Meet Allen Saxon, MD | Author of Training in Charity

We had the good fortune of connecting with Allen Saxon, MD and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Allen, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I’m a doctor–a retired general surgeon–and I created a medical device years ago that I was able to sell to a large company. But now my focus is Training in Charity, the book I just partnered with Christmas Lake Press to publish.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My novel, Training in Charity, is set in the gritty heart of 1970s New Orleans. The protagonist, a third year medical student named Adam Sinclair, steps out of the lecture hall and into the chaos of the real world. After two years of studying anatomy charts and memorizing diseases, he’s thrust into his very first clinical rotation at the legendary—and infamous—Charity Hospital. Assigned to a high pressure surgical service, Adam and his classmates must keep pace with the relentless rhythm of patient care, juggling massive amounts of medical knowledge while fumbling to learn the most basic skills of practice.

Caught in this crucible, Adam soon learns that medicine is far messier, more human, and infinitely more humbling than his textbooks ever suggested. Each patient carries a story too fragile for rote knowledge, each day another test marked not in ink but in blood, sweat, and doubt. And looming ahead like the sky before a hurricane is the final reckoning: a single exam that will measure not only how much he has learned, but whether he can survive the pressure of becoming a physician at all.

I tried to capture what it meant to begin a life in medicine before computers and technology softened the edges—a time when skill was learned by doing, and compassion was earned at the bedside.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in Chicago now, where there’s no lack of wonderful local spots, whether you like museums or restaurants or want to see a great game. But since Training in Charity is set in New Orleans and since I lived there for a time while attending medical school at Tulane, I’ll highlight what that city offers instead. If I had a friend visiting, I’d recommend Cafe du Monde for beignets and cafe au lait, Casamento’s oyster bar, Magazine Street for shops and galleries (the Carol Robinson Gallery features local artists), the World War II museum and the nearby Ogden Museum of Southern Art, City Park and its art museum, and everyone should try Breakfast at Brennan’s.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Tom Fiffer, the publisher at Christmas Lake Press, who deftly guided my book through the editing and production process.

Medical school faculties and the dedicated students becoming healthcare professionals for the next generation.

And of course all of the doctors and nurses who work tirelessly on behalf of their patients, especially the surgeons who live in a high-pressure, high-stakes world few can imagine.

Website: https://www.allensaxon.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allen.saxon

Other: https://www.amazon.com/Training-Charity-Allen-Saxon/dp/1960865374

Image Credits
book cover design: Pixel Studio