Summer can be one of the few chances medical professionals get to read something that isn’t a chart, a guideline update or an inbox message. Our bloggers suggest titles that offer perspective or simply provide a well‑earned mental reset!
When the Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman tells the story of Lia Lee, a Hmong child with epilepsy, and the misunderstandings that unfolded between her family and the Western medical system. The book challenges the idea that good care is simply a matter of diagnosis and treatment, asking readers to reconsider words like “compliance” and to recognize biomedicine as a culture with its own assumptions. It is a lasting reminder that expertise must be paired with humility, interpretation, and a willingness to understand patients and their families fully.
Recommend by Marissa McGilvrey
I highly recommend reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, especially for anyone joining the Hopkins community. I read this book the summer I moved to Baltimore before starting my Ph.D. Aside from being a beautifully written page-turner, it provides critical historical context about the role you are stepping into, whether you are coming here for clinical or scientific training. This book masterfully combines history, science, medicine, nuanced sociopolitical perspectives, and heart-wrenching storytelling.
Recommended by Mira Swartzlander
I recommend reading (or re-reading!) the classic Anne of the Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Anne's character exudes an infectious passion for life, and the world has an intense but simple charm. This book always puts me in a great mood and renews my love for the world.
Recommended by Ayman Ibrahim
I recommend A Taste for Poison by Neil Bradbury. This book perfectly integrates biochemistry, history, and storytelling to discuss how eleven deadly poisons -- as common as insulin which is already present in our body to polonium-210, a rare radioactive element -- was used in noteworthy crimes of the past. In addition to the historical context, the author also delves into how each poison impacts the body on a molecular level. This was a really fun audiobook listen that is both educational and entertaining!
Recommended by Oiskika Das
If you’re looking for a summer read that feels less like “finishing a book” and more like coming back to yourself, I recommend The Book of Questions by Gregory Stock. True to its title, it has around 300 questions about life, values, relationships and meaning — questions that are less about getting the “right” answer and more about noticing what comes up for us. In an era when AI can hand us quick answers to factual questions, this book quietly helps us hold onto something more important: making time for our own answers—our values, our center, our voice— and revealing putting words to what we think. Bring it with a pen to the sofa, a sunbed or any quiet afternoon and try writing in response to a few questions on the same page; you may be surprised by what you learn about what you actually think and want.
Recommended by Heejin Jo
Timeline, by Michael Crichton. The book is propulsive and exciting, and has an awesome sci-fi premise: archaeologists that get a chance to go back to medieval times thanks to a technological breakthrough with some dark secrets attached. There is action, intrigue, compelling characters, and a dash of quasi-realistic science that makes the book a lot of fun. The author is also one of my all-time favorites, famous for also writing Jurassic Park and producing ER!
Recommended by Ethan Thio