Book cover of The Beauty In Breaking: A Memoir

Book description

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A New York Times Notable Book

“Riveting, heartbreaking, sometimes difficult, always inspiring.” —The New York Times Book Review

“An incredibly moving memoir about what it means to be a doctor.” —Ellen Pompeo

As seen/heard on Fresh Air, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, NBC Nightly…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked The Beauty In Breaking as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Michele Harper’s memoir is beautifully written, and her compassion and empathy shine through.

I was deeply moved by the way in which she carried that clear-eyed compassion forward from a trauma-ridden childhood through her medical training—where she, as a Black woman, experienced both racism and sexism—and into her life as an emergency room physician. I admired her forthrightness in calling out these injustices as she saw and experienced them while still maintaining her own humanity. I was inspired by her integrity and by the way she showed us, through her own life and the lives of her patients, that, as…

In this New York Times bestselling memoir, emergency medicine physician Michele Harper weaves together captivating patient accounts with her personal story as a young doctor of color.

Harper is insightful and vulnerable, as she writes of her divorce early in her career and grapples with her own history of abuse as a child. The stories of her patient encounters resonated with me as a fellow physician who has been similarly frustrated by the inequities of our healthcare system.

Harper draws life lessons from those in her care, as she navigates her own path – I’m grateful she has shared them…

If you love The Beauty In Breaking...

Ad

Book cover of Up the Down Escalator: Medicine, Motherhood, and Multiple Sclerosis

Up the Down Escalator by Lisa Doggett,

2024 Gold Winner, Benjamin Franklin Awards, Health & Fitness Category

2024 International Book Awards, Winner, Autobiography/Memoir Category and Health: Women's Health Category

A memoir of triumph in the face of a terrifying diagnosis, Up the Down Escalator recounts Dr. Lisa Doggett's startling shift from doctor to patient, as she learns…

Want books like The Beauty In Breaking?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 90 books like The Beauty In Breaking.

Browse books like The Beauty In Breaking

Book cover of Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal
Book cover of God's Hotel: A Doctor, a Hospital, and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medicine
Book cover of Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,276

readers submitted
so far, will you?