Anatomy of a Kidnapping

A Doctor's Story

Non-Fiction - True Crime
288 Pages
Reviewed on 10/11/2011
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Janet Jensen for Readers' Favorite

Anatomy of a Kidnapping; A Doctor's Story is a perfect title for this book, as its author, Steven L. Berk is a physician who responded to the events of March 6, 2005, with the instincts and skills he had honed in his many years of practicing medicine. On that day, an armed man entered his home, took him captive, and forced him into a white van. For 4 hours, Dr. Berk dealt with a meth-addicted felon with a history of violence who was looking for money to score more drugs.

Although the defense attorney and others questioned the choices he made during his ordeal at the hands of this psychopath (when Berk might have had opportunities to flee), Berk justifies and explains these choices logically; he evaluated the situation and did what he thought was best for his family and himself under the circumstances. I would never challenge that statement. Certainly the outcome suggests he made many wise choices in dealing with his captor, and that only he could evaluate the terrifying situation in which he found himself and determine the strategies he would use to deal with it.

This is an engrossing book that details not only the kidnapping of Dr. Berk, but also contains many fascinating anecdotes from his years as a physician that helped to develop his particular method of assessing situations and acting accordingly. “In times of crisis,” he writes, “no matter the nature, a physician must do his best to promote calm, rational solutions to any problem. Even when emotions are running high and a situation is getting out of control, a physician must stay impassive and composed, and practice clear judgment.”

Even at the trial, Dr. Berk addressed the man who had held a shotgun to his head and changed his life forever, and said, “Someday I hope you admit to your crimes and ask forgiveness.”

The book also contains excerpts of testimony from the trial and newspaper articles relating to the case, which contain information from other points of view, adding more depth to the story.

A term Berk often uses is “aequanimitas” which Dr. William Osler defines as: “imperturbability . . . Imperturability means coolness and presence of mind under all circumstances, calmness amid storm, and clearness of judgment in moments of great peril, immobility, impassiveness. It is the quality which is most appreciated by the laity though often misunderstood by them.”

The most moving part of the book comes at the end, when in a dream, Dr. Berk is able to make amends for mistakes he has made in his life and learns of treatments and research that benefited others, many of which he had not known. Later, imagining the worst scenario, he writes a touching letter to his son. His address to students at a white coat ceremony, when they begin the study of medicine and take the Hippocratic Oath, is also included and has a powerful message of the need to develop compassion, honesty and respect as they continue in their training.

Berk explains how his own concept of aequanimitas was strengthened and refined by his kidnapping as he concludes: “Jack Lindsey Jordan taught me a lesson using his temper, his shotgun, his attempt at intimidation. I could not afford to fret over small things or imagined fears again. I would celebrate my life, my experiences, and my contributions at every opportunity. I would fear no evil, large or small. I had become much closer to a life of aequanimitas. Perhaps that is the most important lesson coming from my experience: to live each day to its fullest; to celebrate the joys of family, work, and good health; and to appreciate our every moment as precious.”

I found the book compelling and well written. It’s a definite page-turner. Even though we know the outcome from the beginning, we want to see the actual events unfold, and Dr. Berk invites us into his unique personal perspective as he does so.

I also had another reason for wanting to read Anatomy of a Kidnapping: my son is a physician in residency in El Paso, Texas, at a hospital and clinic associated with Texas Tech University, where Dr. Berk is Dean of Medicine and Provost of Texas Tech Health Sciences Center. In other words, though somewhat distanced through the chain of administrative command, Dr. Berk is ultimately my son’s boss. With Dr. Berk at the helm, he is in excellent hands.

Josh Grossman Colonel {r} Med Corps

A must read for anyone with a child and a home with a overhead garage door and a family member who might inadvertently leave their Garage Door open allowing easy access for HOME INVASION...and further might leave their house door to their garage open further facilitating HOME INVASION. A great instruction in "Osler's Aequanamitas-CALM-IN-EMERGENCIES...which the author had which facilitated his noting the VIN number of the vehicle of his kidnapper. In sum...this magnificent text by my most highly distinguished colleague, my MENTOR, and my very dear friend serves as a Guiding light of Wisdom for me and as such will serve any and all who will devote their time to learning from the experience and the wisdom of this Dean/Provost/Professor as to how he coped so well in this LIFE CRISIS which potentially endangered him and potentially endangered his son! We can all learn humbly and respectfully from their man one of the truly great teachers as both he and I learned from Sir William Osler our Distinguished Professor.