Becoming Dr. Q: My Journey from Migrant Farm Worker to Brain Surgeon by Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa is an important memoir. I loved reading this doctor’s story and seeing the many things he overcame. This book tells the story of his early life as well as his life as he built his family and started practicing medicine. The stories of cases he faced were really fascinating. I think readers of many genres would enjoy this book. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

We all want the American Dream to come true even if we don't live in the US. We all have dreams, yet very few of us pursue them. Why? There are many reasons, but mostly because we don´t believe we could be the lucky ones.
Mr. Alfredo was poor and an illegal immigrant on US soil. He was bound to fail, to become a no-one, invisible to everybody. But he became someone. And not just anyone, but had managed to score big time: a great education, great job, and great opportunities to do some good for humankind. Why he became so successful? Probably, because he stubbornly believed in his dream, and never gave up. Of course, having some luck did help as well.
It´s great to see that the American Dream is still possible, though I think our chances are becoming more and more slim with every year passing. Mr. Alfredos' story is inspirational, and it would be great to see more people like him, who want to do some good not only for themselves.

Let me start this (sort of less-then-positive review) by saying that I have massive respect for what Alfredo accomplished and his work ethic is incredible. His story is moving and powerful and should be encouragement to anyone who feels like they're not good enough or they are starting too far "behind" in life that hard work can accomplish amazing things.

With that being said, this book, in my opinion, was entirely too long. I love his story telling and his writing style, but sometimes I was frustrated by the amount of detail in this book. Three events from his childhood rather then five or two patients he cared for rather then seven or eight would have made this book read much more quickly and would have held my attention much more easily (this is somewhat a personal preference, but I like memoirs to be on the shorter side). I think he included the stories and events in his life that he thought important, and he is a talented writer, and I, in no way want to criticize his story or his literary choices, but I also feel that the narration could have been consolidated for and easier read.

The other HUGE issue I had with this book is his description of nurses and their tasks in the OR during surgery. I am an RN in the operating room and I happen to actually work with neurosurgeons on a daily basis so I have more perspective then other readers. The implication that nurses just "move into action, cleaning up around us" (actual quote) is incredibly offensive. Nurses in the peri-operative setting do SO much more then clean up after surgeons. We are a vital part of the neurosurgery team and surgery literally could not happen without us. We keep our eyes and ears open during a patient's entire time in the operating room to keep them safe, comfortable, and supported. Yes, nurses do clean, but we also do so much more then that. He spent a lot of time talking about his physician assistants as being part of the "Q team" but the OR nurses (and ICU nurses) are also a huge part of a patient's care and, in my opinion, he did a very poor job of representing our contribution and, worse, he underrepresented it. I do not know any other nurses who have read this book but, first, I would discourage them from reading it, and second, I believe that others who have chosen my same profession would be equally as offended.

To conclude, I'm glad Dr. Q was given a platform to tell his story, but I personally wish he had done a more effective job.

**this review (or a shorter version of this review) will be posted on my instagram @leannaslittlelibrary on 7/22/23
Thank you for letting me read!

This was a very sweet telling of the doctor's story, from illegal immigrant to neurosurgeon, and he worked very very hard to get where he is. Sadly I think this would be very near impossible now--he was lucky to have qualified in the 80s for a green card but that is pretty hard to do now. I appreciated a lot about the story, but am a bit disappointed in yet another successful person spends just about all his time on his career. He is very lucky he has the wife he does. I know doctors are busy, but I think I'd rather have a doctor who wants to see his or her family occasionally.

When I spend the night reading a book instead of getting some sleep, it's a big deal. That was the story with this one. It was fun to read and a great inspiration.