The House of God Audiobook By Samuel Shem cover art

The House of God

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The House of God

By: Samuel Shem
Narrated by: Sean Runnette
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About this listen

By turns heartbreaking, hilarious, and utterly human, The House of God is a mesmerizing and provocative journey that takes us into the lives of Roy Basch and five of his fellow interns at the most renowned teaching hospital in the country. Young Dr. Basch and his irreverent confident, known only as the Fat Man, will learn not only how to be fine doctors but, eventually, good human beings. Samuel Shem has done what few in American medicine have dared to do---create an unvarnished, unglorified, and amazingly forthright portrait revealing the depth of caring, pain, pathos, and tragedy felt by all who spend their lives treating patients and stand at the crossroads between science and humanity.

With over two million copies sold worldwide, The House of God has been hailed as one of the most important medical novels of the 20th century and compared to Sinclair Lewis's Arrowsmith for its poignant portrayal of the education of American doctors.

©1978 Stephen Bergman (P)2011 Tantor
Dark humor Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Medical Comedy Funny Witty Heartfelt Inspiring Thought-Provoking
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Critic reviews

"Fascinating." ( The Wall Street Journal)
Authentic Medical Portrayal • Dark Humor • Distinct Character Voices • Emotional Depth • Excellent Voice Acting
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Best non-fiction book I've ever read: so real, so raw, & so true. I loved it!

Amazing

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i loved loved loved this book. important for everyone, essential for medical students and residents.

exquisite and true

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I have too many relatives and friends working in the medicine, and everything in this book I already heard and it's factual. And there are even more going on and insanity is systematized at every level, not just at the hospitals.

Straight from the horse's mouth

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Great book! The annotator does a fantastic job reading the book. For the physician trainees out there, recommend reading this after you complete your training.

Highly recommended!

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I am a medical professional paramedic firefighter and RPSGT. I could relate to the chaotic nuance of being a teacher, student and practitioner. Love this book.

Recumend

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For all healthcare professionals… true, hilarious and heartbreaking. This gives so much compassion for our profession.

Much of this is true today!

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This introspective novel ducks in and out of reality as the young protagonist medical intern struggles to overcome the callous treatment of young residents and their geriatric patients. You are rooting for the narrator to survive all the obstacles posed by others and himself as he develops his moral code and empathy for others. 

Brutal honesty with humor

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Read before you start med school. And now I’m reading it again after 20 years in practice and the medical system in the United States might be, in some ways, worse than before!

MANDATORY for health care providers

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Dr Shen personifies love as a basis for medical care as he forgives without exculparing those he accuses of "hubris and cruelty" - including his avatar Roy Basch, who when an ingenue had none of both. House of God is true to nature!

Very great novel!

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Good narration of a classic. A few mispronunciations but the characters are well presented. Love it.

Classic

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