SGIM Book Club

Thursday, May 7 - 1:00-2:00 PM

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Join us for a lively book club discussion of Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt—a novel that resonates deeply with many of the themes we encounter as medical educators, researchers, clinicians, and administrators.

At its heart, this engaging and heartfelt story explores grief, connection, loneliness, intergenerational relationships, and the quiet impact of compassionate attention. Through an unexpected friendship between a widow and a remarkably perceptive octopus, the novel invites us to reflect on perspective-taking, empathy, and the unseen stories shaping the people around us—lessons that feel strikingly relevant to our work in healthcare and education.

Warm, witty, and thought-provoking, Remarkably Bright Creatures offers the perfect springboard for rich conversation about narrative humility, human connection, and the ways we support healing in our learners, colleagues, and patients. We hope you’ll join us for what promises to be an insightful and energizing discussion.

The facilitators of this session have been members of many book clubs and have been leading a book club for GIM fellows for years. The session will be fun, and we will all learn together. Happy reading!

Even if you don't finish (or read) the book, you will be able to participate.