An accessible read that punches well above its weight
HLONI Bookholane is a medical doctor having graduated from the University of Cape Town in 2018. His new book is Becoming a Doctor, but its title does not quite allude to just how diverse and extraordinary its canvas is.
My interest in the book was initially piqued by the fact that my son trod the same UCT halls as Bookholane, albeit not at the same time. The book delivered so much more than I anticipated and I'm so glad I read it.
Yes, one learns much about the journey from first year medicine to graduation but soon into the book, one realises Dr Bookholane is possessed not only of the “right stuff” necessary for his chosen profession, but a compassion and passion for people and a mind capable of simultaneously looking with focus both at finer detail and at the “big picture”.
This powerful paragraph from this extraordinary book says much about him and the book:
“Our personal lives, together with greater society, are a collection of myriad contradictions ... A while ago I was at La Petite Colombe restaurant in Franschhoek with four friends – all people of colour – discussing why we wanted to leave South Africa (because we actually could) and why we had become less patriotic. This was happening in concert with our collective pleasure in the day's palate cleansers, and how the wine pairing elevated the gastronomical experience we were having.
We were simultaneously loving and hating the country, calling time on dehumanising and oppressive systems while paying to be served, talking about the many career opportunities we have while many around us were barely hanging on to the present.”
One learns (and unlearns) about the strengths and perceived weaknesses of the MBChB curriculum, this country's healthy system, the #mustfall movements and that being a doctor working in a hospital is “so much more than Grey’s Anatomy”, emotional intelligence, privilege, mental health and so much more.
Hloni Bookholane speaks with his own voice and his superb writing is a mix of the serious and charmingly every day. He is equally impressive with white coat and stethoscope on as he is with coffee in hand or wearing running shoes. He comes across as a very human human being and I am convinced we have seen but the start of what is likely to be a very successful and important medical career.
“I continue to learn, unlearn, reflect and introspect on my experiences, all of which have informed this book in one way or another. I feel like a young protégé who is becoming better and more mature and whose confidence is growing accordingly, I cannot thank my mentors enough.”
Becoming a Doctor is a very accessible read and punches well above its weight.
Dr Bookholane is a self-assured but modest man – he wouldn't do this himself so please allow me to write out a prescription to unreservedly recommend his excellent book.