We are always interested in stories where science meets beauty so we gave Sarah the task of reading and reviewing a book on her beach vacation. Here is her review of In Stitches by Dr. Anthony Youn.
In Stitches: the book
In Stitches by Dr. Anthony Youn is a memoir chronicling his journey from childhood through medical school and finally ending with a very successful career as a plastic surgeon.
The first chapter immediately sets the tone with a humorous, yet relatable quest for this nerdy, Asian kid to just fit in at school, please his parents and look cool. We also see his own experience with plastic surgery to fix his ever growing jaw which he affectionately refers to as “jawzilla”.
As Youn enters college knowing he is destined to become a doctor (because his strict, Korean father said so) he continues to struggle with fitting in, meeting women and contemplating why he is really going to med school. Once in med school and continuing through his residency, you feel the highs and lows of his experience. He shares the everyday pains of just trying to make it through school by cramming for exams, eating junk food, chasing women and living in less than ideal quarters alongside bigger issues like choosing a mate and a medical specialty all while sharing poignant moments with friends and family. Ultimately, while in his pediatric rotation, an experience with a child severely mauled by a raccoon leads him on the path to choosing plastic surgery.
Sarah Says
Overall, I liked it. I found Dr Youn’s memoir to be funny, poignant and easy to read. The book was a little breezy at times, with too many contrived Asian stereotypes and a little sex obsessed. It was more Scrubs than ER, but I found myself wanting to know what happened next and finding Anthony Youn to be smart, relatable and likeable. (Plus I really, really, really, love the cover of his book!)
Do you have a book you think the Beauty Brains would like? Let us know by leaving a comment below and we’ll see if we can get Sarah to do a review.
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