When Death Becomes Life: Notes from a Transplant Surgeon by Joshua Mezrich (2019 nonfiction)
The author introduces the reader into the world of transplanting organs or parts of organs from one human to another human. While efforts to accomplish these often life-saving procedures began years ago, it has only been in the late 20th and early 21st century where remarkable advances have been made by pioneering surgeons and other dedicated medical personnel. Transplants of kidney, liver, heart, pancreas and other vital tissues and organs have become almost routine with the development of immunosuppressive drugs that ward off rejection of these parts of the human body. Mezrich writes of this history and his experiences in a compassionate voice, fully recognizing the roles played by the medical community, but also, most importantly, those of the donors, their loved ones, and the grateful recipients.
Reviewed by Ned Lyke