But I have no idea how many people would actually, physically show up to a New York event if we did plan one, and I'm sure that my publisher would want to make sure we'd have a reasonable showing before deciding whether or not to have an event at all.
I don't mind telling you that I really, really want this event to happen. First of all, my parents would be able to attend, and they would be proud. Second of all, so I would get to finally meet many of you--I know that a good number of people are based in or around New York. So, see: the poll.
This is not a poll so much as a headcount, I guess. It's not final or binding obviously, I don't know who's voting though I do get a breakdown of what state you're voting from, because, you know, something something IP addresses. Also, if you can't be there, don't bother to click "no" (after all, not everyone will be in the NY/NJ/CT/PA area in May, so it's entirely expected that most of my readers actually won't be able to come)--what I'm really interested in is how many "yes" votes there are. So please, please, if you think you'd like to hang out with me at a book event in New York in May (again, my goal is around the second weekend in May, since the book comes out May 11th), go to the poll either above or at the top of the sidebar on the right and click "yes." I will try as much as I have power over such things to make it an event that's in the evening, towards the end of the week, so as to work with people's busy schedules. But before any event can be planned at all, my publisher needs to know that there is interest, and that it'll be worth their while.
So please vote! Tell your friends who also want to come to vote! I mean, vote with numbers grounded in reality, don't just click "yes" a thousand times, but do click it multiply if you're indicating the number of people that you might bring along to such an event, like, say, you and your twenty highly literate best friends. Thanks so much, and with any luck (and your help) I'll see you in May in New York!
I live in the UK but will actually be in NYC the around the second weekend in May. So I can't say "Yes" because there's no date for the event, but no option to say "maybe" either :) Should I vote "yes" anyway?
ReplyDeleteYes, if you could vote "yes," my goal is indeed to have the event around the second weekend of May, since the book comes out May 11th! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteCome to Houston, Texas, too! Tons of medical and research schools and institutions, just as hot and balmy as Atlanta (possibly more so), and LOTS of bars to drink at.
ReplyDeleteNow if your publisher could swing an antipodean tour, I would DEFINITELY come and see you in Melbourne, Australia... You could swing that with a busy career and husband and children in tow, right??
ReplyDeleteCould you pretty please do an event in Boston? Hospitals and medical schools abound! Current Wellesley students and alums can come! We'll bring sock monkeys and stinky cabbage soup galore! OK, not sure about that last part, but please come to Boston!
ReplyDeleteY'know, it's very nice that you've put together a very proper presentation regarding your title, but; I must tell you, that you've overreached by sharing your personal history. That, is something left where it belongs, personal. This might not sell books and sour a large population of potential readers. Your agent/publicist erred in their advices by having you reveal so much about you and so little about your book. The work speaks for itself. Unfortunately you've presented a picture of a person of privelage, generally an unsympathetic pose to strike in the selling of books world. Nonetheless, best of luck. This is from one medical school graduate to another who transitioned into the entertainment industry. If your goal is to sell a handful of books to friends and colleagues, great. If you want to write, nobody really cares where you trained. Collegially, Anonymous.
ReplyDeleteYes, a Boston event would be most welcome, but I'd totally take the bus or drive down for the weekend if it came to that.
ReplyDeleteDon't pay any attention to the boor that posts anonymously and complains about your having shared your personal side. This is what all those extremely boring medical shows ( courtesy of those who transitioned into the entertainment industry) currently lack and why they are all such extreme garbage. The personal experience is all that really matters in life. I honor your courage, your strength, and your ability to laugh at the absurdity that is the human existence. I do what you do... I have three small children... I am married to another doctor... and although some might look upon my life as a life of "privelage", only I know ( and love) my life on the hamster wheel. Keep doing exactly what you do. And I have ordered my copy already :-)
ReplyDeleteJust one more reason to wish I was a New Yorker.
ReplyDeleteBring the book tour to Sydney and I'd definitely be there :)
ReplyDeletecome to Michigan
ReplyDeleteThis "privelage" crap is really just ignorance. I'm also an MD married to an MD. "Privelage" means you don't have to work for anything. You got everything handed to you. To get into medical school we had to work damn hard in college while our peers were partying, then there's another 8 years of horrendous hours. We've worked for everything we have. Difficult to believe another medical school grad who transitioned to the entertainment industry would put you down for being "privelage"d.
