Reviews for In Stitches

In Stitches has been chosen as a 2012 Michigan Notable Book!

Publisher’s Weekly: In his first book Youn looks back from the cushy perspective of the plastic surgeon at his transformation, letting readers in on a secret: it wasn’t easy. Young Youn was an outcast, an “Asian American…in near wall-to-wall whiteness”; his adolescence was an accumulation of sour moments eventually leading to medicine. But the journey, as Youn describes it, is hilarious. A dedicated student, he spends much of his time with his roommates in the “nerd room.” He practices sutures on pig’s feet and chicken breasts. His roommates tutor him in matters of love and lust. Only two hours into his very first rotation, Youn loses his first patient; “Patients die. Get used to it. This is a hospital,” the attending barks at him. As Youn moves through specialty rotations, agonizing over what to select, his father urges him to make the right choice: pediatrics, for instance, means a life of “tiny people, tiny dollah!” Ironically, it’s a night during Youn’s Peds rotation that changed the course of his life. Youn’s description of his journey from high-school outcast to rock star plastic surgeon is full of fascinating stories and laced with self-deprecating humor in the midst of dark desperation, providing a refreshing insight into medicine.

USA Today: “Laugh out loud”

Detroit Free Press: “Readable, funny, disarming, and heartfelt”

Huffington Post: “In Stitches is a sometimes funny, sometimes painful, sometimes heartwarming recount of Dr. Youn’s experiences on the road to becoming a doctor… a Scrubs meets David Sedaris story-line…”

NPR: “A humorous but at times disturbing story of becoming a board-certified plastic surgeon.”

Lansing State Journal: “In Stitches is a fast-paced, mesmerizing autobiography that’s laced with dark humor and memorable scenes, including his discovery that a woman he’s dating works as a carnival fire-eater.”

Kirkus Reviews: ”Youn writes amusingly about his expectations… His hospital training experiences are described in humorous detail… [and] the story of his Korean family and his struggle to find his path have great appeal.”

Hyphen Magazine: “Narrated in a breezy, self-deprecating style reminiscent of Scrubs… There are some truly moving scenes.”

Kalamazoo Gazette: “The book recounts Youn’s sometimes funny, sometimes harrowing adventures through his various rotations in general surgery, obstetrics, psychiatry, and pediatrics.

Bookreporter: “Rarely has the chaotic, exhausting, Kafkaesque world of the med student been so faithfully, and hilariously, portrayed.”

Praise for IN STITCHES:

Dr. Youn is a frequent guest on my show, and I can say without a doubt that he’s a cut above the rest!
— Rachael Ray

Surprisingly warm and unquestionably witty, IN STITCHES is a riveting look at the sacrifice it takes to become a premiere plastic surgeon. In a world where physicians can be almost god-like, Dr. Tony’s not afraid to show us his heart, his humor, and his humanity. I adored In Stitches and even though I’m not ready to book Dr. Tony for a face-lift, I’d sure like to call him for lunch.
— Jen Lancaster, NY Times Bestselling Author of Bitter Is The New Black.

Part ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ part ‘Nip-Tuck,’ IN STITCHES takes you under the knife to expose the layers of one doctor’s journey to become not only a plastic surgeon but also his own man. A humorous, heartfelt, honest memoir about med school and MCATs, fathers and sons, and finding your place in the world,IN STITCHES will tickle your funny bone, touch your heart and make you think differently about your doctor.
— Wade Rouse, author of It’s All Relative and At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream.

My fellow plastic surgeon Anthony Youn, M.D.’s book, IN STITCHES, is a brilliant and bouncy read. Humorous and energetic, the author takes us along with him in medical school on his way to becoming a surgeon. He makes you feel as if you are along for the ride. Rich with dialogue, I found myself rooting for him in all sorts of circumstances from his first surgery to hitting on co-eds.
— Dr. Drew Ordon, host of television’s The Doctors.

