Friday Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader and the Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.
So Friday Book Beginnings you choose the book you are currently reading or the one that is closest to you and share the first few sentences. For the Friday 56 you simply turn to page 56 or 56% on your e-reader and share a sentence or two that you enjoy. Then just add maybe a synopsis about the book in case others are interested. That’s it!
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Life on the Ground Floor by Dr. James Maskalyk
Published on: April 11th, 2017
Synopsis (from Goodreads): A celebrated humanitarian doctor’s unique perspective on sickness, health and what it is to be alive. In this deeply personal book, humanitarian doctor and activist James Maskalyk, author of the highly acclaimed Six Months in Sudan, draws upon his experience treating patients in the world’s emergency rooms. From Toronto to Addis Ababa, Cambodia to Bolivia, he discovers that although the cultures, resources and medical challenges of each hospital may differ, they are linked indelibly by the ground floor: the location of their emergency rooms. Here, on the ground floor, is where Dr. Maskalyk witnesses the story of -human aliveness—our mourning and laughter, tragedies and hopes, the frailty of being and the resilience of the human spirit. And it’s here too that he is swept into the story, confronting his fears and doubts and questioning what it is to be a doctor.
Masterfully written and artfully structured, Life on the Ground Floor is more than just an emergency doctor’s memoir or travelogue–it’s a meditation on health, sickness and the wonder of human life.
Book Beginning: If you run a finger from your lips past the soft underside of your chin, you’ll feel a hard lump of bone halfway down your neck. This is your upper airway. This is what Bruik and Sofia were tracing. To me, it is the most important part of your body, because without an open one, there’s no breathing, only trying.
Page 56: O. It’s a type of blood. Universal donor. It has neither A- or B- type proteins on the surface of its cells, and therefore avoids being recognized by a new body as once belonging to someone else. We need some. I’m standing next to the bed of that bleeding man watching the last of what we have drip. Drop. Drop. Drop. A line of red cells tumbles towards Ahmed who, even with his black skin is as pale as a ghost. That’s where the saying comes from I’m sure.
Thoughts: I went to college for a program in the health care field and am currently studying for a national certification exam. Not only is this reteaching me some things about health care and anatomy but it is such an interesting insight into Emergency Medicine in a hospital in Toronto and then in countries on the other side of the world. I can’t wait to keep reading.
What are some nonfiction books that you can recommend to me?
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Shelves of Spines 
Fascinating! I do love learning about the body, along with sickness and health. Thanks for sharing…and for visiting my blog.
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This sounds like an interesting read.
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Sounds like a serious book. I admit being drawn in by his writing style and the facts he adds.
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Sounds like it could be interesting. And it can’t hurt to learn something valuable:)
My Friday 56 from Skin and Bones
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This book sounds really different and intriguing. It is so cool that you have found a book that you can learn from. Thanks for sharing this one. 🙂
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Hi Danica,
Thanks for stopping by Fiction Books this week. I enjoy ‘meeting’ new people and love to read and discuss comments 🙂
I don’t read an awful lot of non-fiction and I think that, despite your interesting excerpts, this one would be just far too emotional and intense for me.
If the book is also helping with your studies, then I hope that it continues to be interesting for you to read 🙂
Yvonne
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Sounds like a richly told tale. Have a great week ahead!
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