Overview

Where It Hurts invites us to peer into the space between health and illness, life and death, through the voices of the people who work on medicine's frontlines: doctors, nurses, EMTs, therapists, and more. In raw and revealing essays, stories, and poems, they share what it's like to deal with difficult patients, life-changing diagnoses, private doubts, painful failures, and the victories that keep them going. By turns conversational, spare, urgent, poetic, plain-spoken, heart-rending, and heart-mending, each piece offers a glimpse into the extraordinary daily realities of those charged with taking care of us at our most vulnerable. A doctor shares the do-or-die pep talk she gives herself while performing a life-saving procedure. A nurse wrestles with caring for a woman accused of murder. A neurologist recalls how learning the art of pole dancing helped her through residency. A GI fellow serves us an unorthodox ""cure"" for an ER regular with a dangerous love for fajitas. A surgeon-poet imagines inviting Death over for tea. Anger, shame, panic, loneliness, love, hate, wonder, joy: They're all part of a day's work. As the authors of each piece unpack the highs and lows of their vocation, they teach us what it means to empathize deeply, to live fully, and to be human.

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9781324130765

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Reviews

""This vivid history brings alive the contradictions and hypocrisies of the land of the free... excellent book"" -- David Aaronovitch - The Times ""... Jill Lepore’s These Truths may restore faith in American ideals."" -- From Trump to These Truths: what to read to make sense of politics in 2019 - The Guardian ""…clear-eyed history of the country."" -- The Economist ""…one of those rare history books that can be read with pleasure for its sheer narrative energy."" -- Simon Winchester - New Statesman ""I’m ending the year back in the real world though, reading the most fabulously written history of the USA called These Truths by Jill Lepore."" -- Armando Lannucci, '2018's Best Books' - The Big Issue ""This is a tale told with the verve of a great teacher, the modulated literary style of a high-class novelist and the generous, careful eye of a historian who treats her sources as precious artefacts not as subjects for plunder."" -- History Today ""The most honest and unflinching account of the American story I’ve ever read"" -- Bill Gates’ '5 Favorite Books Of 2019' - Forbes ""A The New York Times Bestseller""

[B]rilliant...insightful...It isn't until you start reading it that you realize how much we need a book like this one at this particular moment.--Andrew Sullivan ""New York Times Book Review"" [Lepore's] one-volume history is elegant, readable, sobering; it extends a steadying hand when a breakneck news cycle lurches from one event to another, confounding minds and churning stomachs.--Jennifer Szalai ""New York Times"" A history for the 21st century, far more inclusive than the standard histories of the past.-- ""Guardian"" Astounding...[Lepore] has assembled evidence of an America that was better than some thought, worse than almost anyone imagined, and weirder than most serious history books ever convey.--Casey N. Cep ""Harvard Magazine"" In her epic new work, Jill Lepore helps us learn from whence we came.-- ""O, The Oprah Magazine"" In this inspiring and enlightening book, Jill Lepore accomplishes the grand task of telling us what we need to know about our past in order to be good citizens today.--Walter Isaacson, University Professor of History, Tulane, author of The Innovators In this time of disillusionment with American politics, Jill Lepore's beautifully written book should be essential reading for everyone who cares about the country's future. Her history of the United States reminds us of the dilemmas that have plagued the country and the institutional strengths that have allowed us to survive as a republic for over two centuries. At a minimum, her book should be required reading for every federal officeholder.--Robert Dallek, author of Franklin D. Roosevelt Jill Lepore is that rare combination in modern life of intellect, originality, and style.--Amanda Foreman ""Times Literary Supplement"" Lepore knows that the 'story of America' is as plural and mutable as the nation itself, and the result is a work of prismatic richness, one that rewards not just reading but rereading. This will be an instant classic.--Kwame Anthony Appiah, author of The Lies that Bind Monumental...a crucial work for presenting a fresh and clear-sighted narrative of the entire story...exciting and page-turningly fascinating, in one of those rare history books that can be read with pleasure for its sheer narrative energy.--Simon Winchester ""New Statesman"" No one has written with more passion and brilliance about how a flawed and combustible America kept itself tethered to the transcendent ideals on which it was founded.--Gary Gerstle, author of Liberty and Coercion This sweeping, sobering account of the American past is a story not of relentless progress but of conflict and contradiction, with crosscurrents of reason and faith, black and white, immigrant and native, industry and agriculture rippling through a narrative that is far from completion.-- ""New York Times Book Review (editors' choice)"" This vivid history brings alive the contradictions and hypocrisies of the land of the free.--David Aaronovitch ""The Times"" With this epic work of grand chronological sweep, brilliantly illuminating the idea of truth in the history of our republic, Lepore reaffirms her place as one of one of the truly great historians of our time.--Henry Louis Gates Jr., Harvard University Without ignoring the horrors of conquest, slavery, or recurring prejudices, Lepore manages nonetheless to capture the epic quality of the American past.--Lynn Hunt, author of History: Why it Matters 'An old-fashioned civics book, ' Harvard historian and New Yorker contributor Jill Lepore calls it, a glint in her eye. This fat, ludicrously ambitious one-volume history is a lot more than that. In its spirit of inquiry, in its eager iconoclasms, These Truths enacts the founding ideals of the country it describes.-- ""Huffington Post"" Gutsy, lyrical, and expressive...[These Truths] is a perceptive and necessary contribution to understanding the American condition of late....It captures the fullness of the past, where hope rises out of despair, renewal out of destruction, and forward momentum out of setbacks.--Jack E. Davis ""Chicago Tribune"" It's an audacious undertaking to write a readable history of America, and Jill Lepore is more than up to the task. But These Truths is also an astute exploration of the ways in which the country is living up to its potential, and where it is not.-- ""Business Insider"" Jill Lepore is an extraordinarily gifted writer, and These Truths is nothing short of a masterpiece of American history. By engaging with our country's painful past (and present) in an intellectually honest way, she has created a book that truly does encapsulate the American story in all its pain and all its triumph.--Michael Schaub ""NPR"" Lepore's brilliant book, These Truths, rings as clear as a church bell, the lucid, welcome yield of clear thinking and a capable, curious mind.--Karen R. Long ""Newsday"" Who can write a comprehensive yet lucid history of the sprawling United States in a single volume? Only Jill Lepore has the verve, wit, range, and insights to pull off this daring and provocative book. Interweaving many lively biographies, These Truths illuminates the origins of the passions and causes, which still inspire and divide Americans in an age that needs all the truth we can find.--Alan Taylor, author of American Revolutions

