Last Night in the OR: A Transplant Surgeon's Odyssey

An untraditional memoir of a transplant surgeon's life, flitting back and forth from past to present. His accounts are muddied with his abusive father, his unsuccessful relationships, and long, long bouts of not sleeping due to retrieving and implanting transplanted organs. I never knew so much blood could be used in this procedure. I enjoyed the informality and casualness of the author's voice. Each chapter would stand alone. Good reading for a trip.

I lived in Pittsburgh in the late 1980s-early 1990s and I remember Starzl's name though I'm not sure I really knew much about him back then. I think Dr. Shaw was gone from Pittsburgh by the time I was there, or at least I never remember hearing his name while I was there. I recognized some of the locations Dr. Shaw mentioned during his time in Pittsburgh and that made me remember some nice memories.

I found the book interesting but probably not one I would read again (so not a 5 star rating). I enjoyed learning about the early days of liver transplant surgeries and realizing how far the field has come.

I'm not quite sure I fully understood the title--there really wasn't a scene I remember that Dr. Shaw said was "his last surgery case" or show more his last time in the OR. show less