PT read: Augusto Cury

Quick comment: I saw recently this book at the library. I've thought about reading it a few years ago but never got to it but after seeing it at the library I decided to try it. This book was written by a Brazilian author and can be loosely translated to "The
Saga of a Thinker".
The author writes books of self help but mostly stories where he develops theories and presents strategies to live a better life by understanding the other people's POVs.

This story is fiction but in it we follow a medicine student and his growing understanding of what being a doctor means, not only to heal patients but mainly to talk to them, to be a supporting person and not to treat them as a business to be dealt with.

The author is very intelligent and uses many philosophical theories by great thinkers to add up to his thoughts about several issues in nowadays' society. There's also an interesting debate between psychology and psychiatry and how the two of them should be linked together an not as opposites in the medicine spectrum.

I didn't find any edition in English but it's unfortunate because the author, being a doctor and a psychiatrist himself is very knowledgeable of what he says about the current state of medicine and everything that surrounds the care for patients. There are several radical ideas about how things could be better for everyone involved, especially if doctors were to embrace a more positive approach and not to rely as much in pills or drugs and more on the psychotherapy of things.

The story is fiction, therefore has a very happy end feel and a very positive message to smile more and where things can be worked out for the best. I think it's a beautiful story where we can see through the sadder things to reach a ore steady take on life and that it's ok to fall if only we find th will to get up again and how to do it. 

The book features a lot of the prejudice against the mental patients too and how we, as a society, are numb to understand what other's are feeling, especially if they aren't like the so called norm. I think the story offered a good lesson about this as well.

This story was well thought, many interesting ideas to think about and quite easy to read and cheer for. I'll look for to read more about this author.
Grade: 8/10