Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 12
 Inspires both awe and laughter May 26, 1999
David Graham (Shell, Ecuador)
18 out of 18 found this review helpful
As a fellow surgeon with a love for literature and the marvels of the human body, I found Dr. Selzer's book tickled both my fancy and my funnybone. He is enthusiastic for sharing his reverence at the amazing complexity and function of our bodies (as well as its grievous shortcomings), yet he is still able to regale the reader with mischievous humor and steady doses of comic relief. I found this one of the funniest books I had read in several years. Many of the chapters in the last half of the book are not, as the subtitle would suggest, 'notes on the art of surgery'. They deal with things as different as bird watching, abortion, smoking, car sickness, and childhood memories from the classroom. Although they do not supplement the first half of the book with further descriptions about the art of surgery, they do add spice to an already meaty book about ourselves.
Initimate and poetic exploration of the body January 22, 1999
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Richard Selzer is a surgeon with a poet's ear for language. Even when writing about the liver or amputation of a diabetic foot, Selzer can make the reader see the beauty and the wonder of the body. When I was hospitalized last month, I showed it to my doctor and he too marvelled at the grasp Selzer has of medical facts and good writing.
Gives an intriguing account into the mind of a surgeon. September 27, 1997
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Selzer's writing is eloquent and graphically realistic at the same time. A true masterpiece, it incorporates vignettes and facts to give the reader a sense of what a surgeons job really is. Selzer uses elevated language and florid diction to give the reader somewhat of a mental workout. This book is so hard to put down because his stories of oddities and disorders are so intriguing. Selzer uses many metaphors to convey his message about the inner workings of the human body. He shows the reader that the inside is beautiful as well. Mortal Lessons is an extremely fascinating book that deserves a thumbs up and four stars! I disagree with Selzer's view of smoking which he says is a beautiful and addicting thing. I think he should have written about what smoking does to the body instead of condoning its use. In the chapter Abortion, Selzer evoked many emotions in me for the lost fetuses. It was very interesting to know the procedure of an abortion. Also the procedure for an autopsy, embalm
Beautiful book May 27, 2006
R. J. Post (CA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I loved this book. Selzer writes about medicine as an art. He can express in words how amazing medicine and the human body truly is. He combines his love for writing with his love for surgery. I wouldn't be surprised if it was his essays alone that got him into medical school!!! I recommend this to anybody fascinated by medicine.
Lessons of our own mortality and the human condition September 18, 2007
Carly Grammar (Indianapolis, IN)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Richard Selzer's book "Mortal Lessons" is only one of the masterpieces that has come from this brilliant writer over the decades. One does not read this book, one experiences life through the book. Richard writes of loves, longing, pain, endurance, and surprise. He allows us entry into the most private experiences he has shared. His writing flows like water in a brook. He is erudite, wise, and introspective. His writing is poetry. His essays are often hilarious as he takes it upon himself to put the human condition into words. All of Richard Selzer's books are works of art, painstakingly well written and perfect in their prose.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 12
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