Twelve Patients

Life and Death at Bellevue Hospital (The Inspiration for the NBC Drama New Amsterdam)

By: Eric Manheimer MD MD

Narrated by: Eric Manheimer MD MD

In the spirit of Oliver Sacks and the inspiration for the NBC drama New Amsterdam, this intensely involving memoir from a Medical Director of Bellevue Hospital looks poignantly at patients' lives and highlights the complex mind-body connection.

Using the plights of twelve very different patients--from dignitaries at the nearby UN, to supermax prisoners at Riker's Island, to illegal immigrants, and Wall Street tycoons--Dr. Eric Manheimer "offers far more than remarkable medical dramas: he blends each patient's personal experiences with their social implications" (Publishers Weekly).
Manheimer is not only the medical director of the country's oldest public hospital, but he is also a patient. As the book unfolds, the narrator is diagnosed with cancer, and he is forced to wrestle with the end of his own life even as he struggles to save the lives of others.

The WORST Narration Possible

Is there anything you would change about this book?

It needs a professional reader.

What was most disappointing about Eric Manheimer’s story?

That what could have been interesting stories were made dull and almost incomprehensible by the author's narration.

Would you be willing to try another one of Eric Manheimer’s performances?

No, never!

Did Twelve Patients inspire you to do anything?

Not listen to it again.

Any additional comments?

Please, Audible (and other audiobook producers), convince authors they are not usually the best person to read their own work.

Brilliant, moving, and real to the core.

Covering many medical and sociatal issues, tugging at your heart-strings.

With the author reading it, there is a true sense of emotion. No difficult medical jargon. I struggled with the many Spanish phrases at the start, as my first language is Afrikaans and second language English anf I love in a country where people do not speak Spanish. But it got less and translated more throughout the book.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys non-fiction, to anyone who like things raw and real to the core.

decent story

I enjoyed the stories after watching New Amsterdam. However, the narrator didn't keep my attention. he was very monotonous.

A little preachy

Good book overall, but I would have liked less preaching and more development of characters. While some cases went into much detail, I found that there could be a lack of cohesiveness, and a lot of jumping between stories without any explanation or buildup.

A must for every health care student or experienced provider

The author shows the raw reality of the patients, their circumstances, the society and the healthcare system. His way of caring for the patients is inspiring and in my opinion it shows how all the health care providers should respect and value the patients.