Nobility in Small Things: A Surgeon's Path
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- Create Date：2023-10-23 16:22:41
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Craig R. Smith
- ISBN：1250278538
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Summary
His routine was the same every day for 38 years: up at 4:15， make a turkey-on-rye， drive the deserted Henry Hudson Parkway to the hospital， check the schedule， scrub， cut， reattach， save a life or two， repeat。 Until March 2020， when the Covid-19 pandemic shut hospital surgeries all over the world。
Craig Smith， M。D。， Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital， went from performing heart surgeries on patients both everyday and celebrated （he performed the quadruple bypass that saved Bill Clinton’s life in 2004） to sitting in his tomb-quiet office looking out at George Washington Bridge。 And he started to write。 His Covid emails were balm to the staffers and later became celebrated for Dr。 Smith’s care and thought in his assessment of the work of the hospital–of any hospital。
Nobility in Small Things not only takes us into the mind and soul of a surgeon with the ability to “play God” but into the heart of a man who chose a lifesaving career。 The book introduces us to patients and peers， and moves from family-building and heartbreak at home， to the tragic suicide of two fellow M。D。s。 Dr。 Smith also writes vulnerably about his debilitating social anxiety and how he overcame it。
Dr。 Smith shows us not just the making of a surgeon in Nobility in Small Things， but the maintenance of one: the deep feeling and moral philosophy that anchor the daily miracles that define his profession。
Craig Smith， M。D。， Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital， went from performing heart surgeries on patients both everyday and celebrated （he performed the quadruple bypass that saved Bill Clinton’s life in 2004） to sitting in his tomb-quiet office looking out at George Washington Bridge。 And he started to write。 His Covid emails were balm to the staffers and later became celebrated for Dr。 Smith’s care and thought in his assessment of the work of the hospital–of any hospital。
Nobility in Small Things not only takes us into the mind and soul of a surgeon with the ability to “play God” but into the heart of a man who chose a lifesaving career。 The book introduces us to patients and peers， and moves from family-building and heartbreak at home， to the tragic suicide of two fellow M。D。s。 Dr。 Smith also writes vulnerably about his debilitating social anxiety and how he overcame it。
Dr。 Smith shows us not just the making of a surgeon in Nobility in Small Things， but the maintenance of one: the deep feeling and moral philosophy that anchor the daily miracles that define his profession。
Reviews
B Pastore
，
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway！！Over all this is a good book。 It is well written and keeps your attention。 It has a bit of humor - especially when he shares information about his early years。 Information such as when he was a young surgeon， a resident in hospitals and some of the experiences。 When he gets to the point of covid it gets a little dryer because he goes into the technical and financial running of the hospital information。 Overall - it's a great book for anyone to read if the I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway！！Over all this is a good book。 It is well written and keeps your attention。 It has a bit of humor - especially when he shares information about his early years。 Information such as when he was a young surgeon， a resident in hospitals and some of the experiences。 When he gets to the point of covid it gets a little dryer because he goes into the technical and financial running of the hospital information。 Overall - it's a great book for anyone to read if they want to know anything about a surgeon's life and how you can achieve anything you put your mind to。 I would recommend this for anyone as outstanding reading。Looking forward to sharing this fabulous book with our community through our Little Free Library that's located at the end of our driveway！！ 。。。more
Vnunez-Ms_luv2read
，
I was very excited to read this book。 It began interesting enough， but fell short。 I felt the book had great potential， but just does not hold on to it。 Thanks to Netgalley， the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book。 Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on my review。
Nancy
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A Surgeon’s Thoughts During the Covid EpidemicDoctor Smith， Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital， had a busy life leaving early every morning to go to the hospital where he performed heart surgery。 His life seemed much the same。 Then came the Covid epidemic and surgery was stopped cold。 He was relegated to his office。 This is when he started to write。 The book discusses the early life experiences that pushed him in the direction of medicine， and gives a glimpse A Surgeon’s Thoughts During the Covid EpidemicDoctor Smith， Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital， had a busy life leaving early every morning to go to the hospital where he performed heart surgery。 His life seemed much the same。 