Everything that Makes Us Human
Jay Jayamohan
“Jay Jayamohan makes life and death decisions on a daily basis. That’s because he’s a Consultant Paediatric Neurosurgeon in a busy Oxford hospital. Every day, parents put all their faith in him to make their In this gripping and sometimes heartrending book, Jayamohan – who has featured in two highly acclaimed BBC fly-on-the-wall series following the work of neurosurgeons – brings the highs and lows of the operating theatre into vivid life.”
I really enjoyed this book and found it quite compulsive reading. The author has a smooth narrative style that provokes both ‘haha’ moments and deadly (haha) experiences. The format of essentially one major patient story per chapter worked well, even though it didn’t seem to be completely chronological. There were some small things in his educational journey that pushed him towards brain surgery, and then pediatric surgery. Working with children and their ‘plastic’ brains is fascinating, and I loved hearing about how sometimes it’s amazing the way children bounce back from surgeries.
I don’t know if he addressed what makes us human, but it was a catchy title! I’m fascinated by the stories and the humility of parents who have to accept that they won’t have a full length life with their child. The question of whether someone has a life worth living or not is a tricky one, particularly because I’ve just finished reading a fantastic book on palliative care (I cried).
I think I’d be happy to read another book by Doctor Jay and I’d highly recommend it to anyone interested in neuroscience or medicine.
