Delivering Doctor Amelia: The Story of a Gifted Young Obstetrician's Error and the Psychologist Who Helped Her

by Dan Shapiro

Book Overview

In this probing, intensely personal memoir, the words "Physician, heal thyself" assume a fresh and moving urgency.

"Explores wth startling depth and immediacy the question of who shall heal the fallen physician." --Elle

"Voices are a soul's signature," says psychologist Dan Shapiro, who in his daily practice hears plenty of them. For all his expertise, he admits he's still terrified that "someone will keep something from...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1400032571
• ISBN13: 9781400032570
• Release Date: July 2004
• Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.1" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

I read this book some time ago

but I remember it quite well. I read it very fast..and I did a lot of reflecting along the way. It was written in a very comfortable style. I do remember that I thought it was an excellent book.

An incredible story about being human

This is such a wonderful read on so many levels. The title is a perfect play on words, considering the doctor's specialty. The actual story of the gifted ob's misjudgement is fascinating. The account of the therapy which restored her ability to function professionally is equally fascinating. It is tremendously life-affirming to see the humanity of the doctor. Realizing how deeply she cares makes me appreciate my professional colleagues even more. Too often in today's healthcare environment we see people focused on billing and it is easy to lose sight of the sincere desire to help and do good which draws people to the practice of medicine. This book should be required reading for every medical school and residency program.

Shapiro delivers a passionate look inside

Put the keys in the ignition and take this book for a ride. As you watch where you're heading, Dan paints a breath-taking portrait of the landscape. Like Mom's Marijuana, the focus is a patient's struggle through devastating illness, but this time Dan is the caregiver rather than patient. It's compelling. Once again, I only stopped reading when I was overwhelmed by sleep in the not so wee hours of the morning. You'll laugh and cry, and grow.

a great read

If you are a fan of the narrative non-fiction genre, you will love this book. The author does a wonderful job of telling Dr. Amelia's story through his sessions with her, but also relates it to his own experiences of being a patient himself. It's hard not to be drawn to Dr. Amelia's character - and identify with her and what she's going through. Beautifully written, Dan Shapiro tells this story in a way that's clever and humorous, and has you captivated from the start.

A mystery and memoir that reads like a great novel

I saw the Library Journal starred review that compared the Shapiro to Oliver Sacks (my favorite writer) and decided to pick up Delivering Doctor Amelia, what a great read! The book is structured around roughly 30 therapy sessions between an eloquent psychologist (the writer) and his patient, whom he describes as a gifted obstetrician. At first the obstetrician won't say why she's come into treatment and as her story unfolds and the stakes go up you can't help but get sucked in. In my case, I read it over three nights and ended up sleepless. This book takes you inside the minds of a psychologist and a physician and shows how they talk and think when no one else is around. I hate when people ruin stories so I won't give away the ending, but I will say that the book pays off -- I cried at the end.