She addresses the challenges of moving to a new city for a new job as a recently divorced single woman.Ĭhapter 3: “Baby Doe: Born Perfect” reveals the heartbreaking story of a baby whom Harper was unable to resuscitate. Harper: The View from Here” examines the dissonance between expectation and reality in the days when Harper finished her medical residency as her marriage was ending. After a particularly frightening confrontation landed her brother in the hospital, she had an epiphany and began thinking about a future where she could help heal others by becoming a doctor.Ĭhapter 2: “Dr. Her father was often violent, and the police proved an ineffective force of protection for her mother, her brother and sister, and her.
She adds that she hopes to give readers an insider’s glimpse into emergency medicine.Ĭhapter 1: “Michele: A Wing and a Prayer” recollects Harper’s childhood, which was plagued by fear and abuse. Harper likens the beauty of life to the Japanese practice of Kintsukuroi, in which artisans repair broken pottery by filling in the cracks with precious metals. Harper then articulates her identity as a doctor and as a woman who has struggled as much as anyone. The Introduction opens with a quote by Hazrat Inayat Khan: “God breaks the heart again and again and again until it stays open” (xi). In sharing her story through this book, Harper reveals the human side of doctors, whom others often expect to achieve superhuman feats.
Ultimately, The Beauty in Breaking is a poignant, deeply personal story of a woman trying to make peace with her past while also fully experiencing and embracing the present. In addition, Harper recollects harrowing moments of her childhood when she endured domestic abuse in her home, which helped inform her desire to work as a doctor and literally heal people from their wounds. As an African American woman, Harper expresses her indignation toward American injustices, particularly systemic racism, that find their way into the healthcare system.
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