Presenting Legends of the Examining Room, a collection of the best stories I had to offer from the first year of this blog, in addition to many pages of never before published writings.
The book is available in paperback and PDF/eBook versions, makes for a unique gift, and helps me donate a portion of the proceeds to The American Red Cross. You can read the 1st chapter here.
Dr. Nicholas Genes, writing for
Medscape from WebMD, states:
"He senses a patient's grace in times of vulnerability and appreciates the privilege of helping them... the book reads like a window into the office of an observant, engaging physician." Dr. Clifton Meador, author of several books including Symptoms of Unknown Origin writes: "Aidan Charles, in his 'Legends of the Examining Room,' demonstrates an extraordinary ability to see and hear the human condition. This talent would be extraordinary alone but he reports his observations in prose that is often poetic. If these writings come from his first year of practice, we can hardly wait for what he might see and write in the next few years."
Leigh Hopper, a writer for The Houston Chronicle, comments: "The days of medical professionals are full of great stories. But it takes something special to turn that material into something worth reading."
Marianne Szegedy-Maszak, special to The LA Times summed up this blog quite well: For all their dissatisfaction with medicine today, blogs offer doctors a hopeful place to feel unconstrained about their profession, to feel a bracing sense of possibility. As Dr. Charles put it in his first posting: "You almost feel as if you are putting a message in the bottle across the sea, across the world. And you wonder, is this a narcissistic shout or the first living synapse?"
My agent certainly helped my ego: "After reading your blog "The Examining Room Of Doctor Charles," I am thoroughly convinced that your writing will do for medicine what James Herriot did for the veterinary profession. I was thoroughly impressed with your style and touched by the gravity and wit you bring to the most delicate of human circumstance. As the founder of one of New York's leading literary agencies, it is my commitment to identify outstanding individuals with your caliber of writing talent who have fascinating individual stories to be told and celebrated."