Then came the Covid epidemic and surgery was stopped cold。 He was relegated to his office。 This is when he started to write。 The book discusses the early life experiences that pushed him in the direction of medicine， and gives a glimpse of some exciting surgeries like the quadruple bypass performed on Ex President Bill Clinton。 I found both of these threads interesting， but perhaps his most intense thoughts came when he talked about how the pandemic affected the hospital and it’s employees。 Some of it was very difficult such as the suicides of two doctors at the hospital。 I found the book interesting。 It’s not a cohesive account of the life of a busy surgeon。 It wanders a bit and contains philosophical musings that are more or less interesting depending on your perspective。 If you enjoy learning more about how a surgeon approaches his experience， this book may be perfect for you。 However， it is a bit fragmented covering diverse topics。 Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for this review copy。 。。。more
Stacey
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This book is an indepth look at the life of a surgeon and his journey to become a Doctor and the challenges his department faced during the pandemic。 It was an interesting read， not quite what I was expecting but I enjoyed it nevertheless。 4 stars
Kelly
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A medical memoir that details the events that lead Dr。 Smith to apply for medical school after leaving graduate school without a degree and asking his wife to uproot her goals to follow him。 I really enjoyed reading the inner workings of Dr。 Smith’s mind。 Human thoughts are a fascination of mine and it’s why I rank memoirs so high。 The most fascinating section was his experience treating Former President Bill Clinton。 This is a niche read so if you enjoy memoirs and medicine this will be easy to A medical memoir that details the events that lead Dr。 Smith to apply for medical school after leaving graduate school without a degree and asking his wife to uproot her goals to follow him。 I really enjoyed reading the inner workings of Dr。 Smith’s mind。 Human thoughts are a fascination of mine and it’s why I rank memoirs so high。 The most fascinating section was his experience treating Former President Bill Clinton。 This is a niche read so if you enjoy memoirs and medicine this will be easy to connect with。 。。。more
Jennifer
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I received a copy of this audio book from Netgalley。 In general， I thought this book was interesting， but it read more like a bunch of short stories rather than a linear book。 I was really interested in the first few chapters thinking that the author was going to be talking about his life as a surgeon， especially during the time of covid-19 but then it popped back to earlier times in his life。 On one hand， it was pretty interesting。 I don't know if I know of many people who have had so many unre I received a copy of this audio book from Netgalley。 In general， I thought this book was interesting， but it read more like a bunch of short stories rather than a linear book。 I was really interested in the first few chapters thinking that the author was going to be talking about his life as a surgeon， especially during the time of covid-19 but then it popped back to earlier times in his life。 On one hand， it was pretty interesting。 I don't know if I know of many people who have had so many unrelated jobs that required specific skills as this man did。 On the other hand， I think I wanted the information to be organized a little differently。 Overall， it was a good memoir that gave an interesting snapshot of somebody else's life that is very different from my own 。。。more
Dawn Michelle
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When I was asked to read this by the publisher， after reading the blurb， I was pretty excited。 Unfortunately， this excitement dwindled away as I read the book。 This book should have been awesome， and to be fair， there were moments that were really enjoyable [The Clinton triple bypass， some of the Covid parts， the part about being a lineman for AT&T <--my Dad was a "phone guy" who did it all and I totally got these parts， though I can see how it would be so deadly dull to people who have no frame When I was asked to read this by the publisher， after reading the blurb， I was pretty excited。 Unfortunately， this excitement dwindled away as I read the book。 This book should have been awesome， and to be fair， there were moments that were really enjoyable [The Clinton triple bypass， some of the Covid parts， the part about being a lineman for AT&T <--my Dad was a "phone guy" who did it all and I totally got these parts， though I can see how it would be so deadly dull to people who have no frame of reference LOL]， but it was mostly just a dull and tedious read and left me wishing I could have been reading something else。 I am truly disappointed over this as I was expecting so much more。 I was able to also receive an audiobook ARC [I need to note here that all of chapter 5 was missing from my audiobook ARC] and I will admit now， it will be tough to review it。 I liked the narrator well enough， but with the job he had before him in narrating this snooze-fest of a book， it is difficult to tell if I would like him in other books， but I do believe I would listen to him again as he did the best job he could with the material he was given。 I was asked to read/review this book by St。 Marten Press and I thank them， Dr。 Craig R。 Smith， Braden Wright - Narrator and Macmillan Audio for providing the book ARC and the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kenny Tran
