Memoirs of a Geisha - A review

When I first read this book I was still in high school, I had seen the Japanese women with the painted faces in movies and other such media before, the women that entertained wealthy businessmen and Politicians,  but not in the way Arthur Golden captures the world of the geisha. Since then I have read this book maybe about three or four times it is truly an excellent book that holds true to the nature of the enigmatic geisha of Japan.

The book is based in the early 1900’s and you are taken to a small rural town where children still walk barefooted and play naked in a river. All the right heart strings are intertwined to make you feel you are linked to the main character by an unknown force and eventually you find yourself in Gion the city known for sexual trade of that era .It is a grand task to capture the geisha of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, but one which is certainly achieved by Arthur Golden in an eloquent manner. There is a movie as well that is based on the book, but as is the practise of many readers we swear violently on reading the book first. The movie however lives up to the standard of the book in defining the life of the geisha and somehow having the same essence of the characters that I had envisioned in the book.

Throughout the movie you are being exposed to various types of relationships from the way the geisha is groomed from a child to the way she is received in the structured Japanese way of life. I find myself remembering little details of delicate hair combs and bows that need to be done in a specific manner. However I must not get carried away with my love of Japanese culture this book brings to light many sensitive issues which the Japanese Geisha were forced to participate in…

The overall clandestine life of the geisha is exposed in its brutal traditions and practises in a way that I have not seen done before in Japanese historical style novels. A book that I thoroughly enjoyed and engaged with on more than one occasion, each time discovering something that I had over looked the first time and revelling in its formation of a world unseen.

Kameshini Pillay

A Book Review

A Book Review: On becoming a Doctor.

Summer of 2011, I spent my time reading a book. Usually, during the holidays my parents bought me books to keep me busy. I walked to the library that day, knowing deep in my heart that, I would not have to give a summary of the book to either my parents or sibling. Considering, my present predicament, I decided to write a short book review on the book-On becoming a Doctor. One of the most significant knowledge I gained from this book was the advice given by current medical specialist to medical students. Although, it felt too early (maybe) to think about medical school, I found some piece of these advices applicable to college (university) students and professionals as well.  They were really motivational so fasten your seat belts as I take you through this journey.

• ” I would not encourage anyone to go into medicine unless they were passionate about it. If you are, however, you should continue to pursue that path” .        

                 - Dr. Carol Salzman (Internal Medicine).

• “In my hearts of hearts, if I had not done medicine, it always would have bothered me. I would not have felt settled” . Simply put: Choose a career you love and pursue it.

      -Dr. Susan Hurson (Obstetrician-gynecology). 

• ” I think students should learn about the roadblocks, such as managed care and malpractice, now. Then if they really want to be a doctors and develop relationships with patients, they should absolutely do it”.    

      -Dr. Maria Mannarino (Geriatrics) 

• “One has to understand that your life is not always your life, its also part of your patient’s life. You also have to constantly ask yourself, ‘did I do the best I could?’ “.    

     -Dr. Ron Waksman (Interventional Cardiology).

• “Ease of learning comes when you enjoy what your study. Learn what you can about the innate challenges and rewards of the specialty your consider. This particular field would be stressful in that you will be dealing with significant numbers of sick children, You should have an inquiring mind and be able to think in a systemic way. Don’t go into medicine with the primary goal of making a huge salary….The physicians share of the health care dollar has decreased”.     

       -Dr. Frank Galioto (Pediatric Cardiaology)

• “You’ve got to love it because you’re going to spend so much time doing it. Basically you should enjoy working with people and always remember patients come first”.    

       -Dr.  Lisa Martin(Cardiologist and Professor of Medicine at George Washington University, Washington DC). 

• “I would definitely advise student to pursue medicine if that’s what interests them. The biggest problem I anticipate, however, is that the enormous cost of medical school will keep some good people out of the field”. 

      -Dr. Craig Futterman (Pediatric Intensive Care).

• “For me, its being a thrilling time”.   

     -Dr Keneth Rosenbaum (Genetics)

• “It is important for Students to set their sights appropriately and go into medicine for the right reasons and keep pace with the constant changes in the field”.      

     -Dr. Bernard Gero (Radiologist).

• “A plastic Surgeon needs to be a team-player”.    

       -Dr. Armin Karl Moshyedi (Plastic Surgeon).

• “You have to enjoy being part of a team as opposed to being a solo practitioner…the key to liking your job is to find balance. You can find balance within your career by working in ‘open heart’ as well as pain management, and you can find balance by having interest outside of medicine, too”.  

       -Dr. Michael Jach (Anesthesiology).

• “Any Student interested in Dermatology should do an elective rotation in a doctor’s office, following the doctor from room to room and observing the one-on-one patient relationship like a fly on the wall-is invaluable and may ultimately shape the way you practice medicine”.      

     -Dr Laurence Miller (Dermatology).

The take home message in essence is this: Do what you love and while at it remember to ask yourself: “did I do the best I could?. 

By Zaidat Ibrahim