Dr. Leana Wen

This eminently readable memoir (actually, probably an autobiography) chronicles the first 35+ years of Dr. Wen’s life -- her early childhood in crowded Shanghai; the abject poverty of her growing-up years as an immigrant to the US; and then her successes and setbacks (none of which I'd characterize as failures) in medical school and research, patient care, public-health policy, president of Planned Parenthood, and TV commentary amid Covid. I stand in awe of her perseverance and positivity.… (mere)

In this book--a mix of memoir, autobiography, and public health--Wen describes her journey to the field of public health. From immigrant on a visa to the daughter of a man who wins asylum, through school, college, med school, and then pubic health. With ER clinical experience, she becomes the Baltimore health commissioner, then the director of Planned Parenthood, and then a CNN medical analyst. She also discusses the difficulties of starting a family and

I very much enjoyed the early chapters (through her childhood and schooling). The Baltimore section dragged a bit for me, as it turned into "and then we....and then I...". The Planned Parenthood section was quite interesting, as she explains why she was not a good fit and how complicated their internal organization is. When she gets to COVID and being a TV analyst, it picked up again.

I think this book would be especially interesting to anyone considering the field of public health, or those truly fascinated by the field itself. (As opposed to someone like me, who is generally interested in just about anything.)… (mere)