CHEATING DEATH The Doctors and Medical Miracles that Are Saving Lives Against All Odds

On TV, neurosurgeon and CNN medical reporter Gupta sometimes comes across as so confident that he borders on arrogant. Here he delivers an accessible medical documentary. His broadcaster’s speaking style sounds repetitive in this longer format, but it works because his storytelling is superb and the subject, medical emergencies, is compelling. Through riveting cases he shows how “instant death” is really only the initial point in a longer process that can be slowed and reversed with interventions like therapeutic hypothermia and other heroic procedures. Technical terms and philosophizing about life and death are kept to a minimum. What predominates in this seamless production is the upside of Gupta’s pervasive confidence—his courageous belief that research and creative effort can save lives, and that he has the chops to create a fascinating audiobook. T.W. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2011]