The Beauty in Breaking
By Michele Harper
5 stars
“Part of pure love is knowing when to stay, when to yield, when to hunker down, and , ultimately, whether it’s after an hour, a decade, or the duration of this brief life, when to go”
I am not a memoir reader, if I am being honest, memoirs are not interesting to me. However, when I stumbled across this book I was captivated right away. I am a fourth year medical student so reading a book about what life is like as a doctor, adding an exploration to healing, was right up my alley.
In The Beauty in Breaking we follow Michele Harper, an emergency room physician who explores how a life of service to others taught her how to heal herself.
I have no words to explain how much I loved this book. The beginning was slow, and I had no idea what to expect because I don’t usually read memoirs. However, by chapter two I was so engrossed in the story I couldn’t put the book down, so much, I ended up reading it in less than 48 hours.
The first aspect I love about this book was the learning experience, I got to see, first hand, what it is like to be a medical professional in modern days, I learned what challenges I might face as a doctor and as a woman. I learned so much about medical / legal relations regarding patient treatment, and I got to read what an emergency room environment feels like. The learning aspect was outstanding, and it got me even more excited to start my career as a doctor, including the good and the bad parts.
The second aspect I loved were the patient anecdotes, in each chapter Michele Harper tells us about a new patient or medical case and I was thrilled to read about it. The stories the author tells us pack a punch and with each new patient I was able to reflect and learn something new.
The third and final aspect that I loved was the way the author combined both the day to day experiences and the patient anecdotes and was able to relate them to her life and her personal healing. This book hit close to home for me, and by the end I was shedding little tears because of the impact this book caused me. It was refreshing to see how in spite of all the challenges she faces, the author managed to grow both personally and professionally.
Overall this book was a masterpiece. The Beauty in Breaking is a raw, hard-hitting and heartfelt memoir about what it is like to be a female, African American physician in todays medical field. I learned so much not only about medicine and the hospital life but also, Michele Harper managed to show me what healing feels and looks like.
