Shocked

Adventures in Bringing Back the Recently Dead

By: David Casarett M.D.

Narrated by: Walter Dixon

Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

Not too long ago, there was no coming back from death. But now, with revolutionary medical advances, death has become just another serious complication. As a young medical student, Dr. David Casarett was inspired by the story of a two-year-old girl named Michelle Funk. Michelle fell into a creek and was underwater for over an hour. When she was found she wasn't breathing, and her pupils were fixed and dilated. That drowning should have been fatal. But after three hours of persistent work, a team of doctors and nurses was able to bring her back. It was a miracle. If Michelle could come back after three hours of being dead, what about 12 hours? Or 24? What would it take to revive someone who had been frozen for 1,000 years? And what does blurring the line between "life" and "death" mean for society?

In Shocked, Casarett chronicles his exploration of the cutting edge of resuscitation and reveals just how far science has come. He begins in the 18th century, when early attempts at resuscitation involved public displays of barrel rolling, horseback riding (sort of), and blowing smoke up the patient's various orifices. He then takes us inside a sophisticated cryonics facility in the Arizona desert, a darkroom full of hibernating lemurs in North Carolina, and a laboratory that puts mice into a state of suspended animation. The result is a spectacular tour of the bizarre world of doctors, engineers, animal biologists, and cryogenics enthusiasts trying to bring the recently dead back to life. Fascinating, thought-provoking, and (believe it or not) funny, Shocked is perfect for those looking for a prequel - and a sequel - to Mary Roach's Stiff, or for anyone who likes to ponder the ultimate questions of life and death.

©2014 David Casarett M.D. (P)2014 Gildan Media LLC

Critic reviews

"Shocked is by turns heartbreaking and hilarious. But more than that, it’s an important book that should force an urgent discussion of the hairline border between alive and dead, and the incredible ethical (and economic) questions we face as technology redraws that boundary." (David Epstein, author of The Sports Gene)

Incredibly interesting and entertaining

Seems like an odd topic for a casual read but it was well written, humorous and very informative. Learn something that naught save a life...or not.

Relevant, Educational, Entertaining, & Hysterical

This book takes a deadly serious topic (sorry, I couldn't resist) and inserts so much levity and humor that one cannot help but laugh out loud at parts. David Cassarett, MD has done a brilliant job of taking some highly technical research and breaking it down so it's not only understandable to a layman but so it's funny and entertaining enough to make you enjoy learning it. I had to be careful listening to it around my sleeping infant or my laughter would wake her. The narrator's somewhat deadpan delivery makes it even funnier. I'm so glad I got this as an audiobook and didn't just read it.

If you loved Mary Roach's Stiff, this book is much in the same vein exploring the fine line between dead and REALLY dead and where science has made progress at blurring that line. How dead is too dead exactly? This book will have you scratching your head. He explores not just the science but the financial and ethical implications of answering such a question. But most importantly, he does it with humor and levity and a forward momentum that keeps you invested and interested. I really think most anyone with a sense of humor can really appreciate this book, and anyone with the potential to one day be dead or really dead can find it relevant...so...everyone...really, everyone.

My only word of caution is that there are descriptions of animal testing. The author handles those descriptions with levity and still seems to me to impart due respect to those creatures that gave their lives in the pursuit of science. I am able to insulate my animal-loving mind enough to handle the clinical descriptions and they really are necessary inclusions in the book to help one understand where the science has taken our research related to resuscitation but if you're a PETA member or are super sensitive about such things, you might need to skip this book.

In short, I think this book is nothing short of a brilliant, relevant, and entertaining look into a topic that NEEDS more discussion. Opportunities to learn information like this and have fun and feel entertained while doing so are very few and far between. Even if non-fiction isn't your usual cup of tea, you aren't going to be disappointed with this purchase. And for those that enjoyed Stiff, you're going to LOVE this one. Books like this don't come along very often, don't miss out. Five stars across the board. This one is a gem.

