Rebecca H. (amichai) reviewed The Anatomy of Hope : How People Prevail in the Face of Illness on + 368 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I recommend this very interesting book that, among other things, decribes the difference between real hope and fake optimism when a person is seriously ill. Written by an oncologist who often writes for the New Yorker magazine, from his professional and personal experience.
Gabriella P. (gabbygirl83) reviewed The Anatomy of Hope : How People Prevail in the Face of Illness on + 42 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Excellent insight as to what HOPE/FAITH brings to an individual. Also very informative about life experiences that deal with terminal illness.
Cassandra C. reviewed The Anatomy of Hope : How People Prevail in the Face of Illness on + 2 more book reviews
The stories are wonderful. I was a little bogged down with all the testing if there is hope. I would suggest this book if you are a cancer patient and a caregiver. It is a wonderful read to give you hope again or more hope of a cure.
Paula B. reviewed The Anatomy of Hope : How People Prevail in the Face of Illness on + 8 more book reviews
Very well written anaylsis of how hope helps people deal with illness.
P.J. C. (mizPJ) reviewed The Anatomy of Hope : How People Prevail in the Face of Illness on + 172 more book reviews
Insightful, inspiring, not at all boring or heavy
Suze U. (A-Z) reviewed The Anatomy of Hope : How People Prevail in the Face of Illness on + 181 more book reviews
In this provocative book, New Yorker staff writer and Harvard Medical School professor Groopman (Second Opinions; The Measure of Our Days) explores the way hope affects one's capacity to cope with serious illness. Drawing on his 30-year career in hematology and oncology, Groopman presents stories based on his patients and his own debilitating back injury. Through these moving if somewhat one-dimensional portraits, he reveals the role of memory, family and faith in hope and how they can influence healing by affecting treatment decisions and resilience. Sharing his own blunders and successes, Groopman underscores the power doctors and other health care providers have to instill or kill hope. He also explains that hope can be fostered without glossing over medical realities: "Hope... does not cast a veil over perception and thought. In this way, it is different from blind optimism: It brings reality into sharp focus." In the final chapters of the book, Groopman examines the existing science behind the mind-body connection by reviewing, for example, remarkable studies on the placebo effect. By the end of the book, Groopman successfully convinces that hope can offer not only solace but strength to those living with medical uncertainty
