No Apparent Distress

A notable contribution to the medical bildungsroman. -- British Medical Journal Blogs Engrossing.... Pearson's vivid writing sometimes lulls you into the trance of a good story-character, voice, plot, conflict-but there's always the sucker punch at the end to remind you of the gruesome endpoint of the American healthcare system.... Her literary skill is apparent in her book. Her courage, honesty and doggedness are evident on every page. -- Danielle Ofri - New York Times Book Review No Apparent Distress is filled with the moving stories of a medical student's journey providing health care at the margins of American life. Rachel Pearson shines a spotlight on the brutal inequalities present within our healthcare system. -- Damon Tweedy, MD, author of Black Man in a White Coat Rachel Pearson comes from a hard place. In her memoir No Apparent Distress she tells the story of a Texas hospital that has been flattened by a hurricane and is being rebuilt-literally rebuilt-around her and her colleagues while they pursue their medical training. Working at a clinic for the poor and uninsured teaches Pearson the empathy she will need to cultivate if she expects to act as an effective advocate for her patients. It also teaches her about the inequities and injustices of the American health care system, and the labor of love required of anyone who decides to pursue the practice of medicine in this country. -- Judy Melinek, MD, and T. J. Mitchell, coauthors of Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner