What sets The Mindful Medical Student apart from similarly themed books is its emphasis on achieving clarity, reflective capacity and wholeness through the creation of a uniquely personal narrative. Spiegel’s techniques facilitate the processing of experiences so students take an active role in moulding their own transformation and protecting themselves against emotional shutdown and cynicism. . . . The Mindful Medical Student is an enjoyable read with an entertaining conversational style. Despite its title, the book shares valuable insights that may be useful for all health care providers in training. It is essentially a manual on how to maintain sanity in an often grueling medical environment and culture, makes a compelling argument that self-care is not a luxury. It gives students permission to step back from their textbooks, to distinguish the forest from the trees and to appreciate their special place in that forest.