like a leper in a hospital when the staff found out he had AIDS- it was in the early 80's- I found this book. Not only is Dr. V an excellent writer, he documents the problems well, he also can understand the human factor in terminal diseases. I was so moved by his book that I wrote to him and he graciously replied.My Own Country is a testament to how good doctors can be when they are savvy and care.
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Summary: Haunting, yet still disappointing
Review: My introduction to Dr. Verghese came through his second book, The Tennis Partner, which I found it to be one of the best non-fiction books I have ever read. As soon as I finished, I bought a copy of My Own Country and started reading. And, I am sorry to say, I found it to be vastly inferior.This reads like an author's first book - excellent in spots, but generally uneven. Verghese hadn't yet discovered his authorial voice, and the stories here veer from enthralling to puzzling. It is an interesting book in the fact that it is the true story of one doctor's experiences with the explosion of AIDS in a midsized, semi-rural town. And many of the patient stories he relates are heartbreaking. But there is a basic lack of cohesiveness that permeates the story. Good, but disappointing.
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Summary: Damn good book
Review: I am from the area he speaks of in the book. It is a powerful story and is correct event to the smallest degree. A really wonderful book. Puts many faces to the epidemic
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Summary: Deeply Moving
Review: I read the last page (and many other passages) of the book through welled-up tears. Verghese's incredible blend of personal, professional and epidemiological history never loses sight of the human realities behind the cliched signifiers of AIDS. This book is a tribute to his patients' and his own courage, and an indictment of those who would treat AIDS as somebody else's disease.
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Summary: A beautifully written, charming book
Review: As a native of the part of Tennessee in which the stories in this book took place, I found Verghese's descriptions and perceptions of the people and places he encountered during his stay in Johnson City entertaining and endearing (Made me rather homesick!). After reading this book, as well as articles Dr. Verghese has written for the New Yorker, I believe he genuinely is as com- passionate as he seems in these pages. He is a gifted writer, a wonderful clinician, and should be recognized as one of our national treasures! He has taken some very sad stories and told them carefully, with the dignity of the patient (and his/her family) at the forefront.
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