The Recovering Academic

Doctors Should Read Derrida

The unexpected benefits of studying philosophy and medical history

May 12 • Joshua Doležal

9

3

2

After Fifty It Rains Death

Mark Doty's "Heaven's Coast" is the best book I've read about grief

May 5 • Joshua Doležal

29

8

2

April 2026

What's Named And What's Withheld

Michael D. Stein on why the unemployed lose more than a paycheck

Apr 28 • Joshua Doležal and MDs

4

1

2

53:05

Louie Didn't Die Of Alcoholism

I was a college sophomore in 1994, when the hit show E.R. debuted.

Apr 21 • Joshua Doležal

185

39

22

A Reality TV Star Wrote A Better Memoir Than Most MFA Graduates

Wreckage has been on my mind a lot lately.

Apr 14 • Joshua Doležal

18

13

1

Do Med Schools Really Want Critical Thinkers? A Dying English Professor Shows What That Means.

I’ve been watching a curious trend in the headlines.

Apr 7

21

19

6

March 2026

The Things Not Named — With Kimberly Warner

Notes on chronic disease, patient advocacy, and the healing power of stories

Mar 31 • Joshua Doležal and Kimberly Warner

19

15

3

50:03

The Things Not Named — with Damon Tweedy

Notes on integrating mental health care into general medicine

Mar 24 • Joshua Doležal and Damon Tweedy

9

1

53:16

This Doctor Turned His Patients Into Parables

I keep hoping that a new release will change my mind, but trade books now suffer from a flattened style, as I wrote last week. The risks don’t seem…

Mar 17

20

2

When Did Doctor Memoirs Get So Safe?

I discovered Damon Tweedy while updating a course on narrative medicine (was it really five years ago?).

Mar 10

11

2

Why I Might Choose Casey Means (And Why That's Concerning)

Casey Means, Trump’s nominee for Surgeon General, has been testifying before Congress about waning trust in American medicine.

Mar 3

12

24

3

February 2026

The Things Not Named — With Istiaq Mian

Notes on immigration, narrative medicine, and a family sabbatical abroad

Feb 24 • Joshua Doležal and Istiaq Mian, MD

9

5

3

53:32