Calumet editions
Poised
By Cheryl Bailey
An incredible debut. Fans of Lessons in Chemistry will devour this tale of women fighting for their place in 90's medicine
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A new voice in stem-inist
Medical comedy
In Poised, a debut novel by Cheryl Bailey, set in 1990s Kentucky, a naïve but spirited doctor, Shelly Riley, slogs through a two-year fellowship. Continually hampered by chauvinist mentors and exhausting training, she battles for the lives of her cancer patients. Without the approval of her all-male mentors, she’ll never practice in her specialized field. Readers will relish the book’s coming-of-age trope based on American society’s fascination with what really happens in hospitals and operating rooms.
Like Bonnie Garmus’s Lessons in Chemistry, Bailey gives us a quirky, loveable scientist who shakes off dismissive societal assumptions so she can get down to work. The book’s humor soothes the sting of difficult life circumstances encountered by Shelly, her medical peers in training, and her beloved patients. Cancer care isn't funny, but people are, and Shelly’s devotion to her patients makes Poised sing.
What readers are saying about Poised
"A passionate cancer surgeon in training cares for her patients but struggles to save herself. I didn't want the book to end. Shelley's journey shows that achieving poise comes from slamming into barriers, stumbling, and figuring out how to keep going. This novel will make you laugh then cry and then laugh some more.”
- Anna Farro Henderson, author of the forthcoming Core Samples (10/24)
"In her page-turner debut...Dr. Cheryl Bailey takes us on a grueling two-year oncology fellowship journey that draws deeply from her own experiences...
Poised is an outstanding debut and a must-read for anyone wanting to know what makes our doctors tick.”
- Steven, Amazon Reader
"Hilarious and heartwarming while also being extremely topical and important? Can't ask for more from a book than that. As soon as I finished, I wanted to start it all over again."
- PacoGuy, Amazon Reader
Read more from Cheryl
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2024 • Intima
2022 • Intima
about cheryl
I’m a gynecologic oncologist who completed a fellowship in Kentucky in the 90s. I was a community columnist in my metro newspaper and have written numerous pieces for medical journals and hospital newsletters.
Aside from writing, I'm a board member and committee chair in the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice and a board member in the St. Paul League of Women Voters. I play the flute and sing with the Mill City Singers under the direction of J.D. and Fred Steele.
I live with my husband, two teenage sons, and two obnoxious large dogs.