，
This book is an intriguing medical memoir that I enjoyed reading very much from an alternate perspective。
Olivia Case
，
Before I get into it， I just want to say that I think if you're going to med school or are in the medical field then this would be a good read for you because it gives you a lot to think about that has to do with that career。 That said， I'm just a regular person reading this and I。。。 struggled。 The first 75 pages were tough to get through。 I felt like I was reading a foreign language with the over detailed pictures painted about his jobs that had nothing to do with medicine。 Then there was a pat Before I get into it， I just want to say that I think if you're going to med school or are in the medical field then this would be a good read for you because it gives you a lot to think about that has to do with that career。 That said， I'm just a regular person reading this and I。。。 struggled。 The first 75 pages were tough to get through。 I felt like I was reading a foreign language with the over detailed pictures painted about his jobs that had nothing to do with medicine。 Then there was a patch of the book that detailed medical stories and his surgeries on President Clinton and that all fascinated me！ The thanksgiving portion of the book broke my heart and I cried through it all and then multiple stories about patients also made me cry。 They were written well and I like that their lives are remembered forever in literature。 Where it lost me was the covid chapters in the end EVEN THOUGH going into this book I thought it was JUST stories from him being a surgeon in a pandemic （it's very very little of the book）。 Here's the thing。 He makes it very clear that he is a rich， privileged， white male。 He does it the whole way through the book and honestly， do we need more perspectives from this group of people？ Especially when it becomes condescending？ No。 We don't。 He couldn't seem to comprehend why anyone wouldn't wear a mask if get the vaccines and made me as a reader feel stupid for not doing EXACTLY as he thinks is needed。 （Side note， I'm saying this as someone who wore masks religiously well into 2023 and has had every vaccine and booster。 But I also only got covid after all of that and I got it two months in a row）。 But I don't like being talked down to by a man who has no real touch with reality。 He didn't know what the majority of the country was as dealing with during the pandemic。 He was in his rich surgeon man's bubble。 He presented a few interesting insights about covid and I learned about alligator hearts but honestly most of the covid stuff was from a perspective that we saw splashed all over the media for years and do we need more of that？ I would have preferred this book if it wasn't so wordy about non medical things and the chapters about his previous jobs （where he makes it known that he got to live a middle class life while his coworkers all lived in poverty） could have been cut down to one chapter。 Like I said， I think medical school students could benefit from getting insights into a few corners of the medical world that they might not have thought about but otherwise。。。 I don't see a huge point in this book， at least in the way it's formatted。 I would have liked more medical stuff and more actual insights into what the pandemic was like as a surgeon。 But it wasn't the worst thing I've read， I just wasn't the right audience for it！ 。。。more
Thirteen Orange Ivy Designs
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I enjoyed the medical stories and the section on operating on the president but the rest was just dull to me。 But I think anyone entering the medical field should check this one out
Allison Damico
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Disclaimer: There are a lot of heavy topics in this book， suicide， countless deaths including infants， covid etc。 so readers please keep in mind that this can be a tough and triggering read。Dr。 Craig R。 Smith who considers himself a surgeon who writes， begins this story with him growing up。 I could have done with a more condensed version of these first chapters because I felt it went on tangents that didn’t feel relevant。 It may have felt important to him， but as a reader I didn’t find necessary Disclaimer: There are a lot of heavy topics in this book， suicide， countless deaths including infants， covid etc。 so readers please keep in mind that this can be a tough and triggering read。Dr。 Craig R。 Smith who considers himself a surgeon who writes， begins this story with him growing up。 I could have done with a more condensed version of these first chapters because I felt it went on tangents that didn’t feel relevant。 It may have felt important to him， but as a reader I didn’t find necessary （i。e。 his lineman job I even paused reading and flipped back pages because I was wondering how we were still on that topic）。 