Bøker av David Margolis

Who better to write about the Covid pandemic than a retired physician, a prime target for the deadly virus? Dr. David Margolis wrote these tales during the worst time of the pandemic, cooped up in a house with only his imagination as a guest. He has produced a remarkable collection of stories, combining sadness and loss with medical knowledge and distinctive humorThe protagonist of the first story is a superstitious old woman who believes that Covid was sent by the devil and who can prove that it wasn't? We read about a muddled septuagenarian whose imaginary friend from childhood replaces his dead wife. There's an autobiographical sketch written by the virus itself, a play by play description concerning the invasion of Dave's nose. There's a sad dog with large hairy ears who waits for his master to return after he's taken away on a stretcher. We encounter a klatch of washed-up Gods sipping coffee in the heavens, who kvetch about irreverent humans and are delighted that the Covid has come. There's a misogynist sinner whose ashes are taken to a rundown cemetery and dumped in a cluster of weeds. The final story, Meltdown, is a dystopian tale about a super virulent Covid virus that kills most of the Earth's population, leaving only a few desperate humans to argue amongst themselves.

This is an assortment of short stories about Jewish people who want to believe in a God but like many of us, they just can't take that leap of faith. As they stumble through their lives making one mistake after another, they wonder if their souls will reach heaven-if such a place exists. And then what? In "e;God's Sabbatical,"e; a poor autistic soul arrives in the afterworld and is bunked in a five by five-inch cubicle. He's told that God is on vacation, and there's an inexperienced bureaucrat running the place. In another story, "e;Ruthie the Dinosaur Eats the Forbidden Fruit"e; a nurturing mamasaur (an unknown species) repents, I'm honestly sorry for my mistake, but after all, it was only a piece of fruit and not so good-tasting. In the last story, a talking raven proclaims that Death isn't fair. All the stories are imbued with an ironic sense of humor that I inherited from my grandfather who left the shtetl when he was 18 years old. This book will have a wide audience, anyone who enjoyed "e;Fiddler on the Roof,"e; or actually fiddled on a roof, will want to read this book.Tales of Unkosher Souls has received a Kirkus starred review!

A collection of stories and poems based on the life of gastroenterologist and award-winning humorist David Margolis MD, Looking Behind include vignettes from his early years growing up in Canada, his experiences in training, and his years as a practicing gastroenterologist both at home and at the office. Some stories are true, others more imaginative, some will elicit a laugh, and some may cause a tear to be shed. The book is infused with the author's humility, humor and humanity as well as his honest concern for patients and should be of interest to those in the medical field as well as anyone interested in the practice of medicine.