Coppola: A Periatric Surgeon In Iraq

Coppola: A Pediatric Surgeon in Iraq
by Dr. Chris Coppola
2009
259 pages
ISBN: 978-0-9840531-1-7
ARC from LibraryThing Early Reviewers

For better or for worse, LibraryThing has pegged me as a reader of medical memoirs, and when one comes up in the Early Reviewers list, if I request it, you can bet that I'll get sent a copy. Since I joined a year an a half ago, I've gotten ARCs of Weekends at Bellevue, Brain Surgeon, and The Addict. I'm not complaining about this per say, especially since I would have wanted to read these books anyway, but I wish that they had also pegged me as the compulsive reader of fiction that I am, and sent me The Angel's Game and Last Night in Twisted River when those were on the list. I certainly will read and review every medical memoir they send my way for free, but there are other books that I want to read more and I hate to think that I don't get them because I've been pigeon-holed. Such is life.

That being said, Coppola: A Pediatric Surgeon in Iraq is one of the better medical memoirs I've read. In the book, Dr. Chris Coppola recounts his experiences during his two tours of duty in Iraq as a surgeon with the US Air Force. Coppola manages to achieve the perfect balance in his writing between the action of clinical cases and using his experiences to inform a discussion of the ethical and cultural issues he encountered and the challenges of military life.

Dr. Coppola's unique position as a specialist in pediatric surgery means he has a skill set sorely lacking in the current Iraqi medical system. Throughout both tours, he struggles to find balance between his compassion and sense of obligation to the young patients he encounters and the realities of his position, the position of the US military, and the medical treatment available in Iraqi hospitals outside of the American medical base. There are times when he fights hard for his patients when others disagree with his call, and times when he is forced to turn patients away. He makes a compelling argument for the role of pediatric specialists in war hospitals, especially given the rate of civilian casualties in the IED era. Dr. Coppola is not shy about calling the problems of military medicine to the forefront of our attention, while at the same time making it clear that he has found satisfaction in his service.

Overall, this is a strong memoir that calls to mind some important issues that come with our current presence in Iraq, many of which likely extend to our increasing presence in Afghanistan. It is a timely and important read, and one that I would certainly suggest to other people in the medical field and outside it.