Lifelines: A Doctor's Journey in the Fight for Public Health Hardcover – July 27, 2021

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Lifelines is a truly unique and awe-inspiring novel that comes at an important time. Through a beautifully written narrative that explores a personal journey of love, loss, and growth, Dr. Wen describes her extraordinary path to becoming an emergency physician and public health advocate. Lifelines explores timeless themes, from a coming-of-age story and the development of an American identity to tackling the greatest public health crises of our times. What distinguishes Lifelines from other books is that Dr. Wen does not stop at describing the immense challenges that stand in the way of making progress in our society; as a testament to her leadership, she focuses on solutions and offers valuable perspectives for overcoming roadblocks and moving the needle forward. In this memoir, Dr. Wen also pays homage to the many mentors and ‘lifelines’ that supported her throughout her journey.Perhaps what I loved most about this book is that Dr. Wen lays out a clear call to action: She inspires the current generation of leaders and change agents to advocate for the underserved, and she motivates future generations to join the ever-important fight for health equity and justice.Finally, this book will inspire you. While this book puts a spotlight on public health, it is clearly not meant only for those within this field. Rathert, it is a call to all people — across professions and disciplines — to recognize and embrace the profound influence that public health has on our daily lives. As Dr. Wen gracefully depicts in her stories from clinical practice, Baltimore, and most recently the COVID-19 pandemic, public health underlies the streets we walk on, the air we breathe, and the people who surround us. This book is the ultimate reminder of the invisible lifelines that sustain us everyday and the work that we must do to preserve those lifelines for future generations who will follow in our footsteps.

The book was completely different from what I expected, but in a good way. The honesty of Dr. Leana Wen about her life and her interactions in her profession were heartwarming and enlightening. The good doctor and I share great admiration for the late congressman Elijah Cummings, although unlike Dr. Wen, I never had the pleasure of personally meeting and or interacting with him. I so strongly agree with the congressman's advice That you cannot control what happens to you, but you can control how you choose to live the life that you have; your consciousness should guide your conduct; and your family must always come first. I'm an attorney of over 30 years who ran his law practice from my home so I could raise my children born in 1995, 1998 and in 2002, from birth to High school, while working, while my wife worked 9 to 5 outside the home. Family does come first. I applaud the author and her husband for maintaining their ideals, their ethics, their love of family and their support of each other. We need more caring individuals like Dr. Wen. Her book is an inspiration as to how much one can accomplish in this country and maintain their ethics and ideals all the while. I highly recommend this book.

Leana Wen's book is enormously inspiring. Her story as an immigrant child -- suffering from poverty, discrimination, and sometimes even homelessness -- gives her great insight and empathy for the struggles of the poor, people of color and working people everywhere. She translates her experience and pain into a career in medicine and a passion for public health. She is articulate in spelling out the importance of public health for our citizenry. She describes in detail the importance of addressing structural inequalities across the board -- in access to health care, education, housing, and nutrition, among others -- in order to provide for better public health. A must read for all who care about a better America for all our citizens.

I would recommend this book to anyone who may want to be open to other points of view and not just how they view life based on the way they were raised and influenced. Dr. Wen was able to express her views not just from a scientific perspective, but also from a personal and practical perspective and how it affects others. More Empathy is needed in today's society. I have spent 14 years working in the fields of Science and Healthcare, including being a Certified Covid-19 Contact Tracer but was never hired. Dr. Wen really hit it out of the park .

Dr. Wen got me through the pandemic with her daily appearances on CNN. She was already my public health hero. Then I read her book. Wow. I did not know that she grew up in very difficult circumstances (begging on the streets at one point and at one point, evicted and homeless with her parents). She came to the US around 8, not knowing English, then started college at age 13. Then went to medical school at 18 and was a Rhodes Scholar. She works as a doctor, professor, and writer. Oh, and she's a mom too, of two little kids. I relate so much to what she writes about motherhood. I was so inspired by her story and this book!

Dr. Wen's work is both a profound treatise on the realities of public health in America, and a deeply personal narrative. In this book she describes her long journey to true expertise through innumerable challenges, well-timed mentorships, a bit of luck, and a lot of determination. The fight for, and reasoning behind, public health advocacy is critical not only in the midst of a pandemic, but as we look toward future reform. I can't recommend it highly enough!

In this highly readable book, Dr. Leana Wen makes a compelling argument for the role of public health in addressing many of society’s most deep-seated problems, from the opioid crisis to teen pregnancy to gun violence to the pandemic. She weaves these policy arguments into the poignant and gripping story of her personal journey. Dr. Wen’s unwavering and courageous commitment to a more equitable society is inspirational. Everyone should read this engaging and important book!