Canary in the Coal Mine, William Cooke
Canary in the Coal Mine, William Cooke
List: $24.95 | Sale: $17.47
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Canary in the Coal Mine
A Forgotten Rural Community, a Hidden Epidemic, and a Lone Doctor Battling for the Life, Health, and Soul of the People

Author: William Cooke, Laura Ungar

Narrator: Tim H. Dixon

Unabridged: 10 hr 11 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/22/2021


Synopsis

One doctor’s courageous fight to save a small town from a silent epidemic that threatened the community’s future―and exposed a national health crisis.
When Dr. Will Cooke, an idealistic young physician just out of medical training, set up practice in the small rural community of Austin, Indiana, he had no idea that much of the town was being torn apart by poverty, addiction, and life-threatening illnesses. But he soon found himself at the crossroads of two unprecedented health-care disasters: a national opioid epidemic and the worst drug-fueled HIV outbreak ever seen in rural America.

Confronted with Austin’s hidden secrets, Dr. Cooke decided he had to do something about them. In taking up the fight for Austin’s people, however, he would have to battle some unanticipated foes: prejudice, political resistance, an entrenched bureaucracy―and the dark despair that threatened to overwhelm his own soul. : Canary in the Coal Mine is a gripping account of the transformation of a man and his adopted community, a compelling and ultimately hopeful read in the vein of Hillbilly Elegy, Dreamland, and Educated.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Tracy

The biggest take-away from this book, for me, was to remember to not focus on the tip (“iceberg”) of a problem but to look deeper into the causes. People are multifaceted and need individual, long-term care. #CanaryInTheCoalMine #netgalley......more

Goodreads review by Ginger

This book outlines how the lack of health care can create numerous problems. It is well written, combining both facts and a personal story. Three things converge to create a health crisis, poverty, opioid use, and HIV. It is an old story that highlights a pattern that is still relevant today. The de......more