The Finest Traditions of My Calling

"A less ambitious writer would have contented himself with the details. But Dr. Nussbaum steers his narrative directly to the hard questions about 21st-century medicine, a profession just about as variously troubled as his patients. . . . He writes beautifully, in a lucid prose as notable for its process as its conclusions: The reader can actually watch him think. . . . Many medical memoirs are one-shot deals, offered to the public purely to unburden the author. From these books, readers and writer all move on with some relief. In Dr. Nussbaum’s case, we will eagerly await the next volume in the set."—Abigail Zuger, M.D., New York Times

"His insightful polemic reveals that current reforms in medicine are missing an essential element."—Publishers Weekly

"A revealing and stirring directive aiming to heal medicine from the inside out."—Kirkus Reviews

"Readers of various vocations are likely to find resonances in the book’s attempt to balance professionalism with human relationship."—Christian Century

"Intelligent and beautifully written."—Suzanne Koven, Los Angeles Review of Books

"In a time when hospitals threaten to become factories and doctors seem no more than factory farmers, Nussbaum helps us see that there is an alternative. That alternative turns out to be exemplified in the stories he wonderfully tells of what he has learned from the sick. Hopefully his book will be widely read because it has important practical as well as theoretical implications."—Stanley Hauerwas, author of The Work of Theology

"A clear-eyed and thoughtful (and interesting!) analysis of where medicine is right now, how it got here, why an alternative 'vision' is preferable, and some gestures toward what that alternative might be and might promise. The stories are presented respectfully . . . and as real stories, not just case study examples."—Margaret Mohrmann, M.D., Ph.D., University of Virginia

"Occasionally someone speaks up in the midst of our clamoring arguments about social problems and manages to do the simple and extraordinary thing that makes all the difference: they ask the right questions. Reading The Finest Traditions of My Calling, I couldn't help but see Nussbaum as a Martin Luther of health care and this book is his 95 theses. May true reform ensue."—Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber, author of Accidental Saints: Finding God in All the Wrong People

"An eye-opening journey into the rapidly industrializing world of modern healthcare. Nussbaum steadfastly reminds us that true 'quality' needs to include the humanity of the patient and the caregiver. A compelling read."—Danielle Ofri, M.D., Ph.D., author of What Doctors Feel: How Emotions Affect the Practice of Medicine

"The author has produced a work that addresses the 'fall from grace' of the medical profession. It is rich with nuanced details and stories of physician and patient lives. He moves through his territory with delightful stride."—Thomas Duffy, M.D., Yale University School of Medicine