Even though Destination: Books remains on lockdown during the COVID-19 crisis, we have used the time to read some of the inventory. One book of interest has been Dottoressa: An American Doctor in Rome (2019) by Susan Levenstein, MD.
After Dr. Levenstein finished her medical studies at Mount Sinai in New York in 1978 she moved to Rome with her Italian husband to set up a medical practice and immerse herself in the culture. The marriage didn't last, but her love of Italy did and she remains there to this day.
Her account can be enjoyed as one might a frittata, with the tale of establishing herself as a physican in Rome serving as the eggy part, enhanced by the tasty ingredients within like food, booze, drugs and sex. She mixes them together with the skill of a top chef.
Since COVID-19 ravaged Italy before it overran the United States, Dr. Levenstein's observations on the Italian medical community have even more relevancy; more medical updates appear on her blog, Stethoscope on Rome. Dottoressa also reveals by comparison (for better and worse) the medical establishment here in the United States. But the book is actually more of an overview of the plusses and minuses of Italian society, which she writes about with humor and affection. There are also revealing personal chapters where Dr. Levenstein is candid about her own feelings about life and death and the sometimes complex relationship she has with her patients. "Compassion and annoyance are potentially two sides of the same coin of engagement," she writes. Often times the book reminds one of the stories medical friends tell over cocktails about the real behind-the-scenes doctor stuff (with names changed of course).
In these stay-at-home times, the book can scratch that travel itch that many of us have, and for my partner Denise and me it serves as a pleasant reminder of our trip to Italy last fall. (Full Disclosure: the picture of the Coliseum is from Verona not Rome.) If Destination: Books ever gets out of the house again we'll have it available at our pop-up book stall. In the meantime, you can order directly from Dr. Levenstein's publisher, Paul Dry Books, which is one of the publishers we enjoy working with and some of whose books appear on the bookshelf below.