You may recognize Sampson Davis as the co-author of memoirs such as The Pact, in which he, George Jenkins and Rameck Hunt chronicle their friendship and their promise to survive the streets of Newark, N.J., finish college and become doctors–despite a lack of resources or father figures. Jenkins is now a dentist who teaches at Columbia University, while Hunt is an internist with positions at Princeton and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Davis became an emergency room doctor and, in Living and Dying in Brick City, he writes about returning to the Newark neighborhood where he grew up to complete his residency and make the transition to a board-certified E.R. physician.
Davis uses the stories of his encounters with patients at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center to illustrate his path from street kid to physician. Those same medical stories alert the reader to the health issues and social struggles that plague the inner-city population; chapters cover such topics as gang violence, narcotics dependence, domestic abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancy, mental illness and obesity. Davis also addresses the problems caused by poor health care access and lack of insurance, and provides additional resources for understanding and assistance throughout the book.
Davis’s story is remarkable, and the combination of patient stories and personal recollections in this memoir makes for a powerful reading experience. Hopefully, his book will also be an impetus for change. —Roni K. Devlin, owner, Literary Life Bookstore