“The literature was able to reach me in ways that [cultural sensitivity trainings] do not...there are a zillion courses you can participate in—and have to take—to meet Human Resources objectives. All those mean little in terms of learning anything new ... Reading one of these books [in the Literature & Medicine program], you really learn and see in a new way.”
“I’m a clerk in primary care. Sometimes I am on the front desk, which is where everyone has to go through to get to a specialty clinic. I’m sensitive, and if someone’s angry I can take it personally. My first day on the desk a man came in angry—after I read Achilles in Vietnam I understood that it’s not necessarily me, not necessarily the way I handled a situation [that patients are angry about]. I can take a step back and separate myself from their anger and take action—deal with a situation and help them.”
“The poetry, short stories and non-fiction books have helped me see and understand issues from a variety of viewpoints that I would not have thought of without the give and take of the discussion and the importance we each attach to an issue.”
“The literature respects the reader. It clarifies our struggles with ourselves and with each other. We have an alternative to the paradigm of weakness vs. competence. We can see our failings within the warp and weave of life.”
