Reviewed by Tierney Reardon
Hickspánic by Samuel H. Lowe is a comedic memoir that takes the reader through life working as a medical interpreter in the Deep South. Remaining employed “against all odds”, Lowe’s work as an interpreter is chaotic, confusing, and more often than not, hilarious. Working alongside doctors who rely on the Duolingo app to try to communicate with their Spanish-speaking patients (‘pain’ and ‘here’ are the only two words that coworkers can reliably understand), misunderstandings are inevitable. With crimes against the Spanish language being committed daily, Hickspánic uses constant dry humor and wordplay to paint a picture of Lowe’s daily life. Purchase Here.
From the get-go, it’s clear we are not meant to see Lowe as being good at his job. Constantly getting in trouble with HR for his lack of professionalism, he faces numerous complaints from coworkers and patients alike. His witty quips get him into trouble on many occasions, and he views the code of ethics the hospital staff follows as little more than a loose guideline. While he ruffles countless feathers while attempting to translate for his clients, the hospital sorely needs his language expertise, and so he gets away with perhaps a little more than he should.
The comedy is non-stop in this book, with each chapter being littered with clever one-liners.
There’s never a dull moment, so readers will stay fully engaged. There are many examples of the hilarious misunderstandings that even a single mispronounced syllable can create, with Lowe often letting them unfold rather than stepping in as a translator.
At times, the choice to use patients’ medical emergencies as comedy content seems strange. Some readers may question the ethics of this, wondering why Lowe often chooses to turn an interaction into a joke when he is, at times, the only person qualified to defuse a situation. The reader will learn surprisingly little about Lowe himself, considering that this is a memoir; however, the storytelling structure remains entertaining.
At the end of each chapter, a ‘language decoder’ is provided. These are humorous miniature glossaries of terms used throughout the chapter. Some are Spanish terms, some ‘Spanglish’, and some are Deep South slang, with others being terms of Lowe’s own invention. These are creative, if repetitive, and add an extra layer of depth to the series of anecdotes.
This book is reminiscent of the medical memoir This Is Going to Hurt by comedian Adam Kay, with a similar subject matter and comedic tone. Readers who enjoyed Kay’s book are likely to enjoy Hickspánic. Fans of memoirs dripping with dry, sarcastic humor will find Lowe’s work to be a new favorite. The overall message Lowe leaves us with is that, no matter the situation, laughter can often be the best medicine.