I first published this interview with David Epstein in May 2020. Of all the interviews I’ve done, this one is among my favorite. I’ve added a lot of readers since then, so I thought it would be fun to re-share. Enjoy! 1) Your current work revolves around the idea of range — why being a generalist is better than being a specialist. What book(s) have most shaped your thinking in that realm of thought?
Great interview and I also love the one you did with Dr. Jena recently about his book Random Acts of Medicine. What draws you in particular to healthcare topics? I noticed that you mentioned another book about the medical field in this interview. Thanks and I'm a big fan of Range!
Thanks Marmi! And thanks for the question. I think a few general things draw me to healthcare: it's a field that touches absolutely everyone, and that has really important consequences, whether things go well or badly. It is also laden with very complex decision making, and that decision-making has been studied a ton, so there's a lot of interesting research about it. I guess I also just find health and medicine generally interesting, and an amazing mix of science and artful practice. And going back to the beginning of my writing career, I actually switched from training to be a scientist to becoming a writer because I wanted to write about sudden cardiac death in athletes, after a friend of mine collapsed and died at the end of a mile race. So really the roots of my writing career are in medical topics, and my curiosity about it just kept growing.
Jeremy, love your work, so I was surprised and psyched to see this in my inbox!
Thanks David!!
Great interview and I also love the one you did with Dr. Jena recently about his book Random Acts of Medicine. What draws you in particular to healthcare topics? I noticed that you mentioned another book about the medical field in this interview. Thanks and I'm a big fan of Range!
Thanks Marmi! And thanks for the question. I think a few general things draw me to healthcare: it's a field that touches absolutely everyone, and that has really important consequences, whether things go well or badly. It is also laden with very complex decision making, and that decision-making has been studied a ton, so there's a lot of interesting research about it. I guess I also just find health and medicine generally interesting, and an amazing mix of science and artful practice. And going back to the beginning of my writing career, I actually switched from training to be a scientist to becoming a writer because I wanted to write about sudden cardiac death in athletes, after a friend of mine collapsed and died at the end of a mile race. So really the roots of my writing career are in medical topics, and my curiosity about it just kept growing.