I'm honored to announce that IN STITCHES, written with Dr. Tony Youn, has been named a 2012 Michigan Notable Book.
"In Stitches: A Memoir," by Anthony Youn, MD (Gallery Books): Youn's memoir describes his transformation from a geeky outcast in Greenville to celebrated plastic surgery expert on popular talk shows like "Good Morning America," "The Rachael Ray Show" and MSNBC. With humor and heartfelt honesty, Youn describes how his own surgery to correct a protruding jaw led him to his calling -- and the realization that changing your appearance can profoundly change your life.
-- Detroit Free Press
Mandarin Oriental, New York Bedside Reading Program
Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York City provides a unique amenity in all its guest rooms and suites: complimentary Bedside Reading books.
IN STITCHES is one of three books selected for their guests.
Here are more reviews, including a rave fromPublisher's Weekly:
In his first book, Youn looks back from the cushy perspective of the plastic surgeon at his transformation, letting readers in on a secret: it wasn't easy. Youn was an outcast, an "Asian American... in near wall-to-wall whiteness"; his adolescence was an accumulation of sour moments eventually leading up to medicine. But the journey, as Youn describes it, is hilarious. A dedicated student, he spends much of his time with his roommates in the "nerd room." He practices sutures on pig's feet and chicken breasts. His roommates tutor him in matters of love and lust. Only two hours into his very first rotation, Youn loses his first patient; "Patients die.Get used to it. This is a hospital,." the attending barks at him. As Youn moves through specialty rotations, agonizing over what to select, his father urges him to make the right choice: pediatrics, for instance, means a life of "tiny people, tiny dollah!" Ironically, it's a night during Youn's Peds rotation that changed the course of his life. Youn's description of his journey from high-school outcast to rock star plastic surgeon is full of fascinating stories and laced with self-deprecating humor in the midst of dark desperation, providing a refreshing insight into medicine.
"Rarely has the chaotic, exhausting, Kafkaesque world of the med student been so faithfully and hilariously portrayed."
-- Bookreporter.com
"IN STITCHES is a fast-paced, mesmerizing autobiography that's laced with dark humor and memorable scenes."
-- Lansing State Journal
"Dr. Youn is a frequent guest on my show, and I can say without a doubt that he's a cut above the rest!"
--Rachael Ray
"Part 'Grey's Anatomy,' part 'Nip-Tuck,'In Stitches takes you under the knife to expose the layers of one doctor's journey to become not only a plastic surgeon but also his own man. A humorous, heartfelt, honest memoir about med school and MCATs, fathers and sons, and finding your place in the world, In Stitches will tickle your funny bone, touch your heart and make you think differently about your doctor."
-- Wade Rouse, author of It's All Relative, and At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream
"My fellow plastic surgeon, Anthony Youn, M.D.'s book In Stitches is a brilliant and bouncy read. Humorous and energetic, the author takes us along with him in medical school on his way to becoming a surgeon. He makes you feel as if you are along on the ride. Rich with dialogue, I found myself rooting for him in all sorts of circumstances from his first surgery to hitting on coeds."
-- Dr. Drew Ordon, host of "The Doctors"
"Surprising warm and unquestionably witty, In Stitches is a riveting look at the sacrifice it takes to become a premiere plastic surgeon. In a world where physicians can be almost god-like, Dr. Tony's not afraid to show us his heart, his humor, and his humanity. I adored In Stitches and even though I'm not ready to book Dr. Tony for a face-lift, I'd sure like to call him for lunch."
-- Jen Lancaster, NY Times Bestselling Author,
Bitter is the New Black and Pretty in Plaid
"Dr. Tony Youn's book In Stitches is well written, very readable and appropriately witty. I had the pleasure and opportunity of meeting and working with Dr. Youn. I find him not only to be extremely capable and a great surgeon, but also a kind and generous man. In this book, I actually see a lot of myself in him. At times I was in tears and at others was laughing out loud. I highly recommend it!
-- Dr. Robert Rey, "Dr. 90210"
"Tony Youn's book is wonderful! Written from the heart, in a style that makes you want to read more, it is a touching, sensitive account of his journey. It should be read by everyone who's ever wanted to be a doctor, as well as anyone who's ever wanted to know what his doctor was thinking. A great read!"
-- Robert Marion, M.D., author, Intern Blues
"In 1980, I read The House of God, the sardonic story of residency training at Harvard's Beth Israel Hospital. Now, some 30 years later, readers are brought into the dorm room, the anatomy lab, the classroom, and the operating room with Dr. Youn as he describes his medical school training. The reader sweats the stresses and enjoys the laughs med students experience. I was touched by the honesty and frankness of the experiences he describes -- most people understand the life of a doctor, but few understand the sacrifices that young men and women make while in medical school. Fasten your seatbelts and get ready for a fun ride. This memoir will certainly keep you In Stitches."
-- Arthur W. Perry, M.D., author, Straight Talk about Cosmetic Surgery
"Tony Youn traces his success to a stern Korean father and his own fanatical work ethic -- but the real secret is his fabulous sense of humor. If you're contemplating medical school, you'll need three things: resilience, caffeine, and In Stitches -- a raucously funny and genuinely affecting account of what becoming a doctor is really like."
-- Audrey Young, M.D., author,
The House of Hope and Fear: Life in a Big City Hospital
IN STITCHES is Tony's irreverent, hilarious, and emotionally gripping memoir.
You may know Tony -- Dr. Anthony Youn -- from Celebrity Cosmetic Surgery, the go-to plastic surgery website or you may have seen one of his many appearances on "The Rachael Ray Show" or "The Doctors."
Tony grew up one of only two Asian-American kids in a small town in the Midwest of near wall-to-wall whiteness. Too tall and too thin, he wore thick Coke-bottle glasses, braces, Hannibal Lecter headgear, and had a protruding jaw that one day began to grow, expanding Pinocchio-like, protruding to an unthinkable, monstrous size. After high school graduation, while other seniors partied at the shore or explored Europe, Youn lay strapped in an oral surgeon's chair as the surgeon broke his jaw, twice, then reset it and wired it shut for six weeks.
Ironically, this brutal makeover led him to his life's calling and the four years of angst, flubs, triumphs, non-stop studying, off-the-hook partying, and a stint in Beverly Hills mentored by a notorious, crazed plastic surgeon with an affinity for starlets and porn stars, all of which eventually brought him to his M.D. Thanks to a small circle of close friends and an obsessive drive to overachieve, Tony became transformed from a shy, skinny, awkward nerd with no confidence and no clue to a renowned plastic surgeon.
IN STITCHES is a heartfelt, candid, and laugh-out-loud memoir of one man's bumpy road to becoming a doctor and learning to be comfortable in his own skin.