This book is an excellent read for anyone interested in the medical field and how it relates to disaster relief. In this work of literature, Dr. Fink chronicles the events that occurred at Memorial Hospital before, during, and after hurricane Katrina. She captivates her readers by describing challenges the emergency facility was facing after losing power and backup generators due to excessive flooding. With the hospital besieged by floodwater and unable to support patients with life-threatening conditions using modern medical machinery, the patients, their families, and staff must be evacuated from the hospital. Yet instead of using the standard approach of attending to the most vulnerable patients first, the evacuation soon shifts to prioritize those with the best chance of surviving.
Dr. Fink also delves into many bio-ethical issues as well as the systems of triage used in emergency situations tantamount to a war-zone. By recounting the disaster from the perspective of several different medical staff members at the hospital and detailing their background, the reader is able to understand how different people acted in the situation. While some doctors preferred to maintain the standard of patient care they always practiced, others were of the view that euthanasia was a better option for those who would be left behind or had little chance of survival. The book explores both views in context, while analyzing the flaws of healthcare policy in certain disaster situations. It is hard to put down and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the subject matter.
Recommended by Saad Akhtar '18
And Still We Rise: The Trials and Triumphs of Twelve Gifted Inner-City Students - Miles Corwin
LA Times reporter Miles Crowin chronicles the senior year of twelve gifted high school students from inner-city Los Angeles and their struggle to overcome incredible odds and succeed in their education. A tragically inspiring read; one of the most moving I've ever read.
Recommended by Meredith Adamo '13
The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water - Charles Fishman
This is an absolutely wonderful read about how it is necessary to save water. I read this book after reading an excerpt from it in my environmental biology class.
Recommended by Cara Zimmerman ‘14
Three Cups of Tea - Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Despite allegations against the inaccuracies within the book, Three Cups of Tea is a very inspiring to read as it shows just how great of an impact one person can have on an entire nation, and all the change they can spur with determination alone.
Recommended by Chetna Prasad ‘15
They Call Me Coach - John Wooden
This is by the legendary UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden. I think it is a remarkable book about a man who was a coach in every sense of the word, whether he was teaching his players on the court, life, education, etc.
Recommended by Kirti Chakote '15
The Age of Entanglement - Louisa Gilder
This is an assemblage of segments of memoirs/letters/biographies of various physicists writing on quantum mechanics, relativity, & entanglement theories. A fine bit of light reading that effectively communicates some rather dense/complex/abstract theories in the most simple, tangible way imaginable. Recommended by Misty Shah '12
Here's Looking at Euclid - Alexander Bellos
One of my friends recommended this book to me and I loved it; it traces the history of math from the earliest numbers until the present -- from when humans first learned how to count on their fingers all the way to infinity and beyond (literally).
Recommended by EJ Feld '14
This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women - Jay Allison
This book shares inspiring short essays written by men and women from all walks of life.
Recommended by Neha Perwani '14
Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Us - Dan Ariely
This is a super easy-to-read book (don't let the genre of behavioral economics fool you). This book makes you think about why you behave the way you behave, and applies it to everyday scenarios. I haven't been able to put it down!
Recommended by Najiba Keshwani '13
Angela's Ashes - Frank McCourt
This novel is an extremely motivating and informative tale. It gives insight into the life of an irish immigrant family and the challenges they faced. Everyone can benefit from its realistic descriptions of the families lives and struggles. This memoir can truly have an impact on the reader.
Recommended by Danielle Stansky '15
Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl
This is a interesting book because it tells the story of a man in the WWII Nazi Concentration camps for the first half, and describes psychological consequences and a new theory of approach to psychology and its solutions, in the second half.