An inspiring story about a novel medical invention, albeit one stretched thin as a single layer of gauze.
The tale of an outcast engineer and a desperate marketer who came together to create a new medical technology.
In a book that blends biography, history, and medical science, Barber—a lecturer in psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine and author of Comfortably Numb and Citizen Outlaw—begins with an unlikely duo: Frank Hursey, an eccentric and uncharismatic inventor who uncovered the blood-clotting properties of the common mineral zeolite but sat on the discovery for years until he teamed up with salesman Bart Gullong. Together, they launched a new company, Z-Medica, in 2002 and introduced their zeolite blood-clotting product, QuikClot, to the U.S. Navy, to rousing success. Over the course of its venture, Z-Medica overcame obstacles from the outside—namely, those of antagonistic Dr. John Holcomb, the head of trauma medicine for the Army—and from within when Gullong struggled with his own personal traumas. It is a classic American success story—perhaps too classic even for the broad target audience. The author’s prose is readable by anyone, background in medical technologies or not, including explanations and common terms whenever technical phrasing arises. This fits well with the biographical content but contrasts with the explorations of the mechanics of various technologies. Specialist readers may be interested in these sections, though Barber doesn’t delve deeply enough and includes redundancies to keep general audiences up to speed. Just as abundant are extra biographical elements, namely character backgrounds for the minor players in Hursey and Gullong’s story. While often interesting in their own rights, these character-specific historical asides are presented formulaically and have little bearing on the primary narrative. The core story lacks sufficient development, requiring numerous digressions, some of them intriguing and at least tangentially related, to fill out the text.
An inspiring story about a novel medical invention, albeit one stretched thin as a single layer of gauze.Pub Date: May 30, 2023
ISBN: 9781538709863
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Review Posted Online: March 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
A welcome reference, entertaining and information-packed, for any outdoors-inclined reader.
The bad news: On any given outdoor expedition, you are your own worst enemy. The good news: If you are prepared, which this book helps you achieve, you might just live through it.
As MeatEater host and experienced outdoorsman Rinella notes, there are countless dangers attendant in going into mountains, woods, or deserts; he quotes journalist Wes Siler: “People have always managed to find stupid ways to die.” Avoiding stupid mistakes is the overarching point of Rinella’s latest book, full of provocative and helpful advice. One stupid way to die is not to have the proper equipment. There’s a complication built into the question, given that when humping gear into the outdoors, weight is always an issue. The author’s answer? “Build your gear list by prioritizing safety.” That entails having some means of communication, water, food, and shelter foremost and then adding on “extra shit.” As to that, he notes gravely, “a National Park Service geologist recently estimated that as much as 215,000 pounds of feces has been tossed haphazardly into crevasses along the climbing route on Denali National Park’s Kahiltna Glacier, where climbers melt snow for drinking water.” Ingesting fecal matter is a quick route to sickness, and Rinella adds, there are plenty of outdoorspeople who have no idea of how to keep their bodily wastes from ruining the scenery or poisoning the water supply. Throughout, the author provides precise information about wilderness first aid, ranging from irrigating wounds to applying arterial pressure to keeping someone experiencing a heart attack (a common event outdoors, given that so many people overexert without previous conditioning) alive. Some takeaways: Keep your crotch dry, don’t pitch a tent under a dead tree limb, walk side-hill across mountains, and “do not enter a marsh or swamp in flip-flops, and think twice before entering in strap-on sandals such as Tevas or Chacos.”
A welcome reference, entertaining and information-packed, for any outdoors-inclined reader.Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-12969-2
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Oct. 6, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2020
Jobs was an American original, and Isaacson's impeccably researched, vibrant biography—fully endorsed by his subject—does...
An unforgettable tale of a one-of-a-kind visionary.
With a unique ability to meld arts and technology and an uncanny understanding of consumers' desires, Apple founder Steve Jobs (1955–2011) played a major role in transforming not just computer technology, but a variety of industries. When Jobs died earlier this month, the outpouring of emotion from the general public was surprisingly intense. His creations, which he knew we wanted before we did, were more than mere tools; everything from the iPod to the MacBook Pro touched us on a gut level and became an integral part of our lives. This was why those of us who were hip to Steve Jobs the Inventor were so moved when he passed. However, those who had an in-depth knowledge of Steve Jobs the Businessman might not have taken such a nostalgic view of his life. According to acclaimed biographer and Aspen Institute CEO Isaacson (American Sketches: Great Leaders, Creative Thinkers, and a Heroes of a Hurricane, 2009, etc.) in this consistently engaging, warts-and-all biography, Jobs was not necessarily the most pleasant boss. We learn about Jobs' predilection for humiliating his co-workers into their best performances; his habit of profanely dismissing an underling's idea, only to claim it as his own later; and his ability to manipulate a situation with an evangelical, fact-mangling technique that friends and foes alike referred to as his "reality distortion field." But we also learn how—through his alternative education, his pilgrimage to India, a heap of acid trips and a fateful meeting with engineering genius Steve Wozniak—Jobs became Jobs and Apple became Apple. Though the narrative could have used a tighter edit in a few places, Isaacson's portrait of this complex, often unlikable genius is, to quote Jobs, insanely great.
Jobs was an American original, and Isaacson's impeccably researched, vibrant biography—fully endorsed by his subject—does his legacy proud.Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4516-4853-9
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2011
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