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 Soul Man March 8, 2008
John Robbins was a good friend to many people, and I was fortunate enough to know him when he lived and worked in North Carolina. "Strings - The Miracle of Life" is a great story by a talented historian. John was always a true raconteur - he could hold you spellbound with utter nonsense, or really make you think about the hard decisions in life. It came as no surprise to me that John Robbins wrote a book about love and death and healthcare that I had to read in one sitting.
I knew John and this was his story. June 10, 1999
3 out of 4 found this comment useful.
It was with great saddness that I recently learned of the passing of Dr. John Robbins from one of his Thai friends.I knew John in Bangkok prior to his illness and saw him in Washington, D.C. both while he was waiting for the transplant and later after he received it. My last conversation with him was at the time his book was published and he was so excited by the possibilities. John's use of the Buddhist "stings" to hold the book together is wonderful. His "rat-a-tat" writing style in describing the fast pace of medical events is attention-getting. John changed the world a bit with his book. I regret I will not be able to tell him how much it meant to me.
This book is the best non-fiction book I have ever read July 27, 1998
2 out of 2 found this comment useful.
Mr. Robbins takes the reader, grabs them quickly, and doesn't let go until the end. You know he survives his ordeal, but you are still in tears in the middle wondering "is he going to make it?"Thanks for writing this valuable book.
An inpiring near death story about "effortless effort". July 16, 1998
2 out of 2 found this comment useful.
John Robbins uses a mix of Buddhaism and basketball (effortless effort) to tell how he survived and prospered after a near death experience. Part medical thriller and part spiritual exploration, he tells his story of surviving a liver transplant. His recollections about his surgeon alone are worth the read. A very good writer, he tells his story without without self-pity or fatalism. Inspiring is perhaps an over-used word in book reviews, but you will agree it applies to Strings.
A tango between the protagonists of Coma and D.O.A.! July 13, 1998
1 out of 1 found this comment useful.
This is a nonfiction book that baby boomers facing health crises--their own or their parents'--should read. But this tale of miraculous recovery from life-threatening illness feels more like a Vonnegut novel than the standard human interest story you might expect.It cuts elegantly between the tense and fast-paced action of a quite miraculous liver transplant and sophisticated spiritual and philosophical questions about ethical issues in life and medicine. There is a wonderful section that presents the disorientation of a type A personality in a medical crisis--mental confusion due to prolonged illness, lack of control, medical complications, frustration at the slow pace of recovery--and reads like a primer for 50-somethings who are facing their first serious illness or surgery or trying to understand the growing frailty and increasing health care needs of their aging parents. It weaves the varied and sometimes conflicting perspectives of patient, family, and med! ! ical professionals into the most complete picture of a modern medical crisis I've seen.
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