The Beauty in Breaking by Michele Harper

Book Review- The Beauty in Breaking by Michele Harper
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Book Review- The Beauty in Breaking by Michele Harper
The text, The Beauty in Breaking, is authored by an African-American medical professional, Michelle Harper. Michelle Harper work as an emergency room physician- a profession she deems overwhelmingly dominated by males and white individuals. It is quite a deep story, providing an overview of what American society was and still is to this day. The book depicts the author’s true story and life journey towards healing when encountering patients. It is also a story of personal strife and the subsequent journey to redemption, as viewed through Michelle’s eyes. She highlights the recovery journey of a patient and how that can be reflected in the fabric of society too.
For instance, each patient Harper writes about has a significant implication of teaching her about recovery and health. The book is segmented into chapters, each depicting encounters with different patients. Her experiences with each of these patients in their medical situations provide her with a chance to expound and reflect further into the larger society, to try and establish meaning from the small medical details or situations. In the introduction, the author begins with a quote about broken hearts; she articulates her identity as a medical professional and a woman. Harpers relate life to the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by filling in cracks.
Life is always filled with a lot of twists and turns. Often, people fall, and it is the strength or ability to pick oneself up after failing that differentiates between success and failure. The book aims to tell readers that being broken is part of life and necessary, as the author has learned from experiences. Raised in a complicated family, the author perceives her journey in the profession as an opportunity to let go of fear and to know the value of truth and compassion. Her father was quite abusive, something that really hurt the rest of the family, including her. Such childhood wounds are usually dangerous as they can form grounds for further childhood-related problems in adulthood.
She, however, opts not to take that path, instead choosing to embrace the positives from those early experiences, turning the painful experiences into a positive drive at work. As she impacts the lives of patients struggling to maintain wellness and dignity, Harper recognizes the...