Five Days at Memorial

Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital

By: Sheri Fink

Narrated by: Kirsten Potter

Length: 17 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The award-winning book that inspired an Apple Original series from Apple TV+ • A landmark investigation of patient deaths at a New Orleans hospital ravaged by Hurricane Katrina—and the suspenseful portrayal of the quest for truth and justice—from a Pulitzer Prize–winning physician and reporter

“An amazing tale, as inexorable as a Greek tragedy and as gripping as a whodunit.”—Dallas Morning News

After Hurricane Katrina struck and power failed, amid rising floodwaters and heat, exhausted staff at Memorial Medical Center designated certain patients last for rescue. Months later, a doctor and two nurses were arrested and accused of injecting some of those patients with life-ending drugs.

Five Days at Memorial, the culmination of six years of reporting by Pulitzer Prize winner Sheri Fink, unspools the mystery, bringing us inside a hospital fighting for its life and into the most charged questions in health care: which patients should be prioritized, and can health care professionals ever be excused for hastening death?

Transforming our understanding of human nature in crisis, Five Days at Memorial exposes the hidden dilemmas of end-of-life care and reveals how ill-prepared we are for large-scale disasters—and how we can do better.

ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Chicago Tribune, Seattle Times, Entertainment Weekly, Christian Science Monitor, Kansas City Star

WINNER: National Book Critics Circle Award, J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize, PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award, Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Ridenhour Book Prize, American Medical Writers Association Medical Book Award, National Association of Science Writers Science in Society Award

©2013 Sheri Fink (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

2014, Carnegie Medal, Short-listed

2013, Los Angeles Times Book Prizes—Current Interest—Winner

2014, National Book Critics Circle Awards, Winner

2015, PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction, Winner

2014, Ron Ridenhour Book Award, Winner

“The journalist and doctor Sheri Fink published a meticulous investigation of these deaths in the New York Times Magazine and on the Web site of ProPublica, in 2009. Her work won a Pulitzer Prize. And now comes the book. In Five Days at Memorial, the contours of the story remain the same, yet Fink imbues them with far more narrative richness, making the doctors seem both more sympathetic and more culpable. Fink also expands on the ethical conundrums, which have festered over time and seem to gain fresh urgency.” (The New Yorker)

"“That so many people, starkly divided over the question of whether crimes had been committed, come off as decent and appealing makes this book an absorbing read. Dr. Fink brings a shimmering intelligence to its many narrative cul-de-sacs, which consider medical, legal and ethical issues. . . . By reporting the depth of those gruesome hours in Memorial before the helicopters came, and giving weight to medical ethics as grounded in the law, Sheri Fink has written an unforgettable story. Five Days at Memorial is social reporting of the first rank.” (Jason Berry, The New York Times)

Terrifying account from Katrina

This was one of the hardest books I've ever read, but for all the right reasons. The story and performance put you right among the patients, nurses, and doctors involved, as well as the investigators in the aftermath of the hurricane. A must read for anyone in healthcare.

Great lesson learned for clinician

It was a sad several disasters and the lost of lives. I hope the storyline can enlighten the public on what kind of battle health care providers facing every second during disasters.

Fabulous

Listening to this book was eye opening. It was much more than a “good read,” especially after the Covid pandemic. So much to digest!

Enthralling and Disturbing.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, and I have already done so. I had no idea of the suffering those patients, staff, and family members at Memorial Hospital endured for those 5 days after Hurricane Katrina. Like everyone else, I was transfixed by the post apocalyptic scenes seen on television, but until you read this book, which is so well written, you feel like you could almost be there, then there is no way of knowing what it was Like to be in such horrific circumstances and to be faced with decisions no doctors or nurses should have to face.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Five Days at Memorial?

The events of the final two days, as conditions deteriorated, and the ethical dilemma the doctors and nurses had to face.

What does Kirsten Potter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator does an efficient job. She kept me interested.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

As a registered nurse, and having worked in the ER and ICU, I could understand both sides of the ethical dilemma. One thing I do know is that unless I actually walked in those shoes and was faced with those conditions, I have no right to judge or condem anyone's actions or decisions. I do believe that in the event of an extreme disaster, that the normal standards of medical,practice should not apply.