As I continued on with his story I felt sometimes it was a bit back and forth in the timeline of his life。 Not necessarily confusing， but would have benefited by keeping it simple。 He would highlight certain events that I thought seemed important to shaping who he was and then it was glossed over and moved on to the next subject （i。e。 his daughter being born or her going through treatment for a mass when she was a baby， a colleague committing suicide）。 When Dr。 Smith began going into detail about the heart and lung transplants and the transformation of NYC during the 80s that’s when this story took a turn and locked me in。 I just found it all so fascinating him thinking back on all his successes and failures during that time。 I enjoyed reading about how he formed his team to work on President Clinton too， what an experience that must have been with all eyes on you。 Chapter 11 and on is where he really dives into to Covid and how it impacted the hospital。 I’ve heard stories from friends who worked in NYC during this time and it just confirms how unprecedented and scary it must have been being on the front lines。 These chapters felt more focused as Dr。 Smith was documenting his experience during this time and would frequently refer back to his thoughts he wrote down。 I thought they were raw and authentic feeling and I respect what everyone went through and the after effects。I enjoyed the idea of getting the perspective of someone like this on the front lines telling their story， I think the beginning chapters could have been edited a bit to stay on topic and keeping it a bit more concise。 I understand that doctors may have families and balancing family and work is part of their being， but I think his perspective on the pandemic or operating on Bill Clinton is what we don’t see from any other author， so that’s what I was craving more of and was left a bit disappointed。 #goodreadsgiveaway #nobilityinsmallthings #drcraigsmith @stmartinspress 。。。more
Bozhena Levine
，
Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advanced electronic audio review copy of this book。 This medical biography/memoir was not what I expected。 At times disjointed， this book seemed to describe more of a business and policy side of the chief of surgery’s job than the actual surgery cases that readers wanted and expected to see。 Since this is not a final version， perhaps it would be edited and streamlined for a smoother， more enjoyable read。
Kimberly
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When this book was great， it was great。 The middle chapters talking about med school，COVID， and surgery on President Clinton were page turners。 Other chapters however felt like the needed a bit more editing before the final book。 As I read an ARC it is possible those edits will happen， and the early/late chapters will be tightened up， but I do not know。 This book very much reads like “someone who went viral got offered a book deal on a topic and it turns out either they aren’t ready to release a When this book was great， it was great。 The middle chapters talking about med school，COVID， and surgery on President Clinton were page turners。 Other chapters however felt like the needed a bit more editing before the final book。 As I read an ARC it is possible those edits will happen， and the early/late chapters will be tightened up， but I do not know。 This book very much reads like “someone who went viral got offered a book deal on a topic and it turns out either they aren’t ready to release a whole book yet。 The early chapters didn’t tie in enough to the authors choice to become a doctor。 The end chapters felt like filler。 I did learn a lot of things， and enjoyed a lot of the commentary which is why I rated it 3 starts， but I feel like this book could be so much more。 I received a free ARC of this book from the publisher。 。。。more
Yolanda | yolandaannmarie。reads
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[arc review]Thank you to St。 Martin’s Press for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review。Nobility in Small Things releases October 10， 2023Rating/reviewing memoirs is not an easy thing。I want to put emphasis on this being the path of a surgeon。I understand that every experience a person goes through in life leads them to where they are now， and I find beauty in that。 Having said that， I found myself skimming a lot of the introductory chapters that weren’t medical based （steel workin [arc review]Thank you to St。 Martin’s Press for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review。Nobility in Small Things releases October 10， 2023Rating/reviewing memoirs is not an easy thing。I want to put emphasis on this being the path of a surgeon。I understand that every experience a person goes through in life leads them to where they are now， and I find beauty in that。 Having said that， I found myself skimming a lot of the introductory chapters that weren’t medical based （steel working， telephone lines， etc。） and I’m not sure those had to be as detailed as they were。 I would have liked there to been more focus on residency and the early stages of becoming a surgeon。Some of the chapters were presented in a jarring way。 For example， the one in which the author recounts the death of his child。 I didn’t feel like there was any lead up to prepare me for such a hard-hitting scene。 This happens a few more times when mentioning the deaths of other colleagues。My reading experience felt very scattered due to the constant jumping around in the timeline， so in that sense， it could’ve benefitted from more structure。There was one part where the author was discussing his social anxiety， to which he compares approaching that to the likeness of having any other disability such as vertigo or Tourette’s。As someone who actually has social anxiety， vertigo， and other disabilities， I would never navigate or compare disabilities on such a broad/equal playing field。 cw: mentions suicide， child death （SIDS）， covid 。。。more
