Til Taught by Pain

Overall Rating: 4/5

Susan has brought us something truly masterful with Til Taught by Pain, a somewhat dark journey into the brilliant mind of Dr. William Stewart Halsted and his lifetime work... melting what has been written into the archives of history with a masterfully written story, blending both fact and fiction into Til Taught by Pain.

Susan's writing brings us a first-person look into the journey of discovering anesthetics and the way that it revolutionized the medical field and the world of surgery as we know it today. It allows us to observe as Dr. Halsted chooses to experiment on himself for this journey... instead of others...and a bit of a glimpse into how his life was like at the famed John Hopkins Hospital. It gives us a glimpse into how his experiments with cocaine and various other substances goes, and how this experimentation with cocaine eventually ends up with him becoming addicted to the substance...

It also gives us a glimpse into Caroline, a young woman who applies to John Hopkins with the intent of escaping her past, and her family's affiliations with the Confederates...

Susan has blended medical history into fiction and also allows us to watch as love blossoms between two souls, their struggles with Dr. Halsted's addiction, and secrets between the two. It gives us a look at this man who achieved so much, and yet could've done so much more without the cruel hand of addiction ... If you are looking for something that also goes in-depth into certain areas of the medical field, Til Taught by Pain is definitely something you want to add to your to-read. Some parts I feel like went on for too long, but overall, Susan has made a masterful piece that has allowed me to learn something I would've never thought would capture my attention.