About The Monsoon Diaries: A Doctor's Journey of Hope and Healing from the Er Frontlines to the Far Reaches of the World
There are heroes among us, and Dr. Calvin Sun is one of them. Read this book. -Lisa Ling, journalist
The Monsoon Diaries is the firsthand account of Dr. Calvin Sun, an emergency room doctor who worked tirelessly on the front lines in multiple hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Drawing upon the lessons he learned from his adventures traveling to more than 190 countries in ten years, as well as from the grief he experienced as a teen when his father died, Dr. Sun shares his journey, from growing up as a young Asian American in New York to his calling first to medical school and then to the open road.
He believes that the fight for a better world creates meaning when all feels meaningless, and he hopes that telling his story will help readers reframe this tragic moment in our lifetimes into possibility, with the goal of building a more empathetic society.
Dr. Calvin D. Sun is an emergency physician and clinical assistant professor in emergency medicine. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit New York City, Dr. Sun worked at emergency rooms all over the city and soon gained a substantial online following from sharing his insider experiences and advice.
Dr. Sun has been a frequent guest on national and international new programs to help inform others of the pandemic situation in New York City. He brings medical knowledge and empathy to the story of COVID-19 and is no stranger to grief himself, having lost his father when he was just a teenager, and his grandfather to COVID-19.
Over the past ten years, Dr. Sun has traveled to over 190 countries, while also completing medical school and going through medical residency. With his organization, the Monsoon Diaries, he has led other everyday travelers around the world on memorable adventures.
Award-winning journalist Lisa Ling is the host and executive producer of the CNN Original Series, “This is Life with Lisa Ling,” which is currently in its fifth season. In each episode, Ling immerses herself in communities across America giving viewers an inside look at some of the most unconventional segments of society. In 2017, the series won a Gracie Award.
Ling is also host of the CNN Digital series, “This is Sex with Lisa Ling,” which explores the taboos around sex in America and “This is Birth with Lisa Ling,” which explores how healthcare legislation, income inequality and cultural shifts shape how people have children in America.
Before coming to CNN, Ling was a field correspondent for “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and contributor to ABC News' “Nightline” and National Geographic's “Explorer.” She has reported from dozens of countries, covering stories about gang rape in the Congo, bride burning in India and the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda, among other issues that are too often ignored.
Ling got her start in journalism as a correspondent for Channel One News where she covered the civil war in Afghanistan at 21 years of age. She later went on to become a co-host of ABC Daytime's hit show “The View,” which won its first daytime Emmy during her time at the show. Ling has also served as a special correspondent for CNN's “Planet in Peril” series and is a contributing editor for USA Today's USA Weekend magazine. In 2011, her acclaimed documentary journalism series, “Our America with Lisa Ling,” began airing on OWN.
Ling is the co-author of “Mother, Daughter, Sister, Bride: Rituals of Womanhood” and “Somewhere Inside: One Sister's Captivity in North Korea and the Other's Fight to Bring Her Home,” which she penned with her sister, Laura.
In 2014, President Obama named Ling to the Commission on White House Fellows.
Ling resides in Los Angeles with her husband and two daughters, Jett and Ray.
