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Thanks so much.

A guest today, Abraham Verghese, is a professor of medicine at Stanford University. But as you're

here today, he's also so much more. He's been a leading voice in the medical profession,

calling for a greater focus on bedside manner and attention to patient's emotional needs.

Most physicians, I know, share these same sentiments, but we are trapped. We are actually

prisoners in what has become the health care business.

Welcome to People I mostly admire with Steve Levitt.

Well, that's his day job. He also writes novels, blockbuster award-winning bestsellers,

like Cutting for Stone, and more recently, The Covenant of Water. How in the world

can one person do all that? Yet, Abraham's own story is as compelling as the ones he writes.

He was born and raised in Ethiopia. His life thrown into chaos from the Ethiopian Civil War

broke out in the 1970s.

So, Abraham, you've built a remarkable life for yourself. You're both a superstar physician

at Stanford University and a bestselling novelist. But I'm personally so curious to hear about your

early life. You grew up in Ethiopia. You were born to Indian parents who were Christian.

Before I read your books, I didn't even realize there was a long Christian tradition in India.

Could you talk about that? Sure. My parents come from a small by Indian standards Christian

...