Julia's Mother: Life Lessons in the Pediatric E R

Rating:
Summary: newspaper review - please post
Review: From The Palm Beach Post

Dr. Bonadio's book wheels us down the polished white linoleum hospital floors and leaves us in the florescent theater of life in the pediatric ER. From this stage he delivers ten piercing chapters on lives saved, on lives lost. Because children are the subject, it is hard not to close this book without a shudder, or a sigh, hard not to feel the deep luck of a simple day lived in good health. The ER setting serves as a crucible for Bonadio's clean prose and clear thoughts. His sentences are terse, sometimes truncated, pared down to their simplest elements. Bonadio handles the stethoscope and pen with equal finesse. Julias Mother is an astonishing achievement. His thoughts and chapters swing open like emergency room doors. All of Bonadio's stories captivate, from a pregnant teen's suicide attempt to a parent trying to deal with the grief of their drowned boy being futilely resuscitated. Bonadio clearly leaves the reader to understand there is more to medicine than pathologists labeling pickled parts. Inside the tissue and bone, is a soul. It is the doctor's job to help the souls stay in their delicate vessels-Spencer Reece, The Palm Beach Post, FL, copyright May 2000

Rating:
Summary: Misleading title
Review: I enjoyed this book more in hindsight than in actually reading it. Be forewarned -- this isn't strictly about the pediatric E.R. There's a lot in here about medical school and other experiences significant to the author. The book is more a long philosophical rumination about and reflection on the importance of doctors.

There is a certain tone to it that I couldn't quite pin down but that I found off-putting. Maybe it is the distance of an extremely disciplined, intelligent, and dedicated human being trying to relate to all the rest of us poor slobs. He even admits that is why he chose pediatrics because he couldn't stand dealing with adults (I didn't hold this against him--it's why I used to teach preschool--but it stung to see it in print from a man who is supposed to care about people). I was impressed by the hard work that goes into being a doctor. I knew about this but it was important to hear it again. You may have read about it or seen it before in medical movies and books, but the personal take on it here gives it a newness that impressed me. If you're looking for brief and many stories about chaotic and dramatic medical tragedies like in the t.v. show ER, you won't find it here. But if you are interested in reading one man's insight into his demanding and difficult career, this will make a very absorbing read.

Rating:
Summary: Misleading title
Review: I enjoyed this book more in hindsight than in actually reading it. Be forewarned -- this isn't strictly about the pediatric E.R. There's a lot in here about medical school and other experiences significant to the author. The book is more a long philosophical rumination about and reflection on the importance of doctors.

There is a certain tone to it that I couldn't quite pin down but that I found off-putting. Maybe it is the distance of an extremely disciplined, intelligent, and dedicated human being trying to relate to all the rest of us poor slobs. He even admits that is why he chose pediatrics because he couldn't stand dealing with adults (I didn't hold this against him--it's why I used to teach preschool--but it stung to see it in print from a man who is supposed to care about people). I was impressed by the hard work that goes into being a doctor. I knew about this but it was important to hear it again. You may have read about it or seen it before in medical movies and books, but the personal take on it here gives it a newness that impressed me. If you're looking for brief and many stories about chaotic and dramatic medical tragedies like in the t.v. show ER, you won't find it here. But if you are interested in reading one man's insight into his demanding and difficult career, this will make a very absorbing read.

Rating:
Summary: A review of Julia's Mother
Review: I really liked this book. It was easy to follow and I felt like it came full circle. What I mean by that is it started with Julia as a patient and ended with Julia's mother. I think this is the kind of book that can be read more than once. I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Julia's Mother
Review: I was initially drawn to this book because I remembered Dr. Bonadio from his residency in Cincinnati. He was always a very intense, hardworking, caring physician. His book brought back many memories of similar situations I have encountered as a pediatric emergency nurse. His descriptions are very vivid, and written in a style that draws you completely into the story he is telling.

Rating:
Summary: I didn't want this book to end.
Review: Life lessons? I found none. Atrocious writing style? In spades. "!!??" is unforgivable punctuation in an adult's writing. I have been known to forgive an author's style if he or she told a story worth hearing, but this was not the case. Yes, the book reminded me, as well, of _Tuesdays with Morrie_, which was well-done...for inspirational fiction. However, I am not a huge fan of inspirational fiction, especially when it does not inspire.

Rating:
Summary: maudlin
Review: Life lessons? I found none. Atrocious writing style? In spades. "!!??" is unforgivable punctuation in an adult's writing. I have been known to forgive an author's style if he or she told a story worth hearing, but this was not the case. Yes, the book reminded me, as well, of _Tuesdays with Morrie_, which was well-done...for inspirational fiction. However, I am not a huge fan of inspirational fiction, especially when it does not inspire.

Rating:
Summary: I didn't want this book to end.
Review: The way the author describes the activity in the ER I felt like I was actually there and could feel what it must feel like to undergo some of the procedures he was describing. I felt so many emotions while reading about what it is like to have the responsibility that ER doctors have. At times I felt very tense, other times I felt like laughing but many times I had tears in my eyes. It was especially difficult to read about the times he had to go to waiting parents and give them the terrible news that he had been unable to save their child. Because of the author's ability to make you feel all of these emotions I am very anxious to read more of his books.

Rating:
Summary: A must read for anyone who care for children
Review: This is a poignant and touching account of a young man's intensity and dedication to the well being of his patients - beautifully written - Dr. Bonadio openly exposes his inner feelings and thoughts as he journeys and shares his experiences as a pediatric ER physician.

Rating:
Summary: Something to restore your faith
Review: This is the book to read if you want to recapture your faith inthe medical profession. Dr. Bonadio's compassion for his patients isextremely moving; at several points in the narrative, I found myself on the brink of tears (all right, so I sobbed! who could help it?). Of particular interest to me was the chapter on the autopsies and how Dr. Bonadio learned respect for the human body and for the force of death. I also found the story of how he decided to become a doctor--through his father's own feelings of failure at being "just a janitor"--a very touching tale. It went a long way to explain how this physician has maintained a sense of selflessness. I felt privileged to read about his quest to find meaning in seemingly senseless and traumatic events, such as the death of Julia. Read it (hopefully before your next scary visit to the emergency room) and find inspiration.