The Book of Jesse: A Story of Youth, Illness, and Medicine

by Michael Rowe, Ph.D., associate clinical professor of sociology in the Department of Psychiatry and co-director of the Yale Program on Poverty, Disability and Urban Health

The Francis Press (Washington, D.C.) 2002

The Book of Jesse tells the story of a young man’s illness and death as seen through the eyes of his father. It also tells a story of parents and children, doctors and patients, and high-technology medicine. Rowe does not flinch at discussing medical miscalculations and mistakes, but avoids sensationalism in his rounded portrayal of life on an intensive care unit. This book will appeal to those who have experienced the death of a loved one, those who are fascinated with both the promise and the peril of high-tech medicine, as well as other medical professionals concerned with the relationships between patients and their doctors.