Publishers Weekly
★ 06/10/2024
Neurosurgeon Schwartz’s excellent debut intersperses details about the history of brain surgery with background on what it’s like to perform the procedure. He traces neurosurgery’s origins to Yale University doctor Harvey Cushing’s pioneering operations in the early 20th century; chronicles the development of stereotactic radiosurgery (targeting tumors with radiation), hemicraniectomies (removing part of the skull to accommodate brain swelling), and other techniques; and highlights horrific methods from the field’s past (early lobotomies involved blindly swiping a “butter knife–like instrument” back and forth to disconnect the frontal lobe from the rest of the brain). Discussing the difficult decisions neurosurgeons face daily, Schwartz recounts making tough calls about how aggressive to be during surgery, noting that attempts to remove tumors in sensitive areas risk causing “blindness, deafness, or an inability to swallow.” Schwartz’s frank reflections on the devastation he feels after unsuccessful procedures attest to the psychological toll of the profession (“I know I did my best for her at the time. It’s just that my best wasn’t good enough”), and he cleverly elucidates various procedures with celebrity case studies. For instance, he uses actor Michael J. Fox’s thalamotomy to discuss how the operation inserts electrodes into the brain to disrupt misfiring neurons in people with Parkinson’s disease. Sweeping and consistently captivating, this impresses. Photos. (Aug.)
From the Publisher
A fascinating glimpse behind the curtain…. Dr. Schwartz has spent his career using his hands to make brains healthier. Now, he uses the power of stories to shed light on the mysteries of the mind.”
—The Wall Street Journal
“Neurosurgeon Schwartz’s excellent debut intersperses details about the history of brain surgery with background on what it’s like to perform the procedure…Sweeping and consistently captivating, this impresses.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred)
"An informative study of modern brain surgery. . . . Mixing expertise with storytelling, Schwartz provides a remarkable account of a crucial but misunderstood field.”
—Kirkus (starred)
“If you are at all curious about the brain or the surgeons who operate on it, Gray Matters is a must read and Dr. Theodore Schwartz is the perfect guide, a master brain surgeon and superbly talented writer. I have not read a better biography of our shared profession, and in Schwartz's talented hands, the most enigmatic 3 1/2 pounds of tissue in the known universe comes to light in remarkable and revelatory ways.”
—Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, and New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age
“Gray Matters is a riveting journey through the intricacies and complexities of the human brain, a compelling read for anyone considering a career in medicine, or anyone simply curious about the work life of a brain surgeon. The fascinating stories of people undergoing brain surgery highlight the mix of human ingenuity and daring that have propelled the field.”
—Anna Lembke, MD, author of Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence
“With equal doses compassion, humor, and narrative skill, Schwartz creates a spellbinding account of what goes through the brain of a top neurosurgeon staring into the deep mysteries of his patients' brains. A must read for anyone who has ever had a brain.”
—Daniel J. Levitin, Successful Aging and I Heard There Was A Secret Chord: A Neuroscientist Explores Music As Medicine
“An exciting and engaging romp around the history, innerworkings, and near limitless potential of the human brain. If you like Mary Roach’s genre of immersive storytelling then you will love this view from the inside of the world of brain surgery. An outstanding read, and I highly recommend to brain surgeons and non-brain surgeons alike!"
—Jay Wellons, author of All That Moves Us: A Pediatric Neurosurgeon, His Young Patients, and Their Stories of Grace and Resilience (voted one of the best books of 2022 by The New Yorker and Publishers Weekly)
"A fascinating and wide-ranging account of what neurosurgery is really about—the past, present and future.”
—Henry Marsh, neurosurgeon and New York Times bestselling author of Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery and And Finally: Matters of Life and Death
“Blending personal experiences from the operating room with neuroscience’s historical roots and contemporary examples, Dr. Theodore H. Schwartz gives readers a captivating glimpse into the high-stakes, emotionally charged world of brain surgery. A riveting read that unveils the humanity, history, and science behind the scalpel.”
—Dana Suskind, pediatric surgeon and author of the New York Times bestseller Parent Nation and Thirty Million Words
“Whether you are interested in history, medicine or specifically neurosurgery, Gray Matters by Dr. Theodore Schwartz will not only satisfy your curiosity, it will entertain you with riveting accounts of life and death situations. The book is highly readable and very educational as well.”
—Ben Carson, founder and chairman of American Cornerstone Institute, emeritus professor of Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Medicine, and 17th Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
"Fascinating."
—Terry Gross on Fresh Air
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2024-05-04
An informative study of modern brain surgery.
Schwartz, a leading neurosurgeon and professor of minimally invasive neurosurgery at Weill Cornell Medicine, traces the turbulent history of his field, from the days when the chances of survival from an operation were poor to recent significant breakthroughs. Neurosurgery was one of the last areas of medicine to develop, beginning in the late 1800s, simply because of the inherent difficulty of working with the brain and the inadequacy of the available tools. For a long time, the only way to reach the brain was to break the skull, a process that could easily do more harm than good. Eventually, the discipline progressed, as scientists and doctors increased their understanding of the functions and parts of the brain and how to manipulate them effectively. Schwartz’s career has stretched from the days of boring holes through bone to noninvasive entry methods, such as through the nasal cavity, a technique he pioneered. Brain surgery often takes many hours, and every surgeon, writes the author, has lost patients. You must accept it and move on, but it never gets easier. Much of neurosurgery deals with head traumas caused by falls, collisions, or violence. Schwartz has worked on many such cases, but his specialty is removing tumors in the difficult areas at the bottom of the brain. With improvements like microscopic cameras, MRIs, and endoscopic tools, the success rate has dramatically improved. Schwartz provides anecdotes and case studies to give the story a human dimension, and he notes that surgery to address even strokes and Parkinson’s disease is becoming possible. While parts of the text are inevitably technical, the author is warm and insightful, making the book accessible to general readers as well as specialists.
Mixing expertise with storytelling, Schwartz provides a remarkable account of a crucial but misunderstood field.
