“Drawing on over 20 years of experience in emergency medicine, debut author Sterling presents alternately humorous and sobering stories of the “controlled chaos” of a hospital emergency room. In these wry, short essays, the author strikes an appropriate balance between serious warnings and diverting stories. The book proves to be as informative as it is entertaining . . . Two messages come through clearly in this collection: knowledge is power, and it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
Kirkus ReviewKIRKUS REVIEW
“Behind the Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER grabs you from the first page with its mix of all-too-real experiences and important life lessons from Dr. Jeffrey Sterling. With straightforward, pragmatic advice – ‘Stop smoking. Now.’ – and stories of the heroic efforts in hospital emergency rooms to save lives, Dr. Sterling gives the reader an inside look at the challenges and joys of life as an emergency room physician. His gentle wisdom, learned through years of extraordinarily difficult experiences, provides guidance for all who read this wonderful book.”
MORTON O. SCHAPIRO, PhDPresident and Professor, Northwestern University
“One of those rare books that takes the reader into a fast-paced, unfamiliar setting through the eyes of the expert. Jeff also balances his life stories with a healthy dose of recommendations on how readers can easily avoid placing themselves in those dangerous and traumatic situations.”
Harry LennixVeteran Actor, Director & Producer
“Behind the Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER is a riveting primer of the types of cases that place patients in the emergency room, but it goes much further in explaining how physicians operate in such unknown conditions to the betterment of their patients. Practicing medicine when you never know who will walk through the door or be brought in by ambulance is a constant, changing environment requiring split-second decisions. That’s the fascinating expertise Dr. Sterling brings to the reader in recognizing the medical attention needed in the fast-paced world of the unknown that is the American emergency room.”
RAHN KENNEDY BAILEY, MDChairman, Department of Psychiatry, Wake Forest School of Medicine Baptist Medical Center
“Authentic. This is how I would describe Jeff Sterling. Having known Jeff since the early days of his career, I immediately saw him as a leader who was knowledgeable and perceptive beyond his years. Behind the Curtain reads in the same manner in which Jeff speaks – straightforward. Dr. Sterling expresses high intelligence and demonstrates his observational skills about the people and situations with which he is confronted. This collection is infused with keen insights, singular observations, genuine compassion, and not-so-cryptic humor grown out of a rich array of personal pursuits and professional experiences. Still a leader, he is still aiming to teach and to serve.”
Annette McLaneAssociate Director for Programs and Conference Services, Student National Medical Association