First published 1994
When a young AIDS patient arrives in the quiet town of Johnson City, Dr. Abraham Verghese becomes a reluctant expert. As the crisis escalates, Verghese confronts his own prejudices and treats an ever-growing number of patients, their stories occupying his mind and reshaping his world. Through the pain and heartbreak, he finds unexpected connections and grace in a community grappling with a new, unseen threat.
Genres: american-fiction, medical, 20th-century, social-issues, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Johnson City, Tennessee
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
352 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster
Content warnings: medical-trauma