Teddy Goetz
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I was very excited to start this book， hoping for an inside perspective on leadership during the early COVID-19 pandemic。 Unfortunately， this was profoundly disappointing。 The writing voice was often tone deaf and unaware of his privilege。 I recommend skipping this clinician memoir in favor of others， such as When Breath Becomes Air or Delivering Doctor Amelia。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review！
Sarah
，
I love when nonfiction books take me into another world and offer different perspectives。 For those reasons， I really enjoyed Nobility in Small Things。 Dr。 Craig Smith is the Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital， and he pulls the curtain into the life of a medical center。 There are always new skills to learn， and every day is different。 He discusses the quadruple bypass he performed on Bill Clinton and the realities of working in a hospital in the COVID-19 era。 I love when nonfiction books take me into another world and offer different perspectives。 For those reasons， I really enjoyed Nobility in Small Things。 Dr。 Craig Smith is the Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital， and he pulls the curtain into the life of a medical center。 There are always new skills to learn， and every day is different。 He discusses the quadruple bypass he performed on Bill Clinton and the realities of working in a hospital in the COVID-19 era。 The book felt occasionally meandering， and I had much more interest in certain sections than others。 I would have gladly read more anecdotes about his surgeries， but a big chunk of the book covered his pre-medical life。 It was interesting to follow his path， but it took a while to get to the "juicy" parts。 Overall， this was a great read that I'm sure nonfiction fans will appreciate。 。。。more
Jean
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In a loquacious， informative， touching， even philosophical memoir， Nobility in Small Things: A Surgeon's Path， Dr。 Craig Smith chronicles his journey from his oft-injured childhood to the Chair of Surgery at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center， with many stops in between。 Like many of us， Smith did not have an easy time choosing a career path and dropped out of graduate school。 As a youngster， he enjoyed – perhaps “thrived” is a better word – on risk-taking。 He and a buddy w In a loquacious， informative， touching， even philosophical memoir， Nobility in Small Things: A Surgeon's Path， Dr。 Craig Smith chronicles his journey from his oft-injured childhood to the Chair of Surgery at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center， with many stops in between。 Like many of us， Smith did not have an easy time choosing a career path and dropped out of graduate school。 As a youngster， he enjoyed – perhaps “thrived” is a better word – on risk-taking。 He and a buddy would sneak off to climb towers， rooftops， and other high places for thrills。 Never mind that as a boy he suffered numerous fractures due to mishaps and sports injuries。It may have been this endeavor to strive and succeed that pushed him toward more challenging， even dangerous jobs。 He describes in great detail summer jobs at a steel company in Pennsylvania， where he describes the nitty-gritty work of working as a belt cleaner。 Another dangerous job he held just before heading off to medical school was working for his father-in-law as a pole climber or the phone company。 Who knew his earlier experience with heights would come in handy？ However， the protracted descriptions of this job caused me to begin skimming the pages。 I was waiting to hear about med school！I was fascinated to learn that Dr。 Smith was one of the early practitioners of heart-lung transplants。 This field is not without its unhappy endings， as patients， especially in the early years， more often than not had poor survival rates due to infection or other complications。 After years of success in this area， Smith returned to thoracic surgery。His family was growing。 There were some difficult moments there too。 He and his wife Trish lost their daughter， Lydia， to sudden infant death syndrome。 Later， daughter Halley developed osteomyelitis， a serious bone infection， which was addressed promptly but was frightening for her and her parents。In later chapters， Dr。 Smith discusses some of the financial and political burdens of medicine， Mortality and Morbidity Conferences， which are meant to help doctors and residents improve quality and openly discuss errors， accept responsibility and accountability， and recognize the needs of patients as the primary goal。 As someone who lives in Rochester， Minnesota， and who worked at Mayo Clinic for a short time， I will paraphrase what Dr。 Smith says in the words of the Mayo mantra: “The needs of the patient come first。”I truly believe that Dr。 Smith believes in medical ethics， that he acknowledges his imperfections and strives to do his best possible job for patients。 I enjoyed reading about his career。 I think that some chapters could do with some streamlining， however。I received a digital copy of Nobility in Small Things as an ARC in exchange for my honest review。 My thoughts and opinions are my own。 Thanks to NetGalley， St。 Martin’s Press， and the author。3。5 stars 。。。more
