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Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures
Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures: Stories | Vincent Lam
13 posts | 16 read | 19 to read
Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures welcomes readers into a world where the most mundane events can quickly become life or death. By following four young medical students and physicians Ming, Fitz, Sri and Chen this debut collection from 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize winner Vincent Lam is a riveting, eye-opening account of what it means to be a doctor. Deftly navigating his way through 12 interwoven short stories, the author explores the characters relationships with each other, their patients, and their careers. Lam draws on his own experience as an emergency room physician and shares an insiders perspective on the fears, frustrations, and responsibilities linked with one of societys most highly regarded occupations. I wanted to write about the way in which a person changes as they become a physician how their world view shifts, and how they become a slightly different version of themselves in the process of becoming a doctor, Lam explains. I wanted to write about the reality that doing good and trying to help others is not simple. It is ethically complicated and sometimes involves a reality that can only be expressed by telling a story. In the books first story, How to Get into Medical School, Part 1, students Ming and Fitz wrestle with their opposing personalities and study techniques, while coming to terms with a growing emotional connection that elicits disapproval from Mings traditional Chinese-Canadian parents. Lams exceptional talent for describing scenarios with great precision is showcased in Take All of Murphy, when Ming, Chen, and Sri find themselves at a moral crossroads while dissecting a cadaver. Throughout the book, readers are treated to the physicians internal thoughts and the mental drama involved with treating patients, including Fitzs struggle with self-doubt in Code Clock and Chens boredom and exhaustion in Before Light. From delivering babies to evacuating patients and dealing with deadly viruses, the four primary characters in Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures are made thoroughly human by Lams insightful detail, realistic dialogue, and expert storytelling. The medical world is naturally filled with drama, but its the authors ability to give equal weight to the smaller moments that really brings this book to life.
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xicanti
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It‘s our last day together! I‘m gonna miss this little princess, but she‘ll be glad to get her parents back.

Princess Daisy helped me finish BLOODLETTING & MIRACULOUS CURES this morning so I can stick it in a Little Free Library later on. I liked most of the stories but didn‘t love it overall. Still, it was good, and I‘ve gotta wonder how many Canadian med students receive it as the Standard Graduation Present.

dabbe Daisy, you rock! 🖤🐾🖤 1y
xicanti @dabbe she‘s a most excellent puppy, this one. 1y
39 likes2 comments
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xicanti
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I passed by a brewery on my bike ride and thought, hey, might as well drink a tasting flight while I read my daily short story.

All three beers were delicious. The story, alas, didn‘t hit me as hard as the first in this interconnected collection.

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xicanti
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I‘ve been meaning to read BLOODLETTING & MIRACULOUS CURES for years and I‘m an absolute sucker for Vintage‘s Anchor Emblem range, so I jumped on this when I found it in a Little Free Library yesterday and read the first story over breakfast this morning. Daisy, in a shocking turn of events, wanted to chew it instead of posing nicely like she usually does. Dogs, man.

dabbe Da sweet Daisy doesn't like the book like she did yesterday. Hi, sweet girl! 💙🐾💚 1y
xicanti @dabbe poor little darlin just takes against things sometimes! 1y
humouress Our Jasper (golden retriever, always enthusiastic) seems to need to express himself when he‘s super happy by chewing. I occasionally have to remind him that people are not chew toys 🤗 1y
xicanti @humouress aw, Jasper! Casey, my regular dog, was like that when he was younger. He especially wanted to get people‘s hands in his mouth, which people weren‘t too keen on. Daisy mostly pees, so I‘ve gotta make sure she meets or reunites with people outdoors. 1y
38 likes4 comments
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coffees
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Panpan

I feel lied to, lol. I thought this was a NF book but it's just a novel about very disturbing to-be doctors and nurses. There's a lot of problematic personal drama but also some, imo, disturbing medical decisions, many based on personal annoyances and tiredness. This is written by a doctor but tbh, nothing feels insightful. Glad I'm done with it #fiction

