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Somewhere between a so-so & pick for me. I am glad I read it and many chapters were fascinating, however there were lulls. Most interesting were the actual case studies and people. The part where they said odds of death for living liver donors are as high as 1 in 200 was scary for me as my husband had tried to be a living donor for his brother, but rejected due to a previous brain injury. Thankfully my B-i-L was saved by a deceased donor!

For the first time in weeks I have both the time and the energy to read for more than 5 minutes. Feels so good to have a moment to breath and slow down! Getting back at this book.

"While I've been on a plane many times, I'd never experienced the full power of a thunderstorm at ten thousand feet."

Could not be more excited about my new book that arrived today! My brother-in-law had a life saving transplant almost 2 years ago and the subject is so intriguing. Especially knowing that the people who first had the idea to do this would have been considered mavericks at best, and crazy at worst. Think I might put my other book on pause for now to start this one...there is no waiting!

I‘m digging the influx of #medical memoir type books. #surgery #nonfiction

I read this because I was interested in learning more about the politics behind transplantation--who does and does not get transplants and why. Unfortunately, the book doesn't touch upon this until more than halfway through, and then only briefly.

Whoa whoa whoa. Stop right there. The clergy deal in childish fairy tales. Surgery is SCIENCE. Why would a doctor need to consult clergy? If you ever see your doctor praying or consulting clergy, get a different doctor, IMMEDIATELY!

It's always harder to operate on bigger, obese patients. The vessels are deeper and surrounded by fat, making the operation take place in a deep hole. It has always amazed me that people outside of surgery are surprised by this; I suppose they want to believe that all surgeries are the same and predictable.

This was from the turn of the twentieth century up until WWII. Not surprisingly, Hitler kind of put a damper on that whole eugenics thing.

This was a very interesting read that delved deeply into the history and science behind organ transplantation and all the experiments and medical advancements through history that have helped pave the way for organ transplantation. Although it's really technical at times, it's overall a good and fascinating read.

I‘ve convinced Carolyn to become part of the Litsy family!! Let‘s give her some love!! She‘s an amazing person and I am so glad I met her. I know you‘ll guys will love her too!

I loved this nonfiction book about organ transplant! It was a great mix of history and Mezrich‘s personal experience as a surgeon. I especially loved the donor and recipient stories. #booksleeve #nonfiction #science #organtransplant

Book mail!

Mezrich presents a history of solid organ transplantation alongside his own history of learning to become a transplant surgeon (mostly kidneys and livers). Each road was long and hard; if you know anything about this branch of medicine, it comes with significant risk of failure. Mezrich includes two chapters where he presents the stories of some of his recipients and of the donors and their families. If you aren‘t moved by them you have no soul.