Thirty Days Hath September

Wealthy fourth-year medical student Jack is miserable and mean. An elderly patient, seeking her long-lost lover, is about to send him on the journey that will change his life.

Aimless Jack Maizel is a slovenly medical student who is unlikeable, arrogant, and slightly manic. Persuaded by his influential parents to pursue a medical career, he cannot hide his contempt for the profession and even for some of his neediest patients. His classmate, Ahgri, a well-mannered and gentlemanly former Tanzanian mountain guide and coffee plantation worker, is an unlikely best friend.

When Maizel begins a month-long clinical rotation on the first day of September in 1982 with a hospital admission work-up for elderly and soft-spoken Mildred Dixon, he has no intention of doing any more than he has to. As the month goes by, she recounts a tender and passionate romance with a young U.S. Army Air Force lieutenant headed off to bombing runs over Germany. She appeals to Jack for help in her last wish of finding the love of her life again.

As the days run out on September, Mildred and Ahgri's collective wit and Mildred's touching plea eventually lead Maizel to a life-altering experience. The astonishing twist that ignites a path for Maizel's future will leave readers with a poignant lesson on how we learn to live and love. Dwinnells's memorable characters and his message of hope, kindness, forgiveness, and redemption will appeal to readers across genres.

Ronald Dwinnells is the author of the Axiom Gold Medal-winning leadership book, Don't Pick Up All the Dog Hairs.