#scarathlon2022 #scaracoffee22 #pointsathon #31by31 #teamMonsterMash @StayCurious

⚠️ 👇🏽

coffees Death, non con, coercion, incest, alcohol abuse, dependency, harassment, trespassing, death, police brutality, medical malpractice, mental illness, sexual content, sex industry, SARS, cancer, etc 2y
TheSpineView Awesome 2y
See All 6 Comments
Texreader Ugh. Sounds awful. But another letter down! 2y
Catsandbooks 🙌🏼🖤👻 2y
10 likes6 comments
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gcalabash
Pickpick

Fantastic and visceral collection of short stories documenting the incredible medical adventures doctors have, based on some of Lam‘s real experiences in medical school. Prepare to leave with imagery that will be with you forevermore.

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Citra182
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I actually quite enjoyed this book. I mean there were definitely parts of the story that seemed off(?) but overall I liked it. The individual situations were really interesting and it was nice to see how our main doctors reacted to different situations - both in a personal and medical context.

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Augustdana
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#riotgrams day 14: hearts. I love an anatomical heart. Picked this up a while ago at my favourite used book store.

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Unphilosophize
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Pickpick

I just finished this gem before midnight.
What an enchanting book! The characters were interesting and engaging. The writing style was easy to read while at the same time conveying the complexity of human emotion.
I loved the medical elements of the book. I feel like working in a hospital made me like it more than I might have otherwise.
A true dissection of human nature.
Excellent read.

2 likes2 stack adds
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CherylDeFranceschi
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RealLifeReading Oh I didn't know Patrick deWitt is Canadian! 8y
CouronneDhiver Woohoo! 8y
RealBooks4ever Dotted chicken!! 💜🐓💜 8y
103 likes3 comments
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Dragon
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#workplace #feistyfeb. My friend who is a doctor recommended this book of short stories. A fictional account of young doctors in med school and then working in emergency rooms. Still on my tbr.

57 likes4 stack adds1 comment
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BookishFeminist
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My used book haul from the library bookshop yesterday. ☺️ Went in and only spent $2 on all four of these books that I've wanted to read for a while (except The Goldfinch which I've already read and loved & wanted a lending/rereading copy of)!

Reviewsbylola I think I will read The Goldfinch someday. Hopefully. 8y
HardcoverHearts I live for my Friends of the Library bookstores. It's my ultimate weakness. Being able to purchase hardcover books for next to nothing. And do good for the public library system? It's amazing. 8y
See All 12 Comments
britt_brooke Ah, The Goldfinch. Loved it! 8y
BookishFeminist @Reviewsbylola I really recommend it. It's one of those books that despite being 800 pages, I flew through it, during finals week in grad school no less. It was my fave book the year it came out! 8y
BookishFeminist @HardcoverHearts Ditto! I'm such a sucker. They had a BOGO sale at this neighborhood library and had a lot of great recently withdrawn books I just snapped right up 😀 8y
BookishFeminist @britt_brooke Yes!! I loved The Goldfinch so much! 8y
MrBook 😳😱😁👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻! Amazing haul! #NiceStack! 8y
LeahBergen Nice!! 8y
Penny_LiteraryHoarders Awesome Haul!!!! Super Awesome! 8y
tricours Library/2nd hand bookstores are not that cheap here 😤 8y
Gissy Unbelievable! 👍 8y
136 likes1 stack add12 comments
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PurpleyPumpkin
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This isn't your typical short story book. While you could read each story individually, they are tied together and form a broader narrative when read as a whole. It's a great look inside the world of medicine and what it takes to get to the top in that field. Humorous and engaging, this book was an uncomplicated and satisfying read. #shortstories #somethingforsept #septphotochallenge #day29

RealLifeReading I really liked this! 8y
42 likes5 stack adds1 comment
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Shay
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Pickpick

Lam'a characters are complicated and flawed, fallible humans who have been trusted with unthinkable responsibility, and faced with terrible dilemmas. This adds depth to the rich detail of the author's own medical experience, making for an intriguing collection. Full review: goo.gl/t4ClQW