Few books have touched me in the way that Dr. W. Lee Warren's powerful memoir, I've Seen the End of You has. His accounts of his journey as a neurosurgeon, treating various forms of cancer, head injuries and other health problems illustrated just how tenuous life is and how important it is to appreciate each day.
I received Dr. Warren's book from Waterbrook & Multnomah as part of the launch team for an honest review.
Warren shares many of his patients' stories throughout his book. Each one touches the heart in a special way. Some face their diagnosis with anger and denial. Others with dignity as they teach a lesson in how to die well with faith and grace. Warren explores his own journey as a physician and a man of God. Through most of his memoir, he stands as an outsider, looking in as he treats his patients. Deciding with each one how he will approach the relationship as a doctor. Some he remains aloof, with a just the facts demeanor, yet others he is caring and personal. He lets his years of practice and intuition guide him. One commonality is his habit of praying before each surgery, asking for God's guidance and care to truly see what the patient needs and not allow himself to feel he knows. A lesson he was taught as a resident intern and one he never forgot.
I think the part of the book that moved me most was when personal tragedy hit his family. When he became part of a club no parent ever wants to be included in, a child's death. This struck me because as a doctor Warren was always the one delivering bad news, sad prognosis and complicated reports. He was always the one with the information, not the one on the receiving end. It reminded me that each of us is the one outside a trauma until something happens to us or our family. We live in a fantasy of this won't happen to us, until our world comes crashing down and it does. Warren shows us that no one is outside of tragedy and helps the reader feel his pain as well as his healing. I strongly recommend Warren's book, I've Seen the End of You. His story is timeless and placeless and one every reader can relate to through their own life experiences.
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About Me
- Laura Miller
- I am a recently retired high school educator who is learning to spend time doing what I want to do. This is a new challenge in its own sense. It's like walking into a buffet and knowing you can eat all you want and not get full or gain any weight and for once you have absolutely no idea what you want. But I look forward to the journey of figuring it out.
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