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Adam Stern was a student at a state medical school before being selected to train as a psychiatry resident at one of the most prestigious programs in the country. His new and initially intimidating classmates were high achievers from the Ivy League and other elite universities around the nation. Faculty raved about the group as though the residency program had won the lottery, nicknaming them "The Golden Class," but would Stern ever prove that he belonged?
In his memoir, Stern pulls back the curtain on the intense and emotionally challenging lessons he and his fellow doctors learned while studying the human condition, and ultimately, the value of connection. The narrative focuses on these residents, their growth as doctors, and the life choices they make as they try to survive their grueling four-year residency. Rich with drama, insight, and emotion, Stern shares engrossing stories of life on the psychiatric wards, as well as the group's experiences as they grapple with impostor syndrome and learn about love and loss. Most importantly, as they study how to help distressed patients in search of a better life, they discover the meaning of failure and the preciousness of success.
Stern's growth as a doctor, and as a man, have readers rooting for him and his patients, and ultimately find their own hearts fuller for having taken this journey with him.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
July 13, 2021 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780358450511
- File size: 203348 KB
- Duration: 07:03:38
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Author/narrator Adam Stern shares the challenges and experiences of taking on a four-year psychiatric residency at Harvard Medical School and how it changed his perspective and helped him form a better understanding of himself and humanity. With an informal narration style, Stern presents realistic and honest accounts of psychiatric patients, his scholarly journey, and his personal life. Using scenes of intriguing dialogue, he reflects compassionately upon difficult moments during his residency and provides listeners with a better understanding of working in the mental health field. In a casual and genuine fashion, Stern combines psychiatry with storytelling to share his discovery that there is power in connecting with others. D.Z. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine -
Starred review from May 24, 2021
Stern debuts with a mesmerizing memoir of the four years he spent in a psychiatry residency program at Harvard. He joined the staff in 2010, as part of a group of 15 residents, and was charged with observing patients in the emergency room and the psych ward, and working the grueling “night float,” which required working two consecutive weeks of overnights. While he admits that “managing patients was a never-ending maelstrom of chaos and uncertainty,” Stern came to understand that psychiatry is all about helping patients become their best selves “in spite of, or even because of, the immense challenges they face.” Throughout, he paints sensitive and often touching portraits of his patients, who dealt with everything from paranoia to anorexia to severe depression. In spending “half my day as a reflective window” for others’ struggles, he often carried their despair with him. At the same time, he writes, these intense trials led to deep bonds with the other residents—one of whom would eventually become his wife—and taught him how “to purposefully keep moving forward.” Compassionate and candid, this is as human as it gets. Agent: Karen Murgolo, Aevitas Creative Management.
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