Great Books We've Read During the Months of May

Every month is a great month and every book we've read together over the past 10 years has been a great book.  Looking back has allowed us to revisit what we learned and how much we've shared.  It's also a chance for members and friends to catch up on missed titles.  Here's what the month of May gave us over the past 10 years:  The Untelling by Tayari Jones; The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield; Medical Apartheid: the Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present by Harriet Washington; Ancestor Stones by Aminata Forna; I'm Black When I'm Singing, I'm Blue When I Ain't by Sonia Sanchez; The Round House by Louise Erdich.

I have more than one favorite and recommend them all, but Harriet Washington's work stands out the most for me.  I will always remember our discussion of Medical Apartheid.  Washington shared information on historical events we were all familiar with and a great deal we knew nothing about.  The research put into this book was incredible.  As we shared how we felt about what we read and our personal stories, we began to see how our history with the medical community had a lasting, generational impact on us as a whole.  The fear and distrust that exists today has ties that reach back to slavery in the West.  The things we heard our parents and grandparents say about hospitals and doctors is rooted in so many unpleasant truths. I have recommended Medical Apartheid to every person I know.  After the first few chapters, I garnered the strength to advocate for myself with my own doctor.  Something I was once intimidated and afraid to do.  It is a deep and profound body of work that every adult should take the time to read.  A much needed part of the ongoing national discourse on cultural competence in medicine.

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