{"product_id":"in-the-basement-at-the-va-stories-from-a-cancer-doctor-9781589882133","title":"In the Basement at the Va: Stories from a Cancer Doctor","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Clear-eyed and deeply human, \u003ci\u003eIn the Basement at the VA\u003c\/i\u003e shows that medicine is as much about communication as it is about treatment--and that small choices can carry life-changing weight.\"\u003cbr\u003e--Danielle Ofri, MD, editor of \u003ci\u003eBellevue Literary Review\u003c\/i\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eWhat Doctors Feel: How Emotions Affect the Practice of Medicine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"In the cancer ward of a VA hospital, where prognoses are often grim and time is scarce, Dr. Tripp practices a form of medicine that resists detachment, in the tradition of great doctors turned authors Atul Gawande and Siddhartha Mukherjee . . . His conversations reveal the delicate balance between empathy and honesty, reassurance and realism, that defines medicine at its most human.\"\u003cbr\u003e--Laura Landro, author of \u003ci\u003eSurvivor: Taking Control of Your Fight Against Cancer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen a doctor speaks with a patient, there is nearly always an information imbalance. Patrick Tripp has spent his career treating cancer patients at Veterans Affairs hospitals where the difference in their life experiences--not to mention education, age, income level, and race--adds to the challenge. Tripp's writing reveals a caring and careful doctor actively working out the best way to share information and make decisions with his patients. The reader is brought into the intimate spaces of the clinic to witness discussions with patients, with their family members, and with specialists conferring on the best path forward.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese conversations are not only about disease and treatment, but about family matters and personal history. Patients recount harrowing experiences fighting in Vietnam, struggles with alcohol and drugs, and previous health crises. A veteran with PTSD tells of roaming his house with a machete in hand. Men dealing with prostate cancer find surprising and humorous ways to discuss sexual function. Brief lessons on the history of cancer treatment and the science behind today's technology are woven throughout.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFull of compassion and candor, these essays provide examples to aspiring doctors, to cancer patients and their family members, and to all who are interested in how to communicate and connect under difficult circumstances.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Patrick Tripp\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Paul Dry Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/26\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 215\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.66lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.40h x 5.40w x 0.70d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781589882133\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePatrick Tripp, MD, \u003c\/b\u003e is a radiation oncologist at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center and the University of Pennsylvania. His stories on narrative medicine have been published by the \u003ci\u003eAmerican Scholar, Threepenny Review\u003c\/i\u003e, and the \u003ci\u003eLondon Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e. Dr. Tripp lives in Philadelphia. \u003ci\u003eIn the Basement at the VA\u003c\/i\u003e is his first book.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Patrick Tripp \/ Paperback \/ English","offer_id":48363664277661,"sku":"9781589882133","price":23.94,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_ff4754b1-57df-4b4b-9029-02e23751adef.jpg?v=1780428347","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/in-the-basement-at-the-va-stories-from-a-cancer-doctor-9781589882133","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}