9 books Meredith Grey would read

No one would deny that Meredith’s medical training was chaotic and traumatic, but Sashi’s training might give her some perspective. At the beginning Brotherless NightSashi is a normal 16-year-old girl who dreams of becoming a doctor. She is a good student and a beloved little sister to her four brothers. But then a civil war breaks out in Sri Lanka and Sashi’s life changes forever. This haunting novel follows Sashi through her years of medical training, during which she also works as a field doctor for the Tamil Tigers. Sashi spends years in a difficult conflict, trying to save lives even though everything is at stake.

So this selection may have more intersections with Zola than Meredith, but we think that’s exactly why she would love it. Zola is proud of Meredith and Ellis’ success as doctors, and it’s likely that she will follow in their footsteps. The novel, written by Ghanaian-American doctor Shirlene Obuobi, is about Angela Appiah, who also happens to be a Ghanaian-American doctor. Angela has it all – the job, the boyfriend, the social life, the much-desired recognition from her family – until it all quickly fades away. This is probably the novel that is closest in tone to Grey’s Anatomywhere, under the fluorescent lights of a hospital, the joys and sorrows and unpleasant stories of falling in love with the wrong people play out.

We’ve watched Meredith over decades as she made some dramatic decisions about her life, and the protagonist of Miranda July’s latest novel would definitely identify with her. Said protagonist is a 45-year-old “semi-famous artist” who decides to drive from Los Angeles to New York City. She never makes it, but not for the reasons you might think. Just 20 minutes from home, this mysterious artist stops at a motel where she goes on a much more introspective journey. We think Meredith might understand a thing or two about needing a dark comedy to escape all the pressures of life and find out what’s going on in your head and heart.

Written by infectious disease physician and professor of medicine Abraham Verghese, The Covenant of Water is a gripping cross-generational story. Doctors are featured throughout the book, but we think Meredith would most identify with Mariamma, a woman who pursues medical training to better understand a family curse. That’s all we’ll say about Mariamma’s story, as it’s a few generations into the story and we don’t want to give anything away. But Meredith has proven her commitment to improving many people’s lives through medicine, so she would definitely understand Mariamma’s dedication.

We hear you like long-form stories about complicated relationships that span decades, especially when they’re told from multiple perspectives and offer deep insight into a complex, ambitious woman with complicated relationships (including one with a teacher). Then this book is for you. Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin follows childhood friends Sadie and Sam more or less throughout their lives. Together, the two develop games and struggle through decades of collaboration that have ups and downs. The complexity of their relationships reminds us of the way peers at Grey Sloan Memorial fight for new positions and prestige while developing their skills.

Over the years of Grey’s, many of the doctors have themselves been patients in their own hospital: Meredith during Covid; Cristina after a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy following a severe seizure; and the chief of surgery Teddy in season 20 after a heart attack. Doctors are as vulnerable to tragic illnesses and accidents as anyone else, but it’s always a shock to be on the other side of the familiar equation. This book by Dr. Rana Awdish, an intensive care physician, tracks her real-life experiences after she was admitted to the emergency room and struggled to reconcile the emotional coldness she experienced from the doctors with the very human colleagues she knew at her job. But it makes sense. To deal with tragedy every day, doctors must establish a certain level of self-protective emotional distance. That’s understandable — and even smart. But Dr. Awdish’s thoughtful memoir pushes back against that, seeking a balance between compassion and efficiency in her own work.

Meredith’s mother’s early onset of Alzheimer’s set the tone for Meredith’s early career and drives her research in the final seasons. Written by a Harvard-trained neuroscientist, this novel could have been written from the perspective of Meredith’s mother. The main character is a successful professor who begins to experience memory problems at the age of 50. As you might expect, this is not an easy story to tell, but it offers an insightful look into the devastating effects of this disease and a poignant reminder of the people behind the diagnosis.

This memoir, too, was written by a physician who learned during his residency that he was battling lung cancer that eventually led to death. Paul Kalanithi was a neurosurgery resident and married to another resident, Lucy Kalanithi. He began publishing essays while undergoing cancer treatment, studying surgery, and preparing for the birth of his first child. His perspective on the experience is deeply informed by his medical and literary studies, and the tenderness is palpable. As you can imagine, the tragedy here is deep, but the truth is transcendent. If you want something real, this memoir is the right read.

Zadie and Emma have been friends since medical school, so they’ve seen each other’s many ups and downs. Now mothers with successful careers in medicine, they’ve had a solid friendship for decades – or so they think. When a compelling figure from their past emerges, former chief of medicine Nick Xenokostas, the foundations of their hard-won successes and decades-long friendship are shaken. The cheesy premise of this novel is belied by a beautiful emotional depth that fans of… Grey’s AnatomyOh, and did we mention it was also written by an ER doctor? That’s definitely the topic of this list.

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Shelbi Polk is a writer from Durham, North Carolina who may just read too much. You can find her online at @shelbipolk on Twitter.

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