{"id":9708,"date":"2017-09-07T12:51:13","date_gmt":"2017-09-07T16:51:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thewordonthestreet.ca\/toronto\/?p=9708"},"modified":"2017-09-07T13:32:36","modified_gmt":"2017-09-07T17:32:36","slug":"toronto-book-awards-2017-life-on-the-ground-floor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thewordonthestreet.ca\/toronto\/toronto-book-awards-2017-life-on-the-ground-floor\/","title":{"rendered":"Toronto Book Awards 2017: Life on the Ground Floor"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Word On The Street Toronto will\u00a0be hosting the\u00a0authors and editors of all five finalists for the\u00a02017 Toronto Book Awards\u00a0at this year\u2019s festival on\u00a0Sunday, September 24,<\/strong>\u00a0at Harbourfront Centre. As a special treat, we\u2019ll be posting reviews of the nominated books in the weeks leading up to the festival\u00a0from a panel of writers, reviewers, and editors working in Toronto today.<\/p>\n

Our first review is of\u00a0Life on the Ground Floor\u00a0<\/em>by\u00a0James Maskalyk<\/strong>,\u00a0reviewed by Nikloina Likarev. Nikolina is the first of five 2017 Toronto Book Awards reviewers. James Maskalyk will be reading at The Word On the Street at Harbourfront Centre on September 24, from\u00a01:00pm \u2013 1:30pm at the Toronto Book Awards Tent<\/a>. This year\u2019s Toronto Book Awards will be awarded on\u00a0October 12, 2017<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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From the beginning, James Maskalyk\u2019s <\/span>Life on the Ground Floor <\/span><\/i>has an atmosphere of momentum. The non-fiction book weaves in the personal experiences of Dr. Maskalyk as he tends to his grandfather and other patients in the ER of Toronto\u2019s St. Mike\u2019s and abroad, in countries like Ethiopia and Sudan. Maskalyk\u2019s approach is relatable, straightforward and informative. Chapters are organized by the essential alphabetical steps in treating a patient, starting with A for ensuring a clear airway, and ending in Z for \u201cze end.\u201d All the while, a flare for the poetic adds rhythm and depth to the narrative:<\/span><\/p>\n

The drugs we use are similar to the adrenalin that surges when you\u2019re walking down a dark alley and two men step from the shadows [\u2026]. The heart speeds, the pressure hammers, pupils widen to allow in as much light as possible, because death is near and we must see more clearly than ever before whether to fightfightfight or runrunrun. For some of us, our last sensation will be of being fully, forcefully alive.<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The combination of the intertwining stories of Maskalyk\u2019s experiences emphasizes the necessity for holistic medicine. This especially comes together in the \u201cD is for drugs\u201d chapter. Maskalyk slips into a remembrance of how he stopped and assessed his grandfather\u2019s prescriptions as he was taking care of him. Based on Dr. Maskalyk\u2019s knowledge of his grandfather\u2019s ills and philosophy on a life well-lived, Maskalyk is able to narrow down the pills his grandfather should be taking. With his suggestion, the drawer-full of yellow pill bottles in his grandfather\u2019s kitchen becomes only a few select bottles. Maskalyk thinks back to how a teacher from medical school \u201cinsisted that anyone [\u2026] admitted to hospital should have all their drugs stopped, so we could reintroduce the fewest a person needed, one at a time.\u201d \u201cGood medicine,\u201d said Maskalyk\u2019s teacher \u201cwas getting out of the body\u2019s way as much as possible.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Along with facts about the prescription drug industry, this chapter paints an informative and human-centric picture of the role of drugs in the ER. The rest of the book continues in this vein, where a consideration for maintaining health and wellness go hand-in-hand, for the patient and the doctor or nurse. All the while, the descriptions of the ongoing work being done outside of Canada force one to consider the vast differences in the distribution of resources around the world. The multiple issues covered ensure a read full of interesting layers to unpack. Above all, the book is about human connection through the lens of medicine.<\/span><\/p>\n

As someone who has experienced grief in the not too distant past, I see how this book would especially speak to those who have experienced death in some shape or form. Learning about the body and hearing tidbits of all the ways people find themselves close to \u201cze end\u201d leaves one feeling reflective on the quality of life for all human beings. The title draws its significance from the fact the ER must always be on the ground floor since a few minutes or seconds in the transportation of a patient could result in a serious side effect. The book itself is incredibly grounding and a must read for anyone wanting to learn more about health, wellness, living with purpose, or even how to be a better human.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Nikolina Likarevic<\/strong>\u00a0is a librarian. She holds an MA in modern literature and a Master of Information in Library and Information Science. She is the Associate Editor of\u00a0Sewer Lid<\/em><\/a>, a magazine of urban art and literature, and a Digital Editor for Open Shelf, an online magazine of the Ontario Library Association.<\/p>\n

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What was James Maskalyk’s first internationally bestselling book?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Check out our\u00a0website for clues<\/a>, and send the answer to \u00a0justin@thewordonthestreet.ca<\/a>\u00a0to be entered into a draw to win a signed copy of Life on the Ground Floor<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>by James Maskalyk!<\/p>\n

Contest Rules<\/strong><\/p>\n