First time I started it I hated it...

I started reading this during my intern year and couldn't get past the second chapter, I found it insulting and unrealistic but I've never experienced anything like that before. I picked it up again in my third year residency and absolutely loved it. I highly recommend anybody in medicine to read it because there are still institutions out there very much like this.

21 people found this helpful

Entertaining but now it's purely historical!

I read this book way back in medical school, I think. Residency has definitely changed completely since then, but this provides a dark, satirical look at internal medicine training in the 70s.

I was less than impressed with the narration of the book. His voice was ok and he did a decent Roy Basch, but I think some coaching on basic pronounciations of medical terminology would have gone a long way, since I imagine the predominant audience are those in the healthcare field. It just detracts from the story when terms are so mis-pronounced, it's clear this isn't coming from a doctor's mouth.

Still a good little read and makes you kind of wistful for the 'good ol' days'

14 people found this helpful

Ok, but some real turnoffs

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
No.

I had no problem allowing for the fact that this book was written several decades ago. It COULD have been worth reading anyway.

While I find the situations very believable (I've been in healthcare for 35+ years), the writer gets too carried away with his own sexual fantasies/supposed prowess to the point where my mind wandered due to boredom.

Narration was good other than the same complaint I have with many narrators who read books by healthcare professionals: If you are going to narrate a book by a doctor, learn how to pronounce medical terminology correctly for Pete's sake!

What did you like best about this story?
Most of the interpersonal dynamics and the staff's conversations and personal thoughts were very believable.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?
Yes.

Was The House of God worth the listening time?
No.

Any additional comments?
Still believable in spite of being written years ago and would have kept my attention if not for the far-too-many sex scenes that sounded as if they were written by a Harlequin romance novelist wannabe.

8 people found this helpful

Raw, real and amazing

I listened to this book as I prepared to start my own internship. Very sobering, raw, funny, and very relatable to those of us in the medical profession. A must-read for anyone entering medicine.

6 people found this helpful

Engaging audio, excellent story

Any additional comments?

Yes! I'm a current Internal Medical resident which means two things:
1) I am very sleep deprived - so I usually can't stay awake for an audiobook, but this was VERY well read and engaging!
2) I can relate to the story, which itself was excellent.

The quality of the audio was really key for me!

5 people found this helpful

House of Bergman is electrifying

consistently honest, funny, compelling, and horrifying, House of God is a must-read. Steve Bergman gives us a narrative of his 70s Medical School experience which sheds a bright light on the medical pharmaceutical industrial complex which runs our corrupt and dysfunctional Healthcare System.

4 people found this helpful

Self-congratulatory softcore porn

That's nearly all this novel was to me. About 20% of it is worthwhile, and the novel could have been condensed as such. The rest is near-unlistenable thinly-veiled boasting and nonstop unnecessary obscenity. Avoid, avoid, avoid.

14 people found this helpful

Gets a lot of hype.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would, but only to doctor friends and I would try to manage their expectations.

If you’ve listened to books by Samuel Shem before, how does this one compare?

n/a

Which character – as performed by Sean Runnette – was your favorite?

Fats. Good humor, good advice to main character.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Probably

Any additional comments?

I was a little surprised about the amount of sex in this book. Either I'm really boring or it was a different time in the 70s. If I tried to have sex with as many nurses as what goes on in this book I would have been fired with maybe a lawsuit. Different times....
I don't know if it enhanced the story either.

11 people found this helpful

Essential for any medical resident

What other book might you compare The House of God to and why?

As an avid fan of Scrubs, I loved seeing all the references that Scrubs used from this book!

Any additional comments?

A blend of satire, realism, and comedy - a must win!

3 people found this helpful

Narrative of a young doctor

This book gives an insight into the practices that trainee underwent in the about 30 or 40 yrs ago. The book is salacious at times, perhaps it was a true reflection of what took place. Recommended reading for all medical professionals especially students and young doctors.

3 people found this helpful