Accidental Optimist's Guide to Life

Book excerpt: Exploring an inimitable philosophy of hope and humor through a variety of ups and downs, this quirky recollection illustrates the author’s search for the meaning of life. Depicting her experiences as the only doctor on call for an entire hospital in Sierra Leone in the midst of civil war, this portrait tells a story of optimism triumphing over what might elsewhere be the makings of disappointment and despair. From births and illnesses to family deaths and problem pets, this frank and unpredictable memoir demonstrates the remarkable insights that can be discovered from living through the seemingly unremarkable.