Linda D. Dahl

Linda Dahl may be a doctor and surgeon, something I will never become, but she definitely managed to be relatable. There was a lot about her struggles to be a part of the community, and about fitting in. I know that I have white privilege, and perhaps have not struggled in the same way she has, but everyone has a part of them that doesn't fit in, and this book addresses that in a very honest way. Throughout the memoir, Linda also managed to be funny and witty, eliciting loud laughter from me (even in settings where it was inappropriate, such as my work desk). While her writing wasn't very lyrical or literary, it was down to earth and refreshing.

Another thing that I absolutely loved about Tooth and Nail was the built in medical lessons. While sometimes they were written in a condescending, braggy tone ("look at all this information I can rattle off the top of my head"), Dahl is a specialist and her knowledge about her specialty leaked through the pages. For someone who is a huge medical nerd like me, it was a real enjoyment.

However, despite Dahl's constant talk about feeling left out/ not fitting in, some things she wrote made me feel that she wasn't aware of how much privilege she also has. One of the things that bugged me the most was her writing out speech impediments/ local accents. Stutters were written with a "s-s-stutter" and local accents were plentiful, "mon". It felt like she saw the people she wrote about in such a way as simply a demographic, rather than real people.

Tooth and Nail also includes some famous boxers including Tyson and Klitshchko. One thing I noticed when reading her accounts of her meetings with famous people is the way she made them into some sort of antagonist. Perhaps that really was her feeling upon meeting them, but for the most part, I got the sense that it was just bashing without any real substance to back up her experiences.

The part that made me the most upset with the memoir is Dahl's journey with her own sexuality. Dahl went on and on and on about it. I get it. Many careers (particularly male dominated ones) are rife with sexism and harassment. I totally agree with her feelings on the way that men would treat her. However her solution (and yes, spoiler alert here)? Absolutely not something that I would want my future daughter using. Everyone has their own experience and does things their own way, but to dress up as a dominatrix-like doctor, to lower your neckline, just to give yourself legitimacy, does not sit right with me. Once again, I totally understand that for Dahl, this was how she made herself feel powerful, but I don't think that women should feel that sexualizing themselves is the solution to legitimacy and success.

In other words, this book got a three star review from me, because despite being a wonderful memoir, there were a couple issues I just couldn't get over. I would recommend this book to boxing fans, or fans of medical memoirs, but aside from that this is definitely a one-time read for me.… (meer)