Book Recommendation

Hello,

The book I’d like to recommend to your eleventh grade class is called Intern by Sandeep Jauhar. It’s an autobiography, but don’t let the title throw you. It’s not a book for interested med students only. This is a true story of a doctor who learns some unforgettable life lessons during his internship.

High school juniors and seniors commonly struggle with that definitive question: “What do I want to do with the rest of my life?” In the book, the author is perpetually vacillating with his decision of becoming a doctor throughout his internship. He is not the quintessential, promising candidate that one expects to choose medicine as a profession. During his early to mid twenties, Sandeep Jauhar reveals how he struggles with enormous self doubt on a daily bases. It’s authentically written, and I believe eleventh and twelfth grade students will fully appreciate that.

The book is filled with personal anecdotes describing Dr. Jauhar’s interactions with patients, medical staff, and of his relationships with his girlfriend and family members. The common reader can easily identify with some of his personal struggles, which makes certain parts hilarious to read. As one review put it, “Some parts are graphic because after all, he is describing the functions and dysfunctions of the human body.” But with Dr. Jauhar’s natural style, he allows the reader to leap inside his head with him and feel his true emotions. The students will find themselves laughing out loud, and shedding a few tears on occasion.

The book also touches on cultural and family pressures, and it’s encouraging to read of someone who is now greatly esteemed yet has endured life’s difficulties like most everyone else.

Lastly, the book may encourage students as they realize that even great people fail and that it is not uncommon for great people to often question themselves. It may encourage students to confront their own fears regarding their future-to take that leap!

The Intern is page turner and anything but boring. I strongly recommend it for your junior and senior class.

Joanna