With Humanities Highlights, Himmelfarb staff aims to spotlight useful books from our Humanities collection. This week, we’re showcasing “The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Healthcare,” by T.R. Reid.
About the Book: A unique and grounded book on comparative policy: author T.R. Reid takes his ailing shoulder to healthcare systems around the world, creating a highly personal/practical look at different healthcare options [a healthcare Big Mac Index of sorts], all while informing the reader about the systems themselves. Morally-minded but never overwrought, “The Healing of America” lays out practical steps for improving America’s healthcare system that appeal both to a love of efficiency and a concern for human flourishing.
Reasons to Read: If you want to educate yourself about policy but would rather read about anything else, “The Healing of America” is exceptionally readable and filled with concrete examples. If you’re looking for a hopeful take on the subject, Reid provides simple and tested adjustments to improve healthcare and delivers them with the pluckiness of someone who believes victory is possible.
Reasons to Avoid: If you want to avoid jealousy over almost anyone’s healthcare system but our own. If you’re less interested in Otto Von Bismarck and just want to read about policy, you might begrudge the frequent history lessons. And if you would rather have the most succinct reading, the book (like many of its kind) becomes repetitive at points.
Further Reading:
- An American Sickness: how Healthcare Became Big Business, and How You Can Take it Back
- America's Bitter Pill: Money, Politics, Backroom Deals, and the Fight to Fix Our Broken Healthcare System
