Hospital: Man, Woman, Birth, Death, Infinity, Plus Red Tape, Bad Behavior, Money, God, and Diversity on Steroids Audiobook

" I was hoping this was going to be like "Museum," giving an overview of the functioning of this institution from top to bottom. However, the author instead focused on the hospital's senior management and their feuds and internal politics. I kept waiting for her to move on and start looking at the institution more as a whole, but about halfway through determined that she just wasn't going to, and I didn't care enough about which administrator was mad at another one to finish the book. "

" I got about half way through this and I found it really boring. If you're getting a degree in hospital administration, you might dig this. But if you're hoping for something with a little more depth into the lower rungs of an actual U.S. hospital, skip this. "

" This is normally just the kind of nonfiction that I love: based on immersion reporting from a familiar but not well understood setting. But Salamon's portrait of a year in the life of a Brooklyn hospital is mostly just chaotic--it was difficult to keep track of all the characters, the hospital departments, and even the basic chronology of events. I was willing to give the author some benefit of the doubt, since chaos is an integral part of her story, but I thought some judicious editing could have taken off some of the rough edges. Still, there were some memorable characters (Pam Brier, Alan Astrow), and it's always helpful to be reminded of the essential humanity of high-flying medical personnel. "

" I'm very much a biased reader, but I have to ask where are the nurses? It really should have been called Hospital Administration. The author says she spent a year observing the workings at Maimonides but not once does she talk about the employees that are the backbone of any hospital. Ignore me while I rant but, every other person quoted in the book gets named and even most get a few glib sentences about their background, appearance or character. The nurses are called just that, "said by a nurse." She gives one nurse a name. As a nurse working in a hospital I have to ask, are we part of the furniture? It calls the whole book into question because either she followed exactly what the administration wanted, and is therefore not unbiased, ignored nurses on purpose, but then needs to give a damn good reason as to why, or didn't notice the importance of the nursing staff, and is therefore an idiot. "

" A year in the life of a New York hospital. It's a little hard to keep track of all the characters, but it's definately an interesting read. It's also a good commentary on the problems facing healthcare today. "

" Enjoyed the beginning, especially coming from my own bureaucratic hospital administration experience... but thought the second half was kind of weak in terms of writing and point. I would recommend it to anyone who has friends/family in hospital admin so they know what we deal with! "

" Very familiar territory. I liked it. I am glad that I listened to it. It was not just interesting viewing the author's perception of hospital culture, but it was interesting to read about the culture of the ethnic community where the hospital is located in NYC. "

" I'm not done with this non-fiction book yet, but it is intriguing and well-written by the well-known journalist Julie Salamon. Comparing Mamoinides to life at St. Vincent's is a trip, and it was a real bargain on remainder at the CCC bookstore for only 4.95 (originally in hardback) for $25.95! "

" A fascinating account of life at Maimonides Medical Center in New York. Combines personal stories of staff and patients with an alarming picture of the problems of the US health care system. "

" Eh...wasn't that great. Went to a seminar featuring this book and Julie Salamon was wonderful to listen to, but it was hard to finish this book. It was kind of all over the place. "

" A very slow read, emphasis on the red tape, not much emphasis on the patient side of things. "

" This book had an very interesting subject and had some interesting stories, however the writing was chaotic and felt like a scattered catalog of events and people. "

" This is a fascinating book for anyone who works in a health care/hospital setting. Probably not fascinating if you don't, but still very interesting. "

" It took me a while to get into the book, but it got better as the book progressed. I liked reading a journalist's take on a hospital (as opposed to someone who works in health care). "

" The writer spent one year observing and interviewing and it shows. The prose is easy to read and the story very interesting. But be warned, this truly is about the hospital, not the medicine nor the patients: its facilities, politics, business and bureaucracies. "

" I usually like any book about medicine, doctors/nurses, hospitals, but this one bored me to tears. I couldn't even finish it. This was about administrative politics instead of true medicine. Highly unenjoyable. "

" I gave up on this book. "

" I made it about 1/3 of the way through before giving up. It just wasn't the book I thought it would be. To much about the minutia of running a hospital. Good writer though. "

" While this book was interesting, I had hoped for more about individual cases, incidents, and the doctors and nurses rather than the focus on hospital administration. "

" Boring at times (when it goes on about hosital administration), but also really engrosing. "

" Pretty interesting, but such a slog to get through. "

" More about admin than I'd hoped. Really a book of sociology. "

" I was mesmerized by this fascinating book about lives in a large multi cultural hospital setting. Salamon is a wonderful story teller, expecially when the story is non fiction.There were lessons here that are easily translated to the larger world. "

" Another hospital read - about the daily drama, and the passages of life, in a busy hospital "

" Very familiar territory. I liked it. I am glad that I listened to it. It was not just interesting viewing the author's perception of hospital culture, but it was interesting to read about the culture of the ethnic community where the hospital is located in NYC. "

" Interesting perspective on the political climate in a hospital. Probably more intersting for those who haven't been 'underground'. "

" too much focus on funding and obscure feuds between administrators. "

" Pretty interesting, but such a slog to get through. "

" I usually like any book about medicine, doctors/nurses, hospitals, but this one bored me to tears. I couldn't even finish it. This was about administrative politics instead of true medicine. Highly unenjoyable. "

" I made it about 1/3 of the way through before giving up. It just wasn't the book I thought it would be. To much about the minutia of running a hospital. Good writer though. "

" Eh...wasn't that great. Went to a seminar featuring this book and Julie Salamon was wonderful to listen to, but it was hard to finish this book. It was kind of all over the place. "

" Interesting perspective on an NYC hospital from a mostly adminsitrative perspective. Not as cohesive as I would have liked, more a series of vignettes than a true narrative. "

" Yes, it really is that good! If you have any interest in hospitals, I think you'll love it also. If, like me, your interest in hospitals is minimal, I still think you'll like it. I loved it!! "