The Courtship of Two Doctors

I bought this book in September 2012 when I went to a conference in Dallas. I got to meet the editor, Martha Fitzgerald, who is the daughter of the two doctors in question! She compiled all the letters from the two years before their marriage, and edited them for this book. I highly recommend this book as a love story, and a really interesting look at medicine for nurses, doctors, med students and laypeople alike. What's the best thing about it? It really happened.

The Courtship of Two Doctors: A 1930s Love Story of Letters, Hope & Healing

edited by Martha Holoubek Fitzgerald

 The story of Alice and Joe is told through the letters they wrote to each other from 1937 to 1939. The two medical students met during their summer fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. When the summer ended, Joe went back to school in Nebraska, and Alice returned to Louisiana State University. They corresponded through letters, and their friendship eventually bloomed into true love when Joe visited LA in the summer of 1938.

Love is never easy, but it always prevails, as this book shows so poetically. Alice and Joe go through many trials: a long-distance relationship, disappointments in their careers, serious illnesses, near tragedies, and war looming on the horizon. Although the reader knows that everything turns out alright for them, as evidenced by their daughter editing the book, you can feel the pain, longing, and love in the words these two doctors send to each other.

I loved it when...

• I loved the parts where the lovebirds talked about their love for music. In fact, I put "their song" on my playlist on the sidebar. It's called "Harbor Lights."
• I really enjoyed hearing about their (spoiler alert) marriage preparation! Alice had to take several weeks of classes with a Catholic priest in order to marry Joe in the Church. Joe doesn't force any beliefs on her and is very understanding with any questions she has.

Fun with Banned Books

• With 1930s medicine comes some interesting prognoses. At one point Joe writes, "Got in a rheumatic fever & a premenstrual syndrome on the woman's side." I didn't know that was cause for hospitalization, unless she went into a rage and injured somebody.
• Also, if you get queasy hearing about any kind of medical procedures, read with caution. Needles and blood abound.
• Finally, Alice works in a New Orleans hospital in 1938. Like me, you might be confused for a moment when she starts talking about the "colored men's ward."

  Compare

There are a lot of WWII era love stories out there, but remember that this one is true. Two Doctors doesn't skip straight to the good times, but explores love "in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health." And unlike The Notebook, this relationship is based on more than just attraction. This love comes from shared values and genuine respect. And, thank the Lord, there's NO love triangle.