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A review by debyc
Borrowing Life: How Scientists, Surgeons, and a War Hero Made the First Successful Organ Transplant a Reality by Shelley Fraser Mickle
5.0
I knew close to nothing about the first organ transplant before reading this. I would have guessed a general timeline of the first transplant, but beyond that... this was all new and very interesting material! I love this kind of book because there is so much to learn and think about.
The author does an excellent job of making non-fiction read like a story. She has a wide array of 'characters'- many of the people who have influenced the timeline of events before and after the first transplant. I found myself telling my husband details within every chapter: "Hey! Did you know this?.... I have to tell you something! Woah! What about this?..."
It was fun being able to share tidbits with him and gave us something completely out of the norm to talk about. I do think that this book is written in a way that would appeal to many readers- both people that know quite a bit about the topic, as well as people who are coming into it without any idea of what they are going to read.
There were aspects of the material that were repetitive. The fact that people pre-WW2 would have considered such a medical feat to be science fiction and impossible, the characteristics of the doctors and problems that could go wrong. The author, Shelly Frasier Mickle, really did her research and was able to provide many accounts from relatives of the scientists and doctors involved. She also has a fun acknowledgement at the end of the book that talks about why she got involved with writing this book in particular.
Thank you Netgalley and Charlesbridge for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is such a wonderful and informative read- I highly recommend it!
The author does an excellent job of making non-fiction read like a story. She has a wide array of 'characters'- many of the people who have influenced the timeline of events before and after the first transplant. I found myself telling my husband details within every chapter: "Hey! Did you know this?.... I have to tell you something! Woah! What about this?..."
It was fun being able to share tidbits with him and gave us something completely out of the norm to talk about. I do think that this book is written in a way that would appeal to many readers- both people that know quite a bit about the topic, as well as people who are coming into it without any idea of what they are going to read.
There were aspects of the material that were repetitive. The fact that people pre-WW2 would have considered such a medical feat to be science fiction and impossible, the characteristics of the doctors and problems that could go wrong. The author, Shelly Frasier Mickle, really did her research and was able to provide many accounts from relatives of the scientists and doctors involved. She also has a fun acknowledgement at the end of the book that talks about why she got involved with writing this book in particular.
Thank you Netgalley and Charlesbridge for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is such a wonderful and informative read- I highly recommend it!