Why read Twelve Patients?

Book cover of Twelve Patients: Life and Death at Bellevue Hospital

Book description

Using the plights of twelve very different patients-from dignitaries at the nearby UN, to supermax prisoners at Riker's Island, to illegal immigrants, and Wall Street tycoons-Dr. Eric Manheimer "offers far more than remarkable medical dramas: he blends each patient's personal experiences with their social implications" (Publishers Weekly).

Manheimer was not…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Twelve Patients as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

David Z. Hirsch

Author

This book is the source material for New Amsterdam, the popular NBC series streaming on Netflix and Peacock. While the TV show struck me as a frenetic jumble of heavy-handed melodrama, the book takes a steadier, more realistic approach.

In each of the twelve stories, Manheimer, along with other dedicated physicians, strives to help each challenging patient battle disease while managing multiple complicating factors including socioeconomic distress, immigration policy, and the criminal justice system. I found the resolutions genuine if not always satisfying.

From David's 3 favorite reads in 2023.