Edi McNinch
，
Interesting life events。 This book will be more interesting to those of us in and retired from the healthcare field than the general population。 I loved that he describes being a bit of a wild child and was not coddled despite being a grandchild of MD's。 He actually worked in some dangerous and dirty places to save money during his college years。 I did find a few lags and it was difficult to follow as the book is written topic chapters rather than completely chronological。 I believe he downplaye Interesting life events。 This book will be more interesting to those of us in and retired from the healthcare field than the general population。 I loved that he describes being a bit of a wild child and was not coddled despite being a grandchild of MD's。 He actually worked in some dangerous and dirty places to save money during his college years。 I did find a few lags and it was difficult to follow as the book is written topic chapters rather than completely chronological。 I believe he downplayed his intellect in all his schooling with the 'D' in calculus。 Obviously he has an exceptional IQ and especially for the sciences as evidenced by his experience in research and a PHD before an MD。 Anyone in healthcare can relate to the politics that transpire in hospitals，teaching hospitals and academia- it can be very competitive and brutal dealing with egos and power plays。 I think he is trying to tell us that despite working on people of high rank and social status， he feels he has given as much of his talent to those less fortunate and that he has to see the organs he is repairing as that， organs， regardless of the body it inhabits。 All in order to keep himself at bay so that it does not break him emotionally when there is a bad outcome， not due to his of his lack of trying。 He skirts the issue of religion and personal beliefs which is fine， religion in itself is not the goal， a personal relationship with Jesus。 A bit disappointing that he isn't able to outright say that God is the great physician and only through Him has his own hands been given the blessing of helping to heal。 As for his Covid information， he is straightforward-handwashing and masks work as do the vaccines- 。 I looked up his bio and the daily notes to colleagues are available on line。 I believe they add more of a personal touch to this memoir。 I wish him well on his continued journey。 I was provided am advanced reader copy and was under no obligation to review this book。 The opinions expressed are ！y own。 Many thanks to the author， publisher and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this book。 。。。more
Karenna
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You can tell this author is a doctor because his explanations are often intricate and detailed。 He’s very interested in action and procedure rather than emotional nuance。 Additionally， his writing lacks fluidity， with awkward transitions and apparent non sequiturs。 That being said， Smith has a unique career trajectory and some interesting perspectives on the current state of medicine。 It will appeal most to those interested in medicine and/or a look at societal shifts in the last half century。 T You can tell this author is a doctor because his explanations are often intricate and detailed。 He’s very interested in action and procedure rather than emotional nuance。 Additionally， his writing lacks fluidity， with awkward transitions and apparent non sequiturs。 That being said， Smith has a unique career trajectory and some interesting perspectives on the current state of medicine。 It will appeal most to those interested in medicine and/or a look at societal shifts in the last half century。 Thanks to publisher St。 Martin’s for an electronic advanced reader copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Becky Stanley
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This was an interesting memoir， although I wish more of the book had been devoted to his medical career。 Going into it， that was my expectation but the author wrote in depth about his life leading up to his choice to become a surgeon。 This was interesting too， but not as much as if it were more about his medical career （at least not to me）。Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion。
Sam B
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“Nobility in Small Things” is the memoir of a heart surgeon throughout his time as a premed， surgical career， and during COVID-19。 At times gorgeously written， at times laboriously slow， the prose was very meandering and seemed to endless circle around the point before making it。 I’ve read many medical memoirs and ultimately I don’t feel that this book really had much that was new to offer to the discussions of medical practice or the COVID pandemic。
