Hot Lights, Cold Steel by Michael J. Collins

Subtitled "Life, Death and Sleepless Nights in a Surgeon's First Years," this book is the memoir of a doctor who struggled with shortcomings in his earlier education when he came to the Mayo Clinic in for his first year of residency. It is a fascinating glimpse into medical education and the hard lives lived by residents who do not earn very much money. Collins struggled not only with study, but also with supporting his ever-growing young family. He drove very old cars and moonlighted at a neighboring clinic in the effort to keep body and soul together. But his native optimism and cheerfulness carry him through the hard parts leaving in their wake a trail of stories well worth reading.