Heart in the Right Place: A Memoir by Carolyn Jourdan

Heart in the Right Place

Heart in the Right Place: A Memoir

By Carolyn Jourdan

Carolyn Jourdan, an attorney on Capitol Hill, thought she had it made. But when her mother has a heart attack, she returns home-to the Tennessee mountains, where her father is a country doctor and her mother works as his receptionist. Jourdan offers to fill in for her mother until she gets better. But days turn into weeks as she trades her suits for scrubs and finds herself following hazmat regulations for cleaning up bodily fluids; maintaining composure when confronted with a splinter the size of a steak knife; and tending to the loquacious Miss Hiawatha, whose daily doctor visits are never billed. Most important, though, she comes to understand what her caring and patient father means to her close-knit community. With great humor and great tenderness, Heart in the Right Place shows that some of our biggest heroes are the ones living right beside us.


Lily's Thoughts-
Carolyn Jourdan's amusing but poignant spiritual journey into what is really most important in life does not disappoint. Jourdan comes back home to rural Tennessee from her prestigious job in Washington, DC to help her father, a doctor, while her mother, his receptionist, recuperates from an illness. Her descriptions of the parade of eccentric but lovable characters through her father's small country medical practice leave the reader completely absorbed into the story and wanting more. By the end of the story a realization sets in--success is not measured by fame, money, or location of residence--but by the small, although significant, differences for the better we make in others lives.

5 Blooms

Disclosure:  This book was given by Elle Magazine in exchange for a review.

Author Spotlight: Carolyn Jourdan

I'm proud to announce that Carolyn Jourdan is the first author to be spotlighted on this blog. Those of us who have read Carolyn's beloved Heart in the Right Place can't wait to see what she brings us next.

For those who haven't had the pleasure, Heart in the Right Place is "the true story of a spoiled, high-powered Washington lawyer forced to give up a glamorous job at the Senate, come back home to the Smoky Mountains, and work as an unpaid and inept receptionist in her father's tiny medical office. Comedy, pathos, and bad reception follow." The book is the winner of numerous awards and critical acclaim.

Carolyn's website, www.carolynjourdan.com, is chocked full of fun. You'll find everything from podcasts to her comedy blog. You'll also see the many, many accolades that her book has received. You can even click a link to hear her self-proclaimed hillbilly accent!

Each author spotlight will ask the featured author the same three questions. Here's what Carolyn has to say-

What was your inspiration?
James Herriot’s "All Creatures Great and Small", my wacky family, and our amazing Smoky Mountain community.

How has completing this project changed you?
Getting an objective look at yourself is agonizing, but useful. Working on a memoir and then going through the editorial process is a really valuable chance to get insight into how you go about in the world. Once you recover from the shock, you have the chance to tweak any aspects of yourself you’re not particularly proud of. In my case, the follow-up “tweaking” was a mammoth undertaking.

What are you working on now/next?
I’m finishing up "The Laying on of Hands", a collection of true stories from country doctors, each of whom at the time of telling had been in practice for 40-60 years. The stories concern absurd or terrifying real life peak moments from the careers of dozens of men who worked alone in some of the most isolated and poverty-stricken areas of the country.

Great answers! Thank you, Carolyn, and thank you to our readers!