The Closest of Strangers: A Doctor and His Patients Experience the Human Side of Healing

by James Judge

Book Overview

"I looked out over the trees and the city and the cars below, all moving fast to a somewhere I knew nothing about. Life was in full motion and it felt like I was missing it. What I didn't see was the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0849916658
• ISBN13: 9780849916656
• Release Date: September 2000
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Length: 220 Pages
• Weight: 0.97 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.4" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

A doctor's story of nine cases that haunted him -- from that place where suffering and God's Grace m

While the subtitle of this book is, "A Doctor's Diary," it's more - as the author describes it - "an anthology of true stories" with certain information changed to protect the confidentiality of his patients. Written over a span of twenty years of his medical career, Judge states that the stories he relates in this book are the cases that still haunt him, cases where he served as an eyewitness to "the action of grace" in the lives of his patients and in his own life. Describing the book as being comprised of "accounts of grace's ruthless incursion into the dark spaces in our lives, the places more often characterized by fear and isolation and pain and at least the thin shadow of death, the unavoidable places none of us want to travel," Judge views each of his nine stories as being a "different rendering of God in action." Honest and beautifully written, Judge's style is sometimes reminiscent of a professor entertaining a group of graduate students at a dinner party. This is meant as a compliment, as I doubt that few can tell a better story than a History or English professor "holding court." But, unlike many of my esteemed faculty colleagues, Judge recounts his stories without pride being an overriding factor; instead, he frames each within Frederick Buechner's contention that "God, using our lives and the world and one another, conspires to make us all into Christs in one way or another, all into healers. Sometimes with our cooperation, often times without it." There's a great deal of insight into patient-doctor psychology, discussions of the emotions and questions of "Why?" and "How?" and how to be a good doctor and risk experiencing the "pain by proxy" of being too close to a patient. Judge is a personable, caring doctor and his stories of watching "The Little Rascals" with a hyperactive pediatric cancer patient, dealing with a mother exhibiting a fundamentalist faith right out of a Flannery O'Connor story, to the haunting, grim experience of watching a hospital employee jump to his death and trying to help a young mother whose baby has died inside of her, among others - are truly thoughtful and memorable. Highly recommended for general readers as well as public, medical, nursing and social work library collections. R. Neil Scott Middle Tennessee State University

Very Good

This is a must have for those whom practice medicine with God in mind

A Struggle to Reconcile Christianity with Medicine

This book is an increadible work by a physician who seems to be desparately trying to justify his christianity with his work. In it the author gives a poignant discription of his attempt to help his patients while not being spiritually destroyed. I found it encouraging to read about someone who has successfully traversed some of the struggles that I find myself going through. This is a must read for anyone who is a Christian going into medicine.

A Converted Skeptic

As a doctor-to-be, I have received many similar books espouting the human side of medicine. The majority have been unrealistic and forgettable. Dr. Judge succeeds where others failed because he captures not only the plight of the patients, but the plight of the health care provider as well. A great book that would make a good gift for any physician or medical student.

Powerfully human

Dr. Judge's insights, honesty, and compassion magnetically drew me into each encounter. The subtitle speaks of "the human side of healing." The "okness" of being human portrayed in the book was very liberating and I found that I was asking questions of myself I had not before had the courage to ask. Some of the healing that took place in the patients and in Dr. Judge also took place in me. Thank you.