Living and Dying in Brick City

An E.R. Doctor Returns Home

By: Sampson Davis

Narrated by: Cary Hite

Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

A riveting personal exploration of the health-care crisis facing inner-city communities, written by an emergency-room physician who grew up in the very neighborhood he is now serving.

Sampson Davis is best known as one of three friends from inner-city Newark who made a pact in high school to become doctors. Their book The Pact and the work they have done with the Three Doctors Foundation have inspired countless young men and women to strive for goals they otherwise would not have dreamed they could attain.

In this book, Dr. Davis looks at the health-care crisis in the inner city from a rare perspective: that of a doctor who works on the front line of emergency medical care in the community where he grew up and as a member of that community who has faced the same challenges as the people he treats every day. He also offers invaluable practical advice for those living in such communities, where conditions like asthma, heart disease, strokes, obesity, and AIDS are disproportionately endemic.

Dr. Davis has struggled with many of the issues troubling his patients. His sister, a drug addict, died of AIDS; his brother is now paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair as a result of a bar fight; and he himself did time in juvenile detention - a wake-up call that changed his life. He recounts recognizing a young man with critical gunshot wounds as someone who was arrested with him when he was a teenager during a robbery gone bad; describes a patient with sickle cell anemia, whose case is more complicated than he understands; and explains the difficulty he has convincing his landlord and friend, an older woman, to go to the hospital for much-needed treatment.

With empathy and hard-earned wisdom, Living and Dying in Brick City presents an urgent picture of medical care in our cities and an important resource guide for anyone at risk, anyone close to those at risk, and anyone who cares about the fate of our cities.

©2013 Sampson Davis (P)2013 Blackstone Publishing, and Urban Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"This book is living proof that behind the boarded up windows of one of America’s most neglected cities, beyond the sorrow and pain, there is much more than we've come to expect. There is hope. There is change. There is redemption for Brick City. The book will open your eyes to a part of the world that most of us only see from behind the wheel of a tightly locked car. Sampson Davis is not afraid to lift heavy objects in this world. I’m glad he shared his journey with us, so that we know it is possible." (James McBride, New York Times best-selling author of The Color of Water)

"An emergency-room doctor relates his experiences to the wider emergency of inadequate health care for inner-city residents in places like Newark, N.J., where he grew up and practiced medicine.... A page-turning wake-up call." ( Kirkus Reviews)

True,very realistic and a very exciting read. You

If you could sum up Living and Dying in Brick City in three words, what would they be?

Thought provoking and in many instances sad.

What did you like best about this story?

The realism, the human touch as well as the inclusion of the nurses.

Which character – as performed by Cary Hite – was your favorite?

It was difficult to single out one character since Mr.Hite was so excellent. I guess it would have to be Mr.Tait and his daughter. After receiving the results of his x ray his concern was more for his daughter than himself.

Narration by Mr. Hite was so realistic.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Most definitely.

Any additional comments?

Since I am an RN the inclusion of the nurses in this book is almost unheard of by most MD writers. Also coming from a very similar background it was very easy for me to relate to many of the characters and situations.

Dr.Davis is a rare breed on so many levels. I have read his other collaborations and given so many copies to the young men in my church. May he continue to work and share the much needed knowledge in the ER. He probably sees as many patients as the PCP since patients tend to go where they feel comfortable. Even many of those with medical coverage.

A little too much information. But interesting.

This book goes to great lengths to provide tons of information to educate African Americans while trying to maintain a story line. It is only because of Cary Hite that I was able to connect. I fast forwarded through most of the informative details when it became too heavy. I do however think that it was a great attempt to bring awareness to the AA community on illnesses, drugs, sex, addictions and STDs. Although this was a pretty decent book, I think that it would have been more appropriate to include this information at the end of the book for reference. Highly informative though.

Wonderful Read

This book is eye opening to show the reality of the medical field and the struggle that occurs across this country in urban communities. As nurse, I can relate to the stories Dr. Davis told in this book.

Distracting Narration

I couldn’t deal with the weird, robotic narration. Between the narration and the distracting sound effects, I struggled to get through this one.

Excellent Book

I highly recommend this book . His experiences as a trauma and his own struggles in life to get are an encouragement to anyone. The references to resources for health education/ help is an excellent idea.

Opinion on this book

I loved listening to this book.
I have read all of him and his friends books
I love them all.

Good book but sound effects detract

This is a good book with a good narrator. The sound effects added sporadically throughout the audiobook are very obnoxious and distracting, though. I'm not sure why they felt the need to add in sounds of gun fire, beeping, sirens, and the like. The descriptions of events would have been powerful and interesting enough without the sounds, and those scenes surely would have been easier to listen to.

Disappointed

Initially amazing stories. But let down by the constant blaming of patients for their health issues and playing into generalizations of poor black communities.

PSA for the inner city

Could not finish this book. If you're looking for a PSA on the inner city or the struggles of the minority population you'll love this book. Otherwise skip it

Subtle propaganda

This book targets today’s hot topics such as gun possession, disadvantages of no socialized medicine, safe sex and acceptance of non traditional relationships, underprivileged people of color and more.
This book is random stories of experiences by an ER doctor that are constructed in a way to get you humming along with the popular media tune of today.

If you are looking for a good read about a doctor who changed peoples lives, look elsewhere. This one is pretty shallow.