Monday at the Charm

Although many psychiatrists choose nonpsychiatric subjects for nonprofessional reading, Monday at the Charm, a first novel by psychiatrist Dinah Miller, is an accurate, beautifully written book certain to gain many readers’ attention. The eight chapters tell, in first-person accounts, about the personal lives of four women at a community mental health center: a social worker, a patient, a psychiatrist, and a secretary. Each reveals through introspection her current personal life issues and life choices as well as her clinic role. For those who are psychotherapists and for those who choose not to be, as well as for trainees in all mental health and primary care fields, the book is a fast, interesting, informative look into women’s lives, written by a creative, thoughtful professional.

In this age of categorizing by gender, the unique female characters described in this book clearly encourage professionals to understand patients beyond what is visible by asking, allowing, and encouraging each to share fears, hopes, and courage. Well worth reading.