HOW TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA is the extraordinary life story of Dr. Paul Tsou, a boy born during the Sino-Japanese War who rose through immense personal, cultural, and historical transitions to become an innovative orthopaedic spine surgeon in the United States.
Told with quiet humor, clarity, and a deep sense of perspective, this memoir traces Paul's unlikely path from the chaos of wartime Chungking to the rigorous halls of UCSF Medical School, from his service aboard U.S. Coast Guard Cutters Bering The Spencer, known for her destruction of one U-Boat by herself and took part in the demise of two others, to continue Dr. Tsou's selective services obligations, Paul spent about one year aboard the USCG Cutter Bering Straits in Vietnam, then back to his professional career of orthopedic residency, followed by spine fellowship in Hong Kong. A celebrated orthoaedic private practice awaited him in Santa Monica, California. Alongside his professional journey, Paul shares the unfolding love story with his wife Schumarry,
A formidable physician, strategist, and executive in her own right. In these pages, Paul reacts on the values that carried him, resilience, humility, a deep respect for knowledge, and faith in a quieter kind of leadership. He shares the mishaps, milestones, and serendipitous turns that shaped his calling.
His memoir is not just a chronicle of personal achievement, it is a portrait of integrity, cultural identity, enduring love, and a life deemed not by prestige but by purpose. Readers will walk away with a sense of the times that molded Paul and Schumarry, and the timeless values that shaped their marriage, family, and contributions to medical care and patients.
