Making the Rounds: Defying Norms in Love and Medicine

Making the Rounds is the fascinating memoir by Patricia Grayhall (pen name) which gives readers a glimpse into the complicated life of a female doctor in the 1960s and 1970s while becoming comfortable in her own skin as a lesbian. Grayhall does a wonderful job of starting from the beginning and leading her readers through her life, not leaving anything out, no matter how embarrassing or self-deprecating.

The book begins with a young Patricia who is about fourteen or fifteen years old. Her playmates were often male and she loved to dress in jeans rather than the dresses her mother would have preferred. Patricia knew she had an interest in girls but didn’t know any other female who had this interest. She started to think she was the only lesbian in Arizona. Reading about how Patricia was able to find education about gays and lesbians at such a young age was impressive. She called a lesbian organization in San Francisco to obtain their magazine via mail. Patricia goes on to have a heterosexual relationship but knows deep down that she loves women. In the 1960s and 1970s, it was very brave of her to admit this, although she was careful to who she admitted it.

On top of everything, Patricia attends Arizona State University and decides to pursue a career in internal medicine. However, she also starts frequenting San Francisco because there are many opportunities to find other lesbians. The book is written in such a way that the reader follows Patricia through her relationships with several women in a polyamorous fashion as well as through the hospital doors as she experiences sexism in the male-dominated medical field. I loved how she told stories about some of the patients she had during her time as an intern/resident. While I was reading this book, however, sometimes I felt as if I was reading about two different women; the professional Patricia who studied hard and knew her stuff at work, and the Patricia who was discovering and learning more about her own sexuality via a series of relationships. I wondered how she was able to concentrate on her studies when it seemed like all she could think about was the women in her life.

The people Patricia met throughout this time in her life were so interesting and different from one another. I especially liked her roommate David who put up with Patricia’s emotional ups and downs and her lack of housekeeping. This sounds like a true friend to me. From the people whom she meets, Patricia grows and learns more about herself and her likes and dislikes.

Making the Rounds is a wonderful book that flows from page to page keeping its readers engaged in Patricia’s story and wanting to know where it would go next. Inspiring, heartfelt, and brutally honest at times, this is a book that will give women and those who care about them, the strength and motivation to persevere through the trials and tribulations in life.