Elizabeth
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I found this book to be very interesting。 The author provides a memoir of his professional life， but he also sprinkled details from his personal life that both humanize him and put the professional season in time。 This book covers the author’s beginning as a doctor， his treatment of Bill Clinton， and the Covid pandemic。 He includes successes and failures and is candid about them both。 I enjoyed the book。I received an ARC from NetGalley。
Rhonda Fonicello
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Some really great chapters， but some confusing ones also。 I would have preferred a more autobiographical read， and not so much about how hospitals run。
Missy
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I asked to read this book because I loved the title and the description。 Dr。 Smith's experience with the loss of a child sounded like the type of formative event that can lead to deep empathy。 I expected this book to exhibit that。 But it didn't。 Dr。 Smith had interesting growing up years。 I enjoyed his stories about his youthful jobs。 He described some things through the modern lens of privilege - acknowledging that he was a privileged man。 But he also worked hard。 The writing style is clear and I asked to read this book because I loved the title and the description。 Dr。 Smith's experience with the loss of a child sounded like the type of formative event that can lead to deep empathy。 I expected this book to exhibit that。 But it didn't。 Dr。 Smith had interesting growing up years。 I enjoyed his stories about his youthful jobs。 He described some things through the modern lens of privilege - acknowledging that he was a privileged man。 But he also worked hard。 The writing style is clear and mostly flows well， except when he forgets his audience may not consist of scientists and mathematicians。 That seemed to happen more toward the end of the book。 The timeline jumps around for no apparent reason， so it's sometimes difficult to follow。 The account of his child's death was deeply personal and heartfelt。 Dr。 Smith vulnerably shares an issue with anxiety。 His stories about caring for President Clinton were interesting。 And one thought-provoking discussion about nobility centered on the changing values in our society from putting others first to self-focus first。 But the overall tone is pompous and lacking in true sensitivity。 There are several unflattering stories about coworkers with their identities thinly veiled。 I felt a lot of his writing was vengeful。 He would often make a statement that seemed broad-minded （usually acknowledging privilege regarding racial/economic disparities）， but in the end he seemed to simply be trying to look good， rather than be good。 This didn't make my recommended reading list。 I was given advance access to an electronic copy to review。 #NetGalley #NobilityInSmallThings 。。。more
Literary Redhead
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What could have been a fascinating memoir by the Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital is marred by a need for judicious editing。 Many medical non-fiction fans， however， will likely appreciate it。
Firetruckmama
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I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher， for which I thank them。“Nobility in Small Things” is a non-fiction book by Dr。 Craig Smith。 I must admit， I’d never heard about Dr。 Smith before opening this book - I actually did an Internet search while reading the book to learn a bit more about him。 I’m not sure how to rate this book。 I thought it would be more like an auto-biography （which it is） but focusing more on why/how he chose his medical career。 A lot of time is spent I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher， for which I thank them。“Nobility in Small Things” is a non-fiction book by Dr。 Craig Smith。 I must admit， I’d never heard about Dr。 Smith before opening this book - I actually did an Internet search while reading the book to learn a bit more about him。 I’m not sure how to rate this book。 I thought it would be more like an auto-biography （which it is） but focusing more on why/how he chose his medical career。 A lot of time is spent discussing other jobs （relevant to his travels to becoming a doctor） but sometimes I felt like those jobs had no relation to his becoming a surgeon。 I think this book needs an editor to take a stronger look at the overall story thread; it can be tighter。 However， that being said， I think that Dr。 Smith has an interesting way with words （the section about former President Bill Clinton’s surgery were interesting） and I found some of his observations interesting。 I have always been grateful to anyone associated with the actual hands-on medical profession - from surgeons to nurses and all those in-between - and that gratitude was strengthened by this book。 Overall， I rate this book about 3。25-3。5 stars。 。。。more
Aadi Miglani
