Breakthrough! How Three People Saved "Blue Babies" and Changed Medicine Forever

 

(Picture from Goodreads.com)

1.       Bibliography

Murphy, Jim. 2015. BREAKTHROUGH!: HOW THREE PEOPLE SAVED “BLUE BABIES” AND CHANGED MEDICINE FOREVER. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN 978—547-82183-2

2.       Plot Summary

Murphy’s descriptive non-fiction narrative recounts the 1944 groundbreaking operation that repaired the congenital heart defect known as blue baby syndrome. Doctor Alfred Blalock performed the operation, crediting him with being the trailblazer to what is now open-heart surgery. Behind the scenes there were two more individuals that contributed to the team effort. On being Vivien Thomas, an African American man who had been Blalock’s lab assistant for many years. He painstakingly developed the technique and then stood behind Blalock during the surgery, giving instructions and advice. Dr. Helen Taussig, a pediatric cardiologist, brought forth the idea in hopes that Blalock and Thomas could put aside current research and help her save the blue babies.

3.       Critical Analysis

Murphy’s compelling story interweaves the accounts of the three individuals who made possible the heart surgery for the congenital heart defect known as blue baby syndrome. Dr. Alfred Blalock, a white male, received the credit for this groundbreaking surgery, but along for the ride and contributing just as equally were Vivian Thomas, an African American male who served as a lab assistant since he was unable to attend college, and Dr. Helen Taussig, a pediatric cardiologist at John Hopkins. Murphy’s synthesis of their stories does not leave out the social status of women and minorities in the mid-twentieth century. This ensures readers understand the historical and cultural context of a male-dominated medical world and the prevailing racial attitudes.

 

The way Murphy chose specific language that the reader could understand is paramount to the accessibility of this book. Using just enough medical terms and explanation to make the process clear, the reader does not feel overwhelmed with information. The historical black and white pictures strategically placed throughout the text help keep focus and interest.

 

The description of the survey and use of animals to practice is done tactfully so that a child reading this information would not feel that there is too much detail or insensitivity to those with weaker stomachs. Source notes, bibliography and index are included at the end of the book for further analysis and confirmation of the information included in the book.

 

4.       Awards/ Reviews
*"Murphy assembles a complicated set of facts