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous in the entertainment industry: I appreciate the input and concern, but I do think that one of the main points of my book is that doctors are people too, with fully-fleshed out lives outside the hospital. If that is taken in a negative light, it is possible that there may be bias in what society thinks its doctors should be, and on that issue, there is unfortunately only so much that I can do. The fact that I do write about the issue a bit, both in my book and online, hopefully helps a little.
ReplyDeleteI do appreciate the insight though (I'm not saying that sarcastically--being sincere), and thank you to everyone for the comments and voting!
I always saw "This Won't Hurt a Bit" as an extension of the and a reflection of how her personal life and the medical career each influence one another to make her a whole person. We should not assume someone's personal history is insignificant when the book itself is about life AND medicine. That's completely missing the point.
ReplyDeleteAnd the training DOES matter. Wellesley and Columbia are very respectable institutions...on some level, it matters to the people who know what those schools are and understand that it takes more than just "privilage" to attend. I also think (judging from what I've read on this blog) that your book would hopefully dispel any preconceptions that you're a privileged person capitalizing on an institution's name.
This anonymous character who claims to be an MD in the entertainment industry didn't really make any coherent points that I can understand. Is s/he saying that writing about your personal life makes your book less appealing? I can't imagine that any memoir/work of non-fiction that completely left OUT any details about the author's personal life would be very interesting. Also, what MD can't spell privilege? I think it's pretty obvious this person is a troll.
ReplyDeleteTo Anon at 9:30 PM:
ReplyDeleteThis is NOT in support of the earlier anonymous poster with the unfortunate spelling problem. I think Dr. Au's story is going to be perfect just the way she has told it (waiting impatiently for May 11th!!!).
This is merely a small retort to your assertion that since doctors didn't party in undergrad (a broad generalization on both sides: a) not all doctors lived in the library 24/7 as undergrads, and b) there are plenty of students other than pre-meds who study hard in college), and had to study and work hard through medical school and residency (again they are not alone here), they are not privileged.
Privilege can be many things: growing up in a family that does not actively sabotage your future, being appropriately fed and cared for as a child, being sent to school with all the necessary tools to learn, having a stable home environment, being afforded opportunities for personal and academic growth, having the ability to finance your education, having good health so you may pursue your education, not being the victim of abuse or crime. All of these and many, many more are privileges that none of us should take for granted.
Neither should we forget to teach our children that growing up in a loving family with 2 MD parents who have the intelligence, education, financial and personal resources and connections to invest in them is a great privilege the majority of children in this world do not have. This way we can be certain to raise empathic, kind, socially responsible children who will not become self-absorbed, callous adults.
Would love an NYC event, but I fear that a lot of your readers wouldn't be able to make it. Largely because a good chunk of the NYC metro area medstudents will be taking their step 1's mid-late may. Push it to last week of may please, even though that doesn't correlate too well with the release. fyi this is totally selfish input from my part :)
ReplyDeleteWish I could be in NYC! Come to Ottawa, Canada! Don't you want to corner the gigantic Canadian market? :) (We even have a med school here at the University of Ottawa!)
ReplyDeleteStep 1 studying or not (in my case Step 2), I will gladly take a couple of hours for the opportunity to meet you in person!
ReplyDeleteCome meet you? My wife is jealous because I read your blog. How do I explain an actual meeting?
ReplyDeleteOn your way back from NYC, please stop by DC, where even a whiff of snow or government shutdowns sends everyone into a frenzy! There are plenty of Mau's Moments/theunderweardrawer/scutmonkey/and future This Won't Hurt a Bit fans here!
ReplyDeleteEven if many M2s are fans, when we take our Step 1 differs. While many students take it in May, my school has us take it in June. There's really no "best" time for those of us currently studying for Step 1.
ReplyDeleteI only worry that my pre-ordered book won't be delivered in time to bring to the NYC event! I would LOVE for you to come back to NYC -- maybe you could just swing by the P&S graduation as well!
ReplyDelete