This is Jeff Hoffman's memoir about growing up in the mid-twentieth century and being raised by a striving, working-class Jewish family, which was fearful and ambitious for him. This ultimately led to a career of caring for people, listening to their stories, alleviating their suffering, and improving the quality of their lives.

Curious about what it's like to train to be a doctor? Have you or someone you care about been through the process? Then you can laugh and suffer with Jeff as he goes through pre-med insecurities, the intensity of med school, and finally, residency training culminating in the development of an empathic skilled and eager young psychiatrist who still has a lot to learn.

Filled with personal and professional anecdotes, funny, fascinating, and sometimes cringeworthy, "who could ever make these things up" patient histories, Gently Down the Stream: A Psychiatrist's Life tells the tale of how with persistence and humor, Jeff was able to carve out the life of a successful doctor while, with his wife Fern, raising a family.