Opening with the view of an idealistic, young doctor entering her first post-graduate job at the local county hospital, The House of Hope and Fear explores not only the personal journey of one doctor's life and career, but also examines the health care system as a whole. The county hospital setting provides the author with a second education. With clear, eloquent text, she chronicles attempts made to treat those tossed aside by society along with the personal and ideological shifts that accompany this daunting task. All of the political aspects of the hospital's executive board are detailed in a gripping account of the hospital's inner workings, and a human face is expertly given to the healthcare crisis in America.