Dr. Tony Youn’s book IN STITCHES is well written, very readable and appropriately witty. I had the pleasure and opportunity of meeting and working with Dr Youn. I find him not only to be extremely capable and a great surgeon, but also a kind and generous man. In this book, I actually see a lot of myself in him. At times I was in tears and at others was laughing out loud. I highly recommend it!
— Dr. Robert Rey, star of television’s Dr. 90210.

If you’re contemplating medical school, you’ll need three things: resilience, caffeine, and Tony Youn’s IN STITCHES – a raucously funny and genuinely affecting account of what becoming a doctor is really like. Dr. Youn traces his success to a stern Korean father and his own fanatical work ethic — but the real secret is his fabulous sense of humor, which shines through every page of IN STITCHES.
— Dr. Audrey Young, author of What Patients Taught Me and House of Hope and Fear.

In 1980, I read The House of God, the sardonic story of residency training at Harvard’s Beth Israel Hospital. Now, some 30 years later, readers are brought into the dorm room, the anatomy lab, the classroom, and the operating room with Dr. Youn as he describes his medical school training. The reader sweats the stresses and enjoys the laughs med students experience. I was touched by the honesty and frankness of the experiences he describes—most people understand the life of a doctor, but few understand the sacrifices that young men and women make while in medical school. Fasten your seatbelts and get ready for a fun ride. This memoir will certainly keep you IN STITCHES.
-– Dr. Arthur W. Perry, author of The Real Life of a Surgeon.

Tony Youn’s book is wonderful! Written from the heart, in a style that makes you want to read more, it is a touching, sensitive account of his journey. It should be read by everyone who’s ever wanted to be a doctor, as well as anyone who’s ever wanted to know what his doctor was thinking. A great read!
— Dr. Robert Marion, author of Intern Blues.

Other Reviews

Book, Line, and Sinker: An educational and amusing account of one man’s journey to adulthood and his career as a plastic surgeon… Youn comes across the page as affable, self-deprecating, and genuine… A fun read.

Grand Rapids On The Town Magazine: Youn’s ability to observe reality and comment on it honestly and with emotion—whether that emotion is humor or tenderness—makes for a great bedside manner and a fantastic memoir. No second opinion needed.

Boston Book Bums: If we were to select four moments of Youn’s life as portrayed in In Stitches, they would be wildly different, from hysterical to sweet. A first date with a girl has the oddest kind of spark and recounting a purposely broken jaw will have you giggling. You will be left with a lump in your throat reading about a surly elderly patient just wanting to be heard and a badly injured child who ultimately helped Youn find his calling.

This book is not what you expect from a modern plastic surgeon. This is a book about a man, a nerd, a compassionate friend and most importantly, a doctor.

Pre Med Hell: As I read through my advance copy, I could feel my emotions changing with those of Dr. Youn, happiness, sorrow, and rejection. Dr. Youn and his co-author Alan Eisenstock do a phenomenal job creating an amazing blend of laughter, pain, and compassion… My favorite part of this book was the amazing blend of serious content and humor, at times I was quite literally “In Stitches” from laughter, reading about how reading Cosmo improves your chances with the ladies, to hearing about the various traditional idiosyncrasies of his parents.

I would highly recommend this book to our readers; it is one of the finest new books I have read.

Goldsea.com (Asian-American website): To emerge a hero in one’s own memoir an author must bleed his narrative of all traces of insecurity, self-indulgence and sentimentality and let events speak vividly for themselves. Anthony Youn does that brilliantly (with help from seasoned veteran Alan Eisenstock). In Stitches delivers every bit of the intimate memoir of an Asian American coming of age in the midwest — and more, thanks to Youn’s gift for seeing the comical side of every painful moment.

The book’s big unexpected bonus is Youn’s unflinching depiction of how a seemingly haphazard medical education system turns out men and women somehow equipped with the skill, commitment and compassion to take on the challenges of saving lives. Anyone who reads the book will look forward, as I do, to a sequel from this very appealing new voice.

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