“Medicine is a place where science tries to address a multiplicity of human needs. But often these needs go beyond anything that science can meet. Listening, compassion, and openness to the complexity and uncertainty of life will always be at the heart of real medicine. Zackary Berger’s book is clearly based on many years of wise and patient-centered practice, and he weaves his narrative with fluency and flashes of humor. It is a wonderful read, aimed at a general audience but full of insight for every health professional.”
—Richard Lehman, primary-care physician, regular columnist for the BMJ, senior advisory fellow to the UK Cochrane Centre
“With sympathetic rigor, Dr. Berger calls clinicians and patients alike to reconsider the nature of evidence and experience in medicine. This is not therapeutic nihilism; it is a deeply human call to see each other as we are and find specific, authentic paths through illness, pain, and disability.” —Samuel Morris Brown, author of Through the Valley of Shadows: Living Wills, Intensive Care, and Making Medicine Human
“Medicine cannot achieve its potential without the fullest contribution of the ultimate stakeholder—the empowered, activated patient. This book is an essential resource for scientifically minded patients and caregivers who want to understand medicine’s limitations and biases, to enable (as the introduction says) ‘deciding for yourself’ in partnership with empowering clinicians.” —Dave deBronkart (“e-Patient Dave”), cancer survivor and founding co-chair of the Society for Participatory Medicine
“Science, humanity, or the space between? That’s the territory that doctors and their patients navigate daily. Zack Berger’s book is a thoughtful, penetrating assessment of that ‘space between,’ including navigation hazards like racism, and the pathways that reveal themselves when doctors and patients work together to manage the uncertainty that is a central feature of science and medicine. A joyful and necessary call for partnership in the most human of sciences—medicine—this is a must-read for anyone interested in improving the quality and character of health care.” —Casey Quinlan, Mighty Casey Media
—Richard Lehman, primary-care physician, regular columnist for the BMJ, senior advisory fellow to the UK Cochrane Centre
“With sympathetic rigor, Dr. Berger calls clinicians and patients alike to reconsider the nature of evidence and experience in medicine. This is not therapeutic nihilism; it is a deeply human call to see each other as we are and find specific, authentic paths through illness, pain, and disability.” —Samuel Morris Brown, author of Through the Valley of Shadows: Living Wills, Intensive Care, and Making Medicine Human
“Medicine cannot achieve its potential without the fullest contribution of the ultimate stakeholder—the empowered, activated patient. This book is an essential resource for scientifically minded patients and caregivers who want to understand medicine’s limitations and biases, to enable (as the introduction says) ‘deciding for yourself’ in partnership with empowering clinicians.” —Dave deBronkart (“e-Patient Dave”), cancer survivor and founding co-chair of the Society for Participatory Medicine
“Science, humanity, or the space between? That’s the territory that doctors and their patients navigate daily. Zack Berger’s book is a thoughtful, penetrating assessment of that ‘space between,’ including navigation hazards like racism, and the pathways that reveal themselves when doctors and patients work together to manage the uncertainty that is a central feature of science and medicine. A joyful and necessary call for partnership in the most human of sciences—medicine—this is a must-read for anyone interested in improving the quality and character of health care.” —Casey Quinlan, Mighty Casey Media
