The Blood Of Strangers: Stories From Emergency Medicine

The Story

Hailed by 'The Boston Globe 'as 'a compact, faceted gem that shines with intelligence,' this remarkable and fascinating book offers an honest, startling, deeply moving depiction of the modern emergency room. The twenty-eight vignettes in 'The Blood of Strangers,' all written by a young E.R. physician and writer based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, seamlessly juxtapose visceral portrayals of real and unedited hospital situations with perceptive and lyrical meditations on the world of medicine--and the world at large. All students, scholars, and practitioners of emergency medicine will find this stunning account of life, death, work, and reality in the E.R. both haunting and instructive. Frank Huyler is an emergency physician living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His poetry has appeared in 'The Atlantic Monthly,' 'The Georgia Review,' 'Poetry,' and other publications. 'The Blood of Strangers' is his first book. Hailed by 'The Boston Globe 'as 'a compact, faceted gem that shines with intelligence,' this remarkable and fascinating book offers an honest, startling, deeply moving depiction of the modern emergency room. The twenty-eight vignettes in 'The Blood of Strangers,' all written by a young E.R. physician and writer based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, seamlessly juxtapose visceral portrayals of real and unedited hospital situations with perceptive and lyrical meditations on the world of medicine--and the world at large. All students, scholars, and practitioners of emergency medicine will find this stunning account of life, death, work, and reality in the E.R. both haunting and instructive. 'Dr. Huyler's short, intense book treats of only the most important matters: life and death. His prose is nearly invisible, and therefore it allows us to see what he is talking about. And once we see it, we are not likely to forget it. This is a young writer with a big mind-and an even bigger heart.'--Paul Auster, author of 'Timbuktu ' 'A work of deep insight, whose tense prose echoes the sharp drama of the E.R.'--Jerome Groopman, M.D., author of 'The Measure of Our Days 'and 'Second Opinions' 'The author of these doctor stories is an E.R. physician as well as a poet, and his work shows the economy and sharp attention that both jobs demand.'--'The New Yorker' 'Lyrical and beautifully controlled . . . Huyler takes us into the world of emergency medicine and in the process manages to leapfrog over all our preconceptions, erase all the stereotypes that television and movies have given us. This is a wonderful debut by a gifted writer and doctor.'--Abraham Verghese, author of 'The Tennis Partner' and' My Own Country' 'Huyler's perfectly titled collection of ultra-brief stories, 'The Blood of Strangers,' has the force of literature because he does not ignore either medicine's rewards or its price. Without sentimentality or melodrama, Huyler, an emergency department physician and poet, spares us the moralistic exhortation to 'treat the person behind the patient' (Who is this person, and what is he or she doing there behind the patient anyway?), the frantic heroics, and the gratuitous exclamation marks. These spare stories transmit emotions as if from a distance, but with a tender fidelity . . . Huyler's light touch [comes off as] a form of modesty, as a kind of phlegmatic wisdom, as an acceptance of limits.'--'The New England Journal of Medicine' 'Huyler's writing is sharp and spare, clean as a scalpel. This volume is a modest jewel, a compact, faceted gem that shines with intelligence.'--'The Boston Globe' 'Dr. Huyler's short, intense book treats of only the most important matters: life and death. His prose is nearly invisible, and therefore it allows us to see what he is talking about. And once we see it, we are not likely to forget it. This is a young writer with a big mind-and an even bigger heart.'--Paul Auster, author of 'Timbuktu ' 'These bloods are so compassionately drawn, so eloquently examined, the results will stop your heart, and make you bleed f