Fragile Lives

A Heart Surgeon’s Stories of Life and Death on the Operating Table

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Fragile Lives

By: Stephen Westaby

Narrated by: Gordon Griffin

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SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BIOGRAPHY PRIZE

THE SUNDAY TIMES NO.2 BESTSELLER

WINNER OF THE BMA PRESIDENT’S AWARD 2017

An incredible memoir from one of the world’s most eminent heart surgeons, recalling some of the most remarkable and poignant cases he’s worked on.

Grim Reaper sits on the heart surgeon’s shoulder. A slip of the hand and life ebbs away.

The balance between life and death is so delicate, and the heart surgeon walks that rope between the two. In the operating room there is no time for doubt. It is flesh, blood, rib-retractors and pumping the vital organ with your bare hand to squeeze the life back into it. An off-day can have dire consequences – this job has a steep learning curve, and the cost is measured in human life. Cardiac surgery is not for the faint of heart.

Professor Stephen Westaby took chances and pushed the boundaries of heart surgery. He saved hundreds of lives over the course of a thirty-five year career and now, in his astounding memoir, Westaby details some of his most remarkable and poignant cases – such as the baby who had suffered multiple heart attacks by six months old, a woman who lived the nightmare of locked-in syndrome, and a man whose life was powered by a battery for eight years.

A powerful, important and incredibly moving book, Fragile Lives offers an exceptional insight into the exhilarating and sometimes tragic world of heart surgery, and how it feels to hold someone’s life in your hands.

Stephen WestabyGordon GriffinHarperCollins

Death & Dying

Heart Disease

History & Philosophy

Medical

Medicine & Health Care Industry

Philosophy

Physical Illness & Disease

Professionals & Academics

Science

Sociology

Surgery

Medicine

Heartfelt

Death & Dying Heart Disease History & Philosophy Medical Medicine & Health Care Industry Philosophy Physical Illness & Disease Professionals & Academics Science Sociology Surgery Medicine Heartfelt

Critic Reviews

‘Raw and moving… the writing is thrilling. Fragile Lives is a frank and absorbing memoir by a man who has done about as much good to his fellow human beings as it is possible to do in one lifetime.’ – The Times, Book of the Week

‘The stakes could not be higher in this bloody, muscular and adrenaline-charged memoir from a pioneering heart surgeon… at points it made my own heart race dangerously. ‘Surgeons are meant to be objective,’ Westaby tells himself, ‘not human’. What makes this book so fascinating, and so moving, is the terrible tension between these necessary qualities.’ – Sunday Times

‘A full-frontal and thrilling portrayal. Each story in this fascinating book brings a new nail-biting surgical adventure… A gifted surgeon, Westaby is also a natural writer… Fragile Lives succeeds on many levels: political battle cry, chronicle of bloody feats, history of modern cardiology, tribute to patients and paean to surgery.’ – Daily Telegraph

‘Westaby is everything you would hope from a maverick surgical genius: authoritative, engaged, passionate and opinionated. His book, annoyingly well written for someone who has penned only medical papers and handbooks, reads like a thriller, except with rather more corpses. You race to each chapter’s end to see if his certain-to-die patient survives.’ – The Times

‘The book is a cracking example of a thriving sub-genre of autobiography, the medical memoir. Anyone who enjoyed the 2014 bestseller Do No Harm by the brain surgeon Henry Marsh, a friend of Westaby’s, will relish Fragile Lives, too. Each story is gripping, written in a vivid, almost brutal way that matches the blood and gore of cardiac surgery.’ – Financial Times

'At the cutting-edge of scalpel-lit… I love getting a window into this world… I enjoyed so much in this book – the anatomy lesson, the vivid descriptions, the fervour Westaby feels for his work' – Evening Standard

Most relevant

Where does Fragile Lives rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best medical books Ive read. Humorous, witty and well written account of some of the patients that have spanned his career. At times also had me moved to tears I could actually feel the emotions of his connections with his patients and frustrations of working in a broken healthcare system. I was even inspired to want to pursue surgical training!
Would also be easy to understand for those without a medical background.

What did you like best about this story?

How well I was able to feel the emotions of the author.

What about Gordon Griffin’s performance did you like?

Got into character well

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Both