When Death Becomes Life

“When Death Becomes Life braids unflinching medical history with frank clinical memoir… . there are no demigods in the world of transplant, just especially ambitious and unquesy humans.” – Wall Street Journal

”[A] no-holds-barred narrative… . A visceral tale of hearts and bones, surgical bravura, and the “web of transplantation” that binds people who might never meet.” – Nature

“A fascinating examination of our bodies’ organs and the intimacy of their placement and replacement. Joshua Mezrich weaves in the history, ethics, and technical grit of how doctors and patients navigate this miraculous second chance at life.” – Danielle Ofri, M.D., Ph.D., author of What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear

“An outstanding memoir by a transplant surgeon who combines an autobiography and operating room dramatics with an equally engrossing history of his profession…. Medical memoirs have become a significant genre over the past two decades, and this one ranks near the top, in a class that includes the best.” – Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A valuable account of a key chapter from medical history. Mezrich moves smoothly between the different strands of his narrative, with the historical material as accessible as the autobiographical.” – BookBrowse

“An extraordinary and deftly-crafted combination of medical history and personal memoir, When Death Becomes Life should be a part of every community, college, and university library collection.” – Midwest Book Review

“In his eloquent and illuminating new book, this dedicated doctor and elegant writer weaves stories from his own awe-inspiring work into a history of the medical advances that have made the extension of many lives possible.” – The Entertainment Report

”[When Death Becomes Life] sheds light on a critical area of medicine, one that’s ready for advancements, innovations and breakthroughs… . provid[ing] a fascinating look at the realities of transplantation today.” – CSL Behring

“An attention-grabbing and candid look at human organ transplantation… Success through perseverance is this book’s main theme, and Mezrich does a commendable job sharing his death-to-life experiences in a vital field.” – Publishers Weekly

“Skillfully stitching medical memoir to medical history, transplant surgeon Joshua Mezrich shares stories of patients and donors, provides profiles of pioneers in the field of organ transplantation, and serves up some self-examination… . [An] enlightening transplantation chronicle.” – Booklist

Joshua Mezrich, MD, a graduate of Cornell Medical School, is an associate professor of surgery in the division of multi-organ transplantation at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.