A few months ago, a local emergency doctor and first-time author reached out to Central Rappahannock Regional Library about a possible book talk. That doctor is Ashely Alker, M.D., M.Sc., and the book is the cleverly titled 99 Ways to Die and How to Avoid Them., opens a new window As it turns out, Dr. Alker is kind of a big deal, though you wouldn’t know it given her down-to-earth, inviting personality. Alker’s entertaining and informative guide to a wide range of deadly scenarios--from infections to biological warfare--has garnered national attention, including an interview on Live with Kelly and Mark, a San Diego TEDx talk, and coverage in publications across the country. She currently serves as the Department Chair of Emergency Medicine for Mary Washington Hospital and as the Medical Co-Director for the Fredericksburg Emergency Medical Alliance. In addition, Alker’s work to improve medical accuracy for Netflix, HULU, HBO, and Disney inspired her to create the non-profit Meaningful Media,, opens a new window connecting the arts and media industries with certified public health experts to develop scientifically accurate messaging.
On Wednesday, September 23,, opens a new window Dr. Alker will be joined by the renowned Dr. Janet Gullickson, principal of Growth and Journey Consulting and former Germanna Community College President. The two will engage in a lively conversation about Alker’s book and her experiences as an ER doctor and medical consultant. Copies of 99 Ways to Die will be available for purchase on site from Tales and Tails Book Café, opens a new window, with a signing following the event.
Read on for details about this fascinating book and additional popular medicine titles you might enjoy:
99 Ways to Die and How to Avoid Them, opens a new window by Ashely Alker, M.D., M.Sc.
Self-proclaimed "death escapologist" and ER doctor Ashely Alker takes us on an Anthony Bourdain-style tour of mortality in 99 Ways to Die and How to Avoid Them. Blending hilarious, shocking, and sometimes heartbreaking stories from the front lines of medicine, she offers a practical guide to surviving everything from flesh-eating bacteria to bizarre animal encounters. It's a wildly entertaining and deeply informative read packed with the expert advice you might actually need to outsmart the Grim Reaper and save your own life.
The Mind Electric: A Neurologist on the Strangeness and Wonder of Our Brains, opens a new window by Pria Anand
Neurologist Anand eloquently connects storytelling to neurological illness, drawing from her own case experiences as well as on medical literature, fiction, and even fables. The disordered brain makes up stories to explain its symptoms, for example, the woman with dementia who told Anand her adult children were switched at birth with impostors. Many narratives in medicine are shaped by cultural and societal influences, affecting how different identities are diagnosed and treated. Drawing on her Boston Hospital experience, childhood in India, and beyond, Anand paints a vivid picture of how stories are inextricably linked to medicine.
Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine, opens a new window by Uché Blackstock, M.D.
Inspired by their mother, Dale, an intrepid Black doctor in 1980s Brooklyn, twin sisters Uché and Oni graduated from Harvard Medical School as its first Black mother-daughter legacies. Like her mother, Blackstock faced racism from both patients and colleagues, which spurred her to form Advancing Health Equity in 2019 to improve care for patients of color. In this captivating blend of biography and advocacy, Blackstock lays bare her own health struggles and a difficult divorce while navigating healthcare discrimination and laying out clear, practical steps to fix it.
Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection, opens a new window by John Green
While noted for his young adult fiction, Green’s second foray into nonfiction is an accessible, and--dare I say fun?--history of tuberculosis, the world’s oldest contagious disease. Inspired by meeting young tuberculosis (TB) patient Henry Reider in a Sierra Leone hospital, Green shares Henry’s poignant story along with a social history of the disease, sprinkled with his trademark musings and factoids.
Random Acts of Medicine: The Hidden Forces that Sway Doctors, Impact Patients, and Shape Our Health, opens a new window by Anupam B. Jena, M.D., Ph.D. and Christopher Worsham, M.D.
Both are Harvard Medical School doctors. Economist and physician Jena is also the host of Freakonomics, M.D. podcast, while Worsham is a critical care physician who specializes in health care policy. Once teacher and student, the two pair up on a series of clever “natural experiments”--or random events that turn people into unwitting experimental subjects. Through these cases, Jena and Worsham help us see how invisible forces shape our health, exploring intriguing questions, such as, “Why do kids born in the summer get diagnosed more often with ADHD?” and “Do you take the appointment on Monday or Friday?”
Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy, opens a new window by Mary Roach
Science writer Roach is back with another witty exploration of the human body. This time, it’s about the history and future of replacing our various parts, from noses built from brass to XENO pigs bred for human organ transplantation. In her immersive journalistic style, Roach tests out a working 1950s iron lung, visits a stem cell “hair nursery” in San Diego, and travels across Mongolia with cataract surgeons. She explores these wild advances in medicine while asking the tough questions prompted by our fallible human bodies, such as when is a prosthetic limb is better than the original and whether a donated heart can beat indefinitely. Fair warning: sit this one out if you’re squeamish.
Visit librarypoint.org/99-ways, opens a new window to learn more about Dr. Alker’s event, borrow the book, and explore additional health events and resources from Central Rappahannock Regional Library.
Tracy McPeck is the Director of Adult Services at Central Rappahannock Regional Library. This column first appeared in the Free Lance-Star newspaper.
