Connie Mariano

A fascinating behind-the-scenes account of the work of the White House medical team and in particular, Dr. Mariano, physician to presidents H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. It never occurred to me that the president would have a medical team but it does make sense for doctors to trail the leader of the free world on every excursion. Dr. Mariano's overhaul of the White House medical system and her sheer determination to prove herself as a woman of color make for inspiring reading. The main dark cloud of her story is the negative impact her career had on her marriage and family. But hooray for her becoming the first Filipina rear admiral! Now she heads a practice that serves corporate executives...obviously, she has done very, very well for herself.… (altro)

As memoirs go The White House Doctor was both fun and informative. I like both political and medical memoirs, so this book was one that I gravitated toward naturally.

I hadn’t realized prior to reading this book that the White House had its own medical team that travels everywhere with the president, but it does make sense if you think about it. I had been hoping for the inside scoop on the lives of the presidents and their families, but realized that there is doctor-patient confidentiality, so I wasn’t too surprised that there wasn’t a lot of gossipy news. While you do get to read some anecdotes about the first families, most of the book is about Dr. Mariano’s experiences as part of the medical staff and the role that she played while she was there. I wish that there would have been more detail when it came to medical procedures and/or politics, but as I said, I can understand why she stuck to writing about her personal experiences in the job.

I enjoyed reading about the extra training that she received from the secret service when it came to preparing for an emergency, and about all of the travels that she did. I think the biggest surprise was in how all-consuming the job was. Although there was a team of medical personnel who would relieve each other from duty, a white house doctor had to accompany the president on all occasions.… (altro)

As memoirs go The White House Doctor was both fun and informative. I like both political and medical memoirs, so this book was one that I gravitated toward naturally.

I hadn’t realized prior to reading this book that the White House had its own medical team that travels everywhere with the president, but it does make sense if you think about it. I had been hoping for the inside scoop on the lives of the presidents and their families, but realized that there is doctor-patient confidentiality, so I wasn’t too surprised that there wasn’t a lot of gossipy news. While you do get to read some anecdotes about the first families, most of the book is about Dr. Mariano’s experiences as part of the medical staff and the role that she played while she was there. I wish that there would have been more detail when it came to medical procedures and/or politics, but as I said, I can understand why she stuck to writing about her personal experiences in the job.

I enjoyed reading about the extra training that she received from the secret service when it came to preparing for an emergency, and about all of the travels that she did. I think the biggest surprise was in how all-consuming the job was. Although there was a team of medical personnel who would relieve each other from duty, a white house doctor had to accompany the president on all occasions.… (altro)