The Bookshelf: May 10, 2016

Trib+Health is joining with respected books authority Kirkus Reviews to bring you select reviews of books of note in the field of health care. For more book reviews and recommendations, visit Kirkus.com.

A SPIRIT OF CHARITY: Restoring the Bond between America and Its Public Hospitals

by Mike King

In the spirit of investigative journalism, this assessment of public hospitals paints a grim picture of health care for the poor in America. Debut author King, a former newspaper reporter, focuses primarily on Atlanta’s Grady Memorial Hospital... This book traces Grady’s history and compares it to the evolution of four other public hospitals, demonstrating the challenges such centers face in serving their communities. Grady’s story is deftly interwoven with the advents of Medicare and Medicaid and, more recently, the Affordable Care Act. Perhaps most disturbing is King’s insightful exploration of the intersection of race, poverty, and health care, particularly in the South... A searing and sobering indictment of the public health care system that highlights the inequality of treatment.

For the full review, visit kirkus.com.