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Big Books & Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller
Kerri Miller and Breann Schossow

An ER doctor shares lessons in first book, ‘The Beauty in Breaking’

A woman wearing a blue blouse; the cover of the book.
Dr. Michele Harper has worked as an emergency room physician for more than a decade. “The Beauty in Breaking” is her first book.
Author photo by LaTosha Oglesby | Book cover courtesy of Penguin Random House

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Dr. Michele Harper says she doesn’t have any special powers. But for 36 hours every week, she works in a hospital emergency room and she has several jobs. She writes:

“... I am called upon to be salve, antidote, and sometimes Charon. Most of the time my job is to keep death at bay. When I am successful, I send the patient back out into the world. When I’m not, I am there as life passes away.”

In her first book, “The Beauty of Breaking,” Harper details what she’s learned about life, death and self-healing as a Black emergency room physician in the United States. She spoke with MPR News host Kerri Miller about the power in ‘breaking’ and what it means for growth in our lives.

Guest:

Dr. Michele Harper has worked as an emergency room physician for more than a decade. “The Beauty in Breaking” is her first book.

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.

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