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In Two Voices: A Patient and a Neurosurgeon Tell Their Story Kindle Edition

by Linda E. Clarke (Author), Michael D. Cusimano (Author), Brian Goldman (Foreword), Format: Kindle Edition
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 8 ratings
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For a decade, Linda Clarke and Dr. Michael Cusimano had offices across from one another at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. She worked in Clinical Ethics and he was a staff neurosurgeon. They knew one another to say hello, to nod as they passed one another on the stairs, to wish each other a Merry Christmas. Michael's patients sat in the chairs along that shared hallway, waiting for their appointment with him. For ten years, Linda heard their talk outside her door, smiled at them as she passed by, tried to give them their privacy. She was always impressed by the things people endured.

Ten years into her work, Linda got sick; she left her job and, weeks later, she sat in one of those hallway chairs, waiting for her appointment with Dr. Cusimano. In the blink of an eye, she was a neurosurgery patient and he was her surgeon.

Linda and Michael wrote In Two Voices together: it is the intimate account of Linda's surgery with Michael as her surgeon. The story builds a piece at a time as Linda and Michael tell each other their experience and then respond to one another's writing. As the relationship shifts from one of patient and surgeon to one of Linda and Michael as colleagues and friends, they encounter surprises as their trust and mutual understanding develop. Here is an unprecedented view into the experiences of illness, care, and compassion, an intimate picture of the experiences, challenges, skills, and commitment of a surgeon. The worlds of both surgeon and patient are framed by a most critical and delicate surgical procedure.

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  1. Print length
    131 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Pottersfield Press
  4. Publication date
    May 21, 2019
  5. File size
    870 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Linda E. Clarke is a writer and professional performance storyteller who has taught at Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine, Columbia Medical School, the University of Toronto, and the Yale School of Medicine. Michael D. Cusimano, MD, PhD, has been a staff neurosurgeon at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto since 1992. His work on traumatic brain injury and concussions was an important component in the national change in Canadian hockey policy.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07SKCQF3P
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pottersfield Press (May 21, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 21, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 870 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 131 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 8 ratings

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
8 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • C. Davis
    5.0 out of 5 stars A unique and fascinating memoir
    Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2019
    I met Linda Clarke, a professional story teller, many years ago when we were both teaching at a medical humanities conference. She had a way of seeing deeply into a story, and that’s what she does again in this unique memoir—unique because this most personal story is told from two points of view. Linda suffered terrible, life changing headaches. Once the diagnosis of a brain tumor was finally made, and many years after Linda had successful surgery, she approached her neurosurgeon with a project: to tell this often harrowing story in two voices—hers as patient, his as surgeon. Both stories are intimate, revealing, and riveting.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Doug Walker, author of Gaia Twist
    5.0 out of 5 stars A multi-layered story about surgery and self
    Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2019
    I appreciated this compact, rich story on many levels. The “two voices” come from very different inner worlds—his and hers—but they share the same physical episode of a life-threatening brain surgery that he performed on her. Michael, the neurosurgeon, immerses you in his fast-paced, cerebral, emotionally challenging world and the eventful plot of the surgery itself. Linda, the patient, overlays more nonlinear, almost poetic segments that creep up on you with sudden clear, penetrating insights about her experience of the story—and perhaps something about our own inner domains as well.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Teresa Wantington
    5.0 out of 5 stars Their vulnerability.
    Reviewed in Canada on June 28, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Having the patient and the surgeon opening up to their vulnerabilities was refreshing. The fact that it is spread over a ten year period
    underlines the profound impact of the surgery on both of the authors and helps bring it to life.
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