When Death Becomes Life

A transplant surgeon''s “visceral tale of hearts and bones, surgical bravura, and the ‘web of transplantation’ that binds people who might never meet” (Nature).

At the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Joshua Mezrich creates life from loss, transplanting organs from one body to another. In this intimate, profoundly moving work, he illuminates the extraordinary field of transplantation that enables this kind of miracle to happen every day. Mezrich examines more than a hundred years of remarkable medical breakthroughs, connecting this history with the inspiring and heartbreaking stories of his transplant patients. He introduces the maverick surgeons who made transplantation a reality. And he takes us inside the operating room and unlocks the wondrous process of transplant surgery, a delicate, intense ballet requiring precise timing, breathtaking skill, and at times, creative improvisation.

When Death Becomes Life also engages in fascinating ethical and philosophical debates: How much risk should a healthy person be allowed to take to save someone she loves? Should a patient suffering from alcoholism receive a healthy liver? What defines death, and what role did organ transplantation play in that definition? The human story behind the most exceptional medicine of our time, Mezrich’s riveting book is a poignant reminder that a life lost can also offer the hope of a new beginning.

“Outstanding … . . . 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)

“Braids unflinching medical history with frank clinical memoir. . . . there are no demigods in the world of transplant, just especially ambitious and unqueasy humans.” — Wall Street Journal

“A clear and compelling account of the grueling daily work, the spellbinding history and the unsettling ethical issues that haunt this miraculous lifesaving treatment. Mezrich''s compassionate and honest voice, punctuated by a sharp and intelligent wit, render the enormous subject not just palatable but downright engrossing.” —Pauline Chen, author of Final Exam: A Surgeon’s Reflections on Mortality

“Fascinating . . .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