Five Must-Read Books for Medical Writers

must-read books for medical writers

If there’s something about me that you must know, it is that I LOVE to read.

I am one of those people with piles of unread books on my bed-side table, waiting their turn. I often have several books on the go at once. Does that sound like you, too?

I cast my mind back to my first day at a new job (it was a health-tech start-up), about ten years ago. Before I had started any on-boarding, I was handed a reading list: “here are some books you really must read”. I honestly loved this. I couldn’t get enough, and worked my way diligently through the list!

Some of those books are on my ‘must-read’ list, and I’ve included others that I love too. These books provide a wealth of insights into various aspects of health and healthcare.

I genuinely believe that the more you read, the better a writer you can be, so they should also help you hone your craft: communicating medical information with clarity, empathy and integrity.

Let’s get into it…

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot

This one was on that reading list.

Rebecca Skloot’s “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” tells the story of a woman whose cancer cells, taken without her consent, became one of the most important tools in medicine. The HeLa cells, as they are known, have been instrumental in countless medical breakthroughs. Skloot’s book raises ethical questions about consent, patient rights, and the exploitation of African-Americans in medical research.

For medical writers, this is a great example of investigative journalism that blends science, biography, and ethics.

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, by Patrick Radden Keefe

This is a book I finished recently. I’ll warn you, it’s epic, but it’s worth sticking at.

“Empire of Pain” by Patrick Radden Keefe is an investigation into the Sackler family’s role in the opioid crisis. Keefe documents how the Sacklers’ pharmaceutical company, Purdue Pharma, aggressively marketed OxyContin, leading to widespread addiction and countless deaths.

For medical writers, “Empire of Pain” highlights the importance of ethical considerations in healthcare communications.

Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks, by Ben Goldacre

I read both Bad Science and Ben Goldacre’s Bad Pharma several years ago, and have reread them recently.

“Bad Science” is an exposé by physician, epidemiologist and columnist Ben Goldacre, who takes readers on a journey through the murky world of pseudoscience, media misrepresentation, and misuse of statistics. Goldacre debunks a wide range of dubious medical claims and practices, and explores how these falsehoods gain traction, often due to poor scientific literacy among the general public and sensationalist reporting by the media.

“Bad Science” is a great read for anyone interested in understanding the distinction between sound science and the misleading information that can pervade healthcare discourse.

“Bad Pharma”, a call to action for transparency and accountability in the pharmaceutical industry, is also worth a read.

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales, by Oliver Sacks

Anything by Oliver Sacks is worth a read. I’ve picked this one simply because I love the title. I would also recommend Musicophilia, The Mind’s Eye, and Seeing Voices.

In “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat,” renowned neurologist Oliver Sacks presents a collection of human clinical tales from his own medical practice. Each story offers new insights into the extraordinary capacity of the human brain. For example, the man who literally mistook his wife for a hat due to visual agnosia.

For medical writers, Sacks’ book serves as a model of how to communicate complex medical phenomena with clarity, compassion, and narrative flair.

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, by Siddhartha Mukherjee

This one is next on my list. It’s patiently (no pun intended) sitting next to my bed, waiting its turn!

Siddhartha Mukherjee’s “The Emperor of All Maladies” is a monumental work that explores the history of cancer.

This Pulitzer Prize-winning book blends meticulous research and compelling narrative, tracing the battle against cancer from its first documented cases thousands of years ago, to the modern age of targeted therapies. Mukherjee’s ability to humanise the science of oncology while maintaining scientific rigor makes this book a masterclass in medical writing.

For any writer looking to understand how to balance detail with readability, “The Emperor of All Maladies” is the place to look.

And because I love to read, I couldn’t stop at five…

  • The Body, Bill Bryson
  • Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, by Atul Gawande
  • Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery, by Henry Marsh

As always, thank you so much for being here. Please let me know if you read any of my suggestions – or want to share your suggestions with me!

Get to know me a little better by checking out the words on my website.

Want to know what I get up to when I’m not reading? Check out a day in the life of a freelance medical writer.

If you like what you read, take a look at my previous blogs to learn a little bit more about my story and some of the areas I’ve written about. 

Take advantage of the huge projected growth of the medical and health writing industry. Get practical tips and advice that you can implement – right now!:

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