When the Air Hits Your Brain

Tales from Neurosurgery

By: Frank T Vertosick Jr. MD

Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne

With poignant insight and humor, Frank Vertosick, Jr., MD, describes some of the greatest challenges of his career, including a six-week-old infant with a tumor in her brain, a young man struck down in his prime by paraplegia, and a minister with a .22-caliber bullet lodged in his skull. Told through intimate portraits of Vertosick's patients and unsparing-yet-fascinatingly detailed descriptions of surgical procedures, When the Air Hits Your Brain - the culmination of decades spent struggling to learn an unforgiving craft - illuminates both the mysteries of the mind and the realities of the operating room.

©2008 Frank T. Vertosick, Jr., MD (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A riveting report that shatters the mystique of the brain surgeon as a wizard of technical prowess." ( Publishers Weekly)

Accidental Neurosurgeon

Dr. Vertosick's account of his sideways turn into neurosurgery illustrates the serendipity that shapes our lives, probably oftener than we realize.

His story is an engaging look at the rigours and occasional horrors of medical practice.

For a doctor's perspective, I recommend a look at Kenneth Saladin's review of this book, posted to the Amazon site on November 29, 2013.

Narrator Heyborne does a passably good job, but needs to check the pronunciation of words he does not know before committing them to audio, e.g. aberrant is pronounced a' ber rant with accent on the first syllable, (not a bear' ant) or paraplegic with 4 syllables, (not parapalegic with 5 syllables).

Fascinating

If you could sum up When the Air Hits Your Brain in three words, what would they be?

Revealing. Insightful. Captivating.

What did you like best about this story?

I am not a doctor, nurse or in the medical field yet I listened to the stories from Dr. Vertosick's career with great interest. He describes his journey in neurosurgery with such clarity, humor and vividness, I felt like I was there. I think I may just have a glimpse of what doctors can face when impossible situations present themselves and decisions must be made. I will listen to this book again and check out others by him.

Which character – as performed by Kirby Heyborne – was your favorite?

Dr. Vertosick first and then Gary.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

A little too lengthy to listen in one sitting, I listened whenever I could. The stories were poignant, humorous and beautifully told. I wish the book was longer.

Interesting but glad he's not my doctor.

I hope the guy that wrote this is retired because he has some really backwards views about chronic illnesses and mental health.

That said, it's still a very interesting picture of what the practice was at the time. I just wish it were more critical of the prevailing views.

a great listen

this is the best nonfiction listen to in a long time. I highly recommend it. it is his story it is Medical information.

Really interesting

I felt fully engaged despite being in medicine and not typically wanting to listen to medical books. My only complaint is the performance. Why can’t Mr. Heyborne get some help with medical pronunciation???? Is that so hard? It is distracting to hear him mispronounce so many medical terms. Otherwise great listen.