The authors of this work--a social scientist, a physician/executive, a counselor, and a nurse--are the engineers of a shift in culture, curriculum, and practice at Summa Health System, a large health system affiliated with the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. Here, they examine narrative healthcare practices within frameworks derived from the social sciences, psychology, phenomenology, and autobiographical theory. They relate the development of narrative medicine to relationship-centered care, arguing that narrative medicine can help physicians to develop the skills required to practice relationship-centered care, such as reading and telling complex stories, writing reflectively, compassionate presence, and exercising the moral imagination. Engel is scientific director of the Institute for Professional Inquiry at Summa Health System. Engel is professor emeritus of behavioral science at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)