""[B]rilliant…insightful…It isn’t until you start reading it that you realize how much we need a book like this one at this particular moment."" -- Andrew Sullivan - New York Times Book Review ""This sweeping, sobering account of the American past is a story not of relentless progress but of conflict and contradiction, with crosscurrents of reason and faith, black and white, immigrant and native, industry and agriculture rippling through a narrative that is far from completion."" -- New York Times Book Review (editors' choice) ""[Lepore’s] one-volume history is elegant, readable, sobering; it extends a steadying hand when a breakneck news cycle lurches from one event to another, confounding minds and churning stomachs."" -- Jennifer Szalai - New York Times ""Jill Lepore is an extraordinarily gifted writer, and These Truths is nothing short of a masterpiece of American history. By engaging with our country's painful past (and present) in an intellectually honest way, she has created a book that truly does encapsulate the American story in all its pain and all its triumph."" -- Michael Schaub - NPR ""Lepore’s brilliant book, These Truths, rings as clear as a church bell, the lucid, welcome yield of clear thinking and a capable, curious mind."" -- Karen R. Long - Newsday ""This vivid history brings alive the contradictions and hypocrisies of the land of the free."" -- David Aaronovitch - The Times ""A history for the 21st century, far more inclusive than the standard histories of the past."" -- Guardian ""Monumental…a crucial work for presenting a fresh and clear-sighted narrative of the entire story…exciting and page-turningly fascinating, in one of those rare history books that can be read with pleasure for its sheer narrative energy."" -- Simon Winchester - New Statesman ""Jill Lepore is that rare combination in modern life of intellect, originality, and style."" -- Amanda Foreman - Times Literary Supplement ""In her epic new work, Jill Lepore helps us learn from whence we came."" -- O, The Oprah Magazine ""With this epic work of grand chronological sweep, brilliantly illuminating the idea of truth in the history of our republic, Lepore reaffirms her place as one of one of the truly great historians of our time."" -- Henry Louis Gates Jr., Harvard University ""Astounding…[Lepore] has assembled evidence of an America that was better than some thought, worse than almost anyone imagined, and weirder than most serious history books ever convey."" -- Casey N. Cep - Harvard Magazine ""‘An old-fashioned civics book,’ Harvard historian and New Yorker contributor Jill Lepore calls it, a glint in her eye. This fat, ludicrously ambitious one-volume history is a lot more than that. In its spirit of inquiry, in its eager iconoclasms, These Truths enacts the founding ideals of the country it describes."" -- Huffington Post ""It's an audacious undertaking to write a readable history of America, and Jill Lepore is more than up to the task. But These Truths is also an astute exploration of the ways in which the country is living up to its potential, and where it is not."" -- Business Insider ""Gutsy, lyrical, and expressive…[These Truths] is a perceptive and necessary contribution to understanding the American condition of late.…It captures the fullness of the past, where hope rises out of despair, renewal out of destruction, and forward momentum out of setbacks."" -- Jack E. Davis - Chicago Tribune ""No one has written with more passion and brilliance about how a flawed and combustible America kept itself tethered to the transcendent ideals on which it was founded."" -- Gary Gerstle, author of Liberty and Coercion ""Without ignoring the horrors of conquest, slavery, or recurring prejudices, Lepore manages nonetheless to capture the epic quality of the American past."" -- Lynn Hunt, author of History: Why it Matters ""Lepore knows that the ‘story of America’ is as plural and mutable as the nation itself, and the result is a work of prismatic richness, one that rewards not just reading but rereading. This will be an instant classic."" -- Kwame Anthony Appiah, author of The Lies that Bind ""In this inspiring and enlightening book, Jill Lepore accomplishes the grand task of telling us what we need to know about our past in order to be good citizens today."" -- Walter Isaacson, University Professor of History, Tulane, author of The Innovators ""In this time of disillusionment with American politics, Jill Lepore’s beautifully written book should be essential reading for everyone who cares about the country’s future. Her history of the United States reminds us of the dilemmas that have plagued the country and the institutional strengths that have allowed us to survive as a republic for over two centuries. At a minimum, her book should be required reading for every federal officeholder."" -- Robert Dallek, author of Franklin D. Roosevelt ""Who can write a comprehensive yet lucid history of the sprawling United States in a single volume? Only Jill Lepore has the verve, wit, range, and insights to pull off this daring and provocative book. Interweaving many lively biographies, These Truths illuminates the origins of the passions and causes, which still inspire and divide Americans in an age that needs all the truth we can find."" -- Alan Taylor, author of American Revolutions

Author Information

Jill Lepore is the David Woods Kemper ’41 Professor of American History at Harvard University, professor of law at Harvard Law School, and a staff writer at The New Yorker. Her many books include the New York Times bestsellers These Truths and We the People. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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