When I first heard the premise of HBO's The Pitt, I thought to myself "do we really need another medical drama?" A few days later, after binging the entire season in a weekend, I had to eat my words. Season one of The Pitt was a 15 episode series, told over the course of one single shift within an emergency department in Pittsburgh. The show was presented in real time: each one-hour episode was one hour in the ED. The show has been immensely popular, and has been praised for its medical accuracy and accurate portrayal of the world of medical professionals in a post-pandemic environment. I know we're all anxiously awaiting season two, so in the meantime, here are some books I've enjoyed that reminded me of The Pitt.
Dr. Robby's traumatizing experience as a doctor during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic is highlighted multiple times in The Pitt. The Emergency by Dr. Thomas Fisher is a firsthand account of Dr. Fisher's experiences as an emergency room doctor working on the South Side of Chicago. Struggling with the limited time and resources he has to treat the growing number of patients walking into his ER, as well as the growing threat of the pandemic, Dr. Fisher begins drafting letters to his family, colleagues, and patients trying to explain the myriad ways our healthcare systems fail those that need it most. The Emergency is an accessible and thought-provoking call to action, and it's as fast-paced as a television episode.
If you need something a little less realistic and a little more spooky, Bellevue by Robin Cook is the book for you. Mitt Fuller has just started his residency at the esteemed Bellevue Hospital and is feeling the pressure of upholding the standards of the four previous Fuller generations that worked at Bellevue before him. Everything starts out fine, but soon patients assigned to his care are inexplicably dying and Matt begins suffering from terrifying visions of dying girls & horrifying screams. He's been assigned to work at the modern Bellevue Hospital but finds himself drawn to the Bellevue Psychopathic Hospital down the road, convinced the abandoned building has the answers to help both his patients and his own mental state.
Alright, I heard you! Less spooky, more character-driven! Joan Is Okay by Weike Wang is the story of an ICU doctor working at a very, very busy New York City hospital. Joan's parents immigrated from China with the sole intention of making sure their children would reach the American dream, and look at Joan! She's doing it! Joan's parents returned to China after their children settled into adulthood, and when her father dies unexpectedly, Joan's mother returns to America to bond with her children. If that's not enough to get Joan to start spiraling, a health crisis begins to threaten not only her hospital but the whole world around her. A sharply written and quietly funny book, Joan is Okay will be hard to put down.
Enough about the doctors, what about the patients?! Lenni is 17 years old, living in the Terminal Ward. She knows that she is dying but also knows that she has so much more life to live. Margot is 83 years old and a self-proclaimed rebel, also terminal, also dying (says who?!). The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin is an uplifting and touching story of an unexpected friendship made between two women in a hospital art class who are desperate to make their mark on the world when they have only a little time left. Together they've lived 100 years and intend to create 100 paintings showcasing a story of all the years they've lived.
If you're in need of something light-hearted and romantic, Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez is the book for you! Dr. Briana Ortiz's life feels like it's on the fritz; she's going through a divorce, her brother is in desperate need of a kidney and can't find a donor, and the promotion she's been working towards appears to be going to the new Dr. Maddox, a man Briana can't help but hate. But when Dr. Maddox sends Briana a letter, a letter that's well-written and funny and self-aware, Briana realizes that her first impression of him may have been totally off base. Could love be found within these hospital walls? Read on to find out!
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