A Must Read

This is an interesting book written in a way to provoke thought. Sheri Fink, M.D., Ph.D. did a fairly good job of trying to present the facts in an unbiased way. Fink did a good job in demonstrating the lack of preparedness of the hospital, city, county, state and federal agencies as well as individuals in New Orleans. How many of you reading this book has a plan for your home and family for various disasters you might face? How many of you practice disaster/fire drills with your family? To carry this one step further does your neighborhood have a plan and do you run drills? Fink pointed out in the book all members of a community should participate in discussion, plans to meet the needs for your community instead of a group of expert decide for you. Fink did a good job describing the feelings of the various individual she presented in the book and how they handled the situation. The difference between the Charity Hospital and the more affluent hospital handling the same situation was illuminating. I like the ending of the book and the comparison of what happened with Hurricane Sandy and the New York hospital and their actions knowing what happened in New Orleans. Kirsten Potter did a good job narrating the book. Disasters and pandemics will occur we need to think about this issues Fink bought up in this book and be prepared.

Whatever You Thought You Knew or Felt...

What made the experience of listening to Five Days at Memorial the most enjoyable?

I can't say that this was an enjoyable listen; it's too hard-hitting for that. I did Animal Rescue after Katrina, and I remember what a horror show, what a nightmare the place was. This book, graphically and with chaotic realism, brought up a whole lot of memories for me. What I appreciated to no end was the amount of detail, the amount of research that went into the writing of this book. From emails and personal accounts, reports from the media to legal documents, everything! Absolutely everything was covered and addressed. And it's delivered in such a factual, unbiased way that you're left to decide for yourself: Was it right? Or was it wrong? Chances are that, if you had strong feelings about what happened, one way or the other, you'll still believe it. But, boy! Your thinking will be unalterably changed by this book! You'll be challenged to no end.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Five Days at Memorial?

As the book wraps up, and we see the lives of those involved progress and change, some horrific ironies turn up. What about that doctor who now finds himself deathly ill and with "no hope of a positive outcome?" What about that zealot of an investigator, hellbent on prosecution, who finds himself needing/herself with a loved one needing the awesome skills of these doctors they've been thinking of as devils? It's a strange life, a strange world we live in.

Which character – as performed by Kirsten Potter – was your favorite?

There are many protagonists that you can't help but root for, whether medical or legal. Many antagonists you boo at. Kristen Potter brings them all out like a skilled documentarian, subtle variations giving each of them a powerful, personable voice. She delivers the facts with a flat skill, delivers each character with power and emotion. No mean feat.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

I was simply blown away by the politics that went into play after the events! And stunned by how each individual, from the doctors to the coroner, the attorney general and staff to the fly-by-night personal claims lawyers painted themselves after the fact. And the way we view treatment and death in America? Extraordinary!

Any additional comments?

I listened to this book, thinking, "People don't remember how bad it was. People can't understand unless they were there." But by the end, I honestly, truly wondered: No, really. Was it the right thing to do? I can only get down on my knees and thank God that I've never had to survive something like that to be in the position. You will too.

captivating - full of lessons we should learn

What did you love best about Five Days at Memorial?

The lessons learned from this horrific event are ones we should be implementing. As demonstrated by events during Hurricane Sandy, we are still woefully prepared for caring for our most fragile during crises. We need to realize that, yes there is global warming - and as we work to bring an end to this mega crisis, the able-bodied need to prepare to take care for the elderly, the too young, the too sick.

What did you like best about this story?

The author knows what she speaks of....

What does Kirsten Potter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her heart makes the horror more real.

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

Yes, yes, yes. And I will listen to the story again, and again.

Heartbreaking story, excellent narrative

This book is hard to get through because the events are so tragic, but the author tells it in such a way that you want to keep listening, and the narrator is so good I didn't notice her voice for the content.

The worst, most ignored story of Katrina

If you could sum up Five Days at Memorial in three words, what would they be?

Anyone can talk herself into evil. Anyone can do evil by just going along with someone who claims responsibility for it

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

People were killed needlessly because of foolishness.

What about Kirsten Potter’s performance did you like?

It was fine

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

In which the way other hospitals handled Katrina

Any additional comments?

I appreciated the author mentioning the Army Corps of Engineers and the failed levies as the cause of the outsized degree of suffering from a hurricane that had become rather tame by the time it hit New Orleans. Harry Shearer's film The Big Uneasy would be a useful companion. Narration of the movie would be a great audiobook.

Great Capture of Events and Story

I don't know if this book counts as journalism, history or whatever, but it was GOOD. It made you feel like you were there (without the agony of BEING there). The author didn't judge the characters or events which was also good. It shows how quickly society can break down even with the best of intentions and how rapidly the dogs of war come to finish the job. Great moral story and warning (which we will probably ignore).