Love and Modern Medicine: Stories

Pediatrician and writer Perri Klass is among a rare breed of doctors who can write with ample conviction and grace about their profession. She's also among our finest literary stylists and a great teller of tales too, as her short story collection "Love and Modern Medicine" so amply illustrates. These are tales infused with ample doses of realism, warmth, and humor, even under the most difficult situations. "Love and Modern Medicine" is a pithy book of less than 200 pages and 11 stories, but included are three award-winning stories which earned the O. Henry Award. One of my favorite tales is "Freedom Fighter", a joyful recounting of a pregnant obstetrician's getaway weekend with an old college friend, approximately a week before she enters the 9th month of her second pregnancy. Yet another is "Intimacy" in which a new mother, a high school biology teacher, must listen to the romantic misadventures of one of her colleagues. "Necessary Risks" is yet another, and is a captivating tale which will delight anyone who has been alone with a precocious four year-old for a long time. Last, but not least, the title story is an engrossing tale about sibling relationships, as seen through the eyes of a doctor, an older half-sister to a younger woman who has lost her child. Anyone who wishes to understand what is like to live and to work as a doctor, will garner some understanding of medicine after reading Klass' terse, but realistic, tales here in "Love and Modern Medicine".

Every one of Perry Klass's stories has a point - not subtle or obtuse, but also not hackneyed or expected. Her stories reflect the realities of life as a doctor, mother, and human being. The writing is not 'beautiful', nor will it win prizes for poetic imagery. Rather, it is clear, direct, and sticks to your bones like a good solid meal. It's a great airplane book - that is, it keeps your interest, is worth spending time on, but is not so challenging as to require one's entire intellectual attention.

From the first of all of these amazing short stories, Ms. Klass captures the heart of parents everywhere. As a mother, I found myself laughing, crying, worrying and joyous at many moments during the reading of these stories. From childbirth to the death of a child, these stories are full of love and depth. Wonderful!

An excellent book of short stories. Amusing and touching stories about being a woman, a creative writer, a professional and a mother. Perri Klass manages to be insightful about everyday life without being pompous. I recognise myself and my friends in her stories.