Well Worth It

As a medical social worker for over 25 years I found this book informative and entertaining. I personally saw the sometimes devasting outcomes for patients and their families who opted for too much medical intervention with little understanding or appreciation for the likelihood of a less than positive outcome. As the author points out there have been remarkable advancements in medical care but all interventions are not always successful in every case. Personally, I loved the author's somewhat "sick" sense of humor but I suspect some listener's might be taken aback that anything dealing with death can have humor associated with it.

too much about cryonics

if cryonics we're not discussed so much, I'd give it a better rating. It's still informative though.

Very humorous for complicated information

I was surprised how funny and enjoyable this book was considering the topic.
The author never made light of death but made explanations of complicated medical information very funny and enjoyable for both the layman and medical professionals!

Realustic overview

Interesting and realistic look at resuscitation and the science and technology attempting to improve its outcome. If you can't stomach the details of animal experiments you probably want to avoid the book or listen to the beginning and the end. The general outcome of CPR is poor, but if given the chance you have to try. This discusses scientific investigations about how to improve it, and even includes a look at cryogenic preservation that still remains in the science fiction realm.The author also covers some successful attempts at resuscitation.

Dead vs. Sincerely Dead

Who here hasn't had to take a CPR course? Aren't we in an age where we expect life to be extended? "Shocked" takes all of this and explores it one way, turns it on its head another.
This is part Mystery: hunting down early attempts at resuscitation with the Royal Humane Society, hibernation, how the wood frog manages to live (be dead?) in harsh northern winters, and miracles. It's also part Science Fiction: zombie dogs, suspended animation, cryonics, and decapitated heads in a warehouse.
Casarett pursues all avenues, delves into hands-on research with zeal and cheeky good humor. The most gruesome of experiments turns into a laugh out loud moment, tho' you may find yourself cringing, with your toes curling.
I have to admit that my attention did wander a bit when he got into in-depth explanations of the functioning of the heart, cells, mitochondria and such, even though he explains it so simply that even I could understand, but that's my failing and not his. For the most part, this is a truly interesting and entertaining book.
FAIR WARNING: While a lot of the advances in the science of resuscitation come from freak accidents people have, most of it comes from animal experimentation. If you're an animal lover, as I am, you might be appalled. But even I know that the meds I'm on have come at an animal's price. Still, if you're sensitive, this might be a book you want to skip.
But you'll be missing a lot. 'Cause this is a funny, enlightening, and engaging book, delivered with sometimes tongue-in-cheek, sometimes deadpan tones.
By the way, you'll love the bit where he experiments on himself by being strapped chest down on a trotting horse... :)

Thought provoking and surprisingly funny

Dr. Casarett's writing style is both entertaining and informative. He describes complicated (and simple) biological processes in ways that are easy enough to understand, all the while injecting a subtle (but much needed, given the subject matter) sense of humor. I thought I was going to hate Dixon's narration right at the beginning, but I was wrong. Turns out he was perfect for this book.
All around good listen - interesting, entertaining, good for a few chuckles, and thought provoking.

great

very informative, liked this book very much. I wish there were more books on this subject

Not what I thought

What did you like best about Shocked? What did you like least?

I am not sure if I read the summary about this book when I got it, but it was not what i expected or thought that it would be about. I guess I thought it would be about summary but this book goes into detail about the testing on animals and trying to kill them and then bring them back to life.

Would you recommend Shocked to your friends? Why or why not?

Not really, I could barely stomach this book when it got to the animal testing part, I found the true stories in the beginning of real people who were dead and then were brought back to life, which I thought this whole book was going to be about miracle stories like that, but it wasn't. Most of my friends are animal lovers and would not like this book due to the testing.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

nothing really I just think it is the topic that might get people. you have to have the stomach to be able to take listening to certain stories.

Was Shocked worth the listening time?

For me personally no, but that is because I couldn't stomach some of the content, others might be able to stomach it and the content and testing with science may be interesting.

Any additional comments?

none