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Books : His Brother's Keeper: One Family's Journey to the Edge of Medicine (P.S.)In association with Amazon.comby: Jonathan Weiner  List Price: $14.95 Amazon.com's Price: $11.66 You Save: $3.29 (22%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 616 EAN: 9780060010089 ISBN: 0060010088 Label: Harper Perennial Manufacturer: Harper Perennial Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 384 Publication Date: June 01, 2005 Publisher: Harper Perennial Release Date: June 14, 2005 Studio: Harper Perennial Sales Rank: 660055 Related Items:
Editorial Review: Product Description: Stephen Heywood was twenty-nine years old when he learned that he was dying of ALS -- Lou Gehrig's disease. Almost overnight his older brother, Jamie, turned himself into a genetic engineer in a quixotic race to cure the incurable. His Brother's Keeper is a powerful account of their story, as they travel together to the edge of medicine. The book brings home for all of us the hopes and fears of the new biology. In this dramatic and suspenseful narrative, Jonathan Weiner gives us a remarkable portrait of science and medicine today. We learn about gene therapy, stem cells, brain vaccines, and other novel treatments for such nerve-death diseases as ALS, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's -- diseases that afflict millions, and touch the lives of many more. "The Heywoods' story taught me many things about the nature of healing in the new millennium," Weiner writes. "They also taught me about what has not changed since the time of the ancients and may never change as long as there are human beings -- about what Lucretius calls 'the ever-living wound of love.'" This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - found it boringI read this book solely based on the author's fantastic first book "time love and memory", but found this book to be utterly boring. Instead of an entertaining read filled with scientific facts, we get the tragic and predictable story. Given the slow pace of medical research on most complex disease, the odds of even a billionare being able to save a brother in a short time frame are near zero, let alone a family of more modest resources. The writing style seemed overly simplistic, and i kept thinking ... Read More Rating:  - "What would you do to save your brother's life?"A couple of years ago I had a cancer scare. There was a growth in my kidney that the doctors said was either a dense cyst or a tumor. So I had to have a CAT scan every six months for a year in order to monitor the growth. If it stayed the same, I was OK. But if it expanded, cancer was the most likely diagnosis. Fortunately, it turned out to be a cyst. But I came away from that experience with the knowledge that things can go terribly wrong in my body even if I do everything right. How do you deal ... Read More Rating:  - Science vs. Profitability vs. HumanityThe book itself is compelling as it glides you through the journey Jaime Heywood (the protagonist) takes in order to engineer a cure for his brother who has been diagnosed with ALS. Weiner does a great job in showing the reader the reality and complexities behind scientific discovery and engineering. He also manages to showcase the giants in the world of neuroscience and neurology - the battle and fuse between academia and industry - the red line between ethics and empathy. Although ... Read More Rating: - Heartbreaking and uplifting:I read a review of this book and instantly wanted to read it. It is a heartbreaking story of an amazing family and the sacrifices one brother makes for another. It is well researched and although science is one of the major stars here, the author makes it understandable to the lay person. It made me laugh and cry along with the family - the kind of book you save to read again. I will follow Steven's progress with care and keep this family in my heart for long after the book is finished. Rating: - As a stone felled Goliath, a twitch tries another.A few years ago Stephen Heywood was a great looking guy with a seemingly unending future. Raised among academia and European holidays, he chose a different path, becoming a carpenter. While other guys might make sure that the car was vacuumed out before a date, Stephen was concerned with having to start the car with his left hand, his right seemingly unable to turn the key. But, the object of his affection takes his hand anyway, beginning the journey together, towards...? The reader ... Read More Browse for similar items by category:
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