Quirky patients, one-of-a-kind employees, and farm animals set the stage for this humorous, tender, and sometimes irreverent saga of Dr. Carroll James’s dental practice. Headphone-clad patients bop in the dental chair while Dr. James tries to work on the moving target; a long-timer happily drops her pants to show off her latest surgical scar; and a lost cell phone drops out of a patient’s boxer shorts.

You just can’t make this stuff up.

Working from his rural home office, Dr. James juggles family, patients, staff, and occasional livestock as he struggles to maintain his professional decorum. After thirty years of scatterbrained staff and distinct clientele, he often finds himself simply shaking his head with a laugh. Alongside the colorful assistants and hilarious antics, we learn just how challenging—and perilous—dental school can be, as well as witnes the acquisition of a half-built farmette certain to take years to finish, a few errant horses, an intriguing trip to Russia with US-USSR Bridges for Peace, and poignant lessons that, when you’re not chuckling at the author’s childhood (and sometimes adult) mischief, are sure to touch your heart.

I Swear to Tell the Tooth