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I received an ARC of this book via Adventures by the Book。I wrote this review in collaboration with bookish event company Adventures By the Book based in Southern California， where I am interning。 You can check out ABTB https://adventuresbythebook。com/ ___________________________________________________________Craig R。 Smith offers an intellectual insight into his life as a cardiothoracic surgeon in his new book， Nobility in Small Things。 His writing is beautifully detailed as he takes us throug I received an ARC of this book via Adventures by the Book。I wrote this review in collaboration with bookish event company Adventures By the Book based in Southern California， where I am interning。 You can check out ABTB https://adventuresbythebook。com/ ___________________________________________________________Craig R。 Smith offers an intellectual insight into his life as a cardiothoracic surgeon in his new book， Nobility in Small Things。 His writing is beautifully detailed as he takes us through his day-to-day life and introduces us to the reality and impact of taking someone’s life into your own hands。 Smith brings his own personal struggles to the table， fighting the stigma against mental health and discussing difficult issues to do with family and his own self。 This book is a huge accomplishment， showing us the truth behind the field of medicine。 。。。more
Jenna Deaton
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Nobility in Small Things was an enjoyable autobiographical read that wasn't quite what I expected going in。The book gives a lot of insight into Dr。 Smith's path to eventually becoming a surgeon and provides ample illumination on their thought process when working but did not really focus on the area that initially drew me in， the section on his work and life during the height of the pandemic takes a surprisingly small percentage of the pages here and there is a certain lack of cohesion to the wr Nobility in Small Things was an enjoyable autobiographical read that wasn't quite what I expected going in。The book gives a lot of insight into Dr。 Smith's path to eventually becoming a surgeon and provides ample illumination on their thought process when working but did not really focus on the area that initially drew me in， the section on his work and life during the height of the pandemic takes a surprisingly small percentage of the pages here and there is a certain lack of cohesion to the writer's narrative style。The greatest strength of this nonfiction piece lies in the voice and wide experience of its writer。 。。。more
Patricia Baker
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 interesting book about the path of Dr。 Smith in his medical career。 appreciate that he wanted to do something different with his life and engaged in alternative work styles。 do believe that everything you learn in life can be applied to where you land。 do think his book was somewhat jumbled in that it talked to different things in medicine from Covid to personnel management to medical wellness。 felt that this book might have been shortened and a separate book published on some of the above areas interesting book about the path of Dr。 Smith in his medical career。 appreciate that he wanted to do something different with his life and engaged in alternative work styles。 do believe that everything you learn in life can be applied to where you land。 do think his book was somewhat jumbled in that it talked to different things in medicine from Covid to personnel management to medical wellness。 felt that this book might have been shortened and a separate book published on some of the above areas。 。。。more
Pam Venne
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While it took 74 pages before Dr。 Smith began med school in the book， it seemed longer， as I expected the book to be about a surgeon。 I wanted the action to begin before I was filled in on the WHY。 What I did find most endearing was Craig Smith's ability to put his emotions out there and not be ashamed。 Emotions， as he has learned， need to be addressed and worked through to be healthy。 I have made so many "assumptions" about surgeons that were undone in this book， thanks to Dr。 Smith's ability t While it took 74 pages before Dr。 Smith began med school in the book， it seemed longer， as I expected the book to be about a surgeon。 I wanted the action to begin before I was filled in on the WHY。 What I did find most endearing was Craig Smith's ability to put his emotions out there and not be ashamed。 Emotions， as he has learned， need to be addressed and worked through to be healthy。 I have made so many "assumptions" about surgeons that were undone in this book， thanks to Dr。 Smith's ability to describe the multiple layers of bureaucracy and financial management in a hospital， not including union rules。 There were times when the paragraphs were too long or dense， and the words were unfamiliar。 He did a fantastic job of describing the most unfamiliar words as we went along。 The downside was that I would not always remember them the next time I picked up the book。 Thanks， Dr。 Craig R。 Smith， for being so bold and vulnerable to share your life with us to better understand the world of medicine up through the Covid era。 。。。more
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nobility in small things a surgeon's path