I picked up this book as it seemed similar to ‘When breathe becomes air’ and it would be fascinating to read about the life of a brain surgeon. I did think some of the stories were interesting but it seemed a little dry and disconnected. The chapters each focus on a different brain disorder, which makes sense from the author’s point of view, but is less interesting for a casual reader. It would have benefited from being written more like an autobiography, so looking at key procedures over his career chronologically. I think the parts focusing on specific patients and you find out a little more about them make them more interesting compared with some of the other cases where it can be as short as ‘this patient came in last night, we looked at the scan, I operated and it went well’ it’s just not interesting for the reader. At times I felt his tone was also a bit self-important and obnoxious. He does discuss the ego of surgeons and how he tried to have more empathy with patients, but it can make him unlikable.
Overall it was an interesting book, I would recommend this for anyone studying medicine or a related course, or anyone with an interest in neurosurgery, as they are likely to get the most out of this book.
