Thursday, February 19, 2015

In Stitches

By Anthony Youn, M.D. and Alan Eisenstock

Born of Korean immigrant parents, Tony was expected from day one that he would be a doctor like his father. His father was an obstetrician but watching his father have to attend patients at all hours of the day and night soured Tony on obstetrics.
His Korean parents instilled in Tony a strong work ethic and getting good grades was never a problem for the intelligent youngster. However, Tony always felt like an outsider in school. Living in a smaller city, he was usually the only Asian in his classes. Plus, as he entered his teen years, he became even more different-looking than his peers. He was very tall, very thin, wore thick glasses and had a malformed jaw. Needless to say, he didn't date much in school.
After having jaw surgery and moving on to college, Youn had high hopes. Medical school was pretty much a given as Youn couldn't see himself disappointing his father. Youn's hopes were centered on something else: getting laid.  He was a lonely, horny guy and he desperately wanted a girl friend.
So this isn't just a story about a young man becoming a doctor. It is also about a young man's quest to find love.

This was an very enjoyable read.  Youn knows how to laugh at himself.  He paints a humorous picture of what was probably not all that much fun to live through. But underlying the humor is a story of determination and drive-to-succeed, professionally and personally.

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