These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser.
Thomas Fisher grew up on Chicago’s South Side in the 1980s. Decades later, he returned as an emergency room doctor at the University of Chicago Medical Center. There, in the rapid evaluation unit, unfolds The Emergency: A Year of Healing and Heartbreak in a Chicago ER. Empathetic and urgent, Fisher’s memoir recounts the terrifying beginnings of the COVID-19 pandemic, this time through the eyes of the first line of defense. Through clear portraits of patients interspersed with personal essays framed as letters to patients and colleagues, Fisher sharply criticizes the American health care system—and the systemic racism within it. —Laura Zornosa
Buy Now: The Emergency on Bookshop | Amazon
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Cybersecurity Experts Are Sounding the Alarm on DOGE
- Meet the 2025 Women of the Year
- The Harsh Truth About Disability Inclusion
- Why Do More Young Adults Have Cancer?
- Colman Domingo Leads With Radical Love
- How to Get Better at Doing Things Alone
- Michelle Zauner Stares Down the Darkness