Book Review of the Class!

 Though out the semester I have been reminded of some of my favorite books that I have felt are pertinent to the course. Therefore, I am going to blog on my reflections to class conversations through book reviews!

Demon Copperhead by Barbra Kingsolver was a phenomenal read that follows Demon, a young man, and his upbringing in rural Appalachia, highlighting the foster care system, poverty, and the opioid epidemic. I was reminded of this book throughout the Drug Discovery Lecture, when we touched on how Heinrich Dreser assumed Heroin was non-addictive. While in history the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1912 warning of its abuse, it was not until the press took up the story that the US Government was compelled to act. Additionally, I was reminded of Demon Copperhead, through the Drug Discovery Discussion, we talked about how Purdue Pharma promoted misleading science that downplayed the addictive qualities of oxycontin. I really appreciate Demon Copperhead because you are introduced to a young boy who deals with the ramifications of opioid use and the pushing of these addictive substances. While I loved Dopesick and Michael Keaton, Demon Copperhead gave a perspective from the patient, through the eye of someone living it, rather than executives and investigators surrounding the crisis. When the book discussed doctors pushing the medications on the characters, or amount of money people would get for selling the medications illegally, I realized I completely underestimated the opioid crisis. This was a book I am truly grateful I got to enjoy.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi is another story I was recently reminded of throughout this course. The memoir follows Paul Kalanithi, a neurosurgeon, who was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, forcing him to transition from the role of a doctor to a patient on the receiving end of life and death decisions. The Ethical Issues and Cultural Competency in Healthcare, reminded me of this book when we discussed making hard decisions in Healthcare, like prescribing expensive medications that may only extend a patient's life by another month. As someone training as a health professional, reading about a doctor navigating the system as a patient made the ethical discussions in class feel much more personal. One of the most striking moments in the book is when Paul asks his oncologist, who is also his colleague, for a detailed prognosis and she refuses to give him one, not out of ignorance but out of care, recognizing that even a brilliant neurosurgeon could not emotionally process the full picture of his own death the way he could process a patient's. I also really appreciated the description of the toll Paul's diagnosis put on his wife as well, watching him go back to surgery, go through treatment, and handle her own work showed me how to consider family implications in my practice. 

Lastly, I will leave you with Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Katherine Eban. During our Pharmaceutical Industry Careers and Ethics lecture, we discussed the AZT case study, where the only available treatment for AIDS was priced at $6,500 a year in 1987, which made me think about who the pharmaceutical industry is really serving. Bottle of Lies exposes how the generic drug industry was supposed to make medications affordable for everyone, but failed to protect patients due to fraud and safety violations. I have found this book very interesting to learn the ins and outs of pharmaceutical companies operating outside the United States. Specifically the book highlights, Ranbaxy an Indian Pharmaceutical company that has since been acquired by Sun Pharma. I am still working my way through this one, so I will get back to you on more information. 

If you have any recommendations for me, please let me know! If you do read any of these you will have to discuss them with me. I highly recommend them, but don't blame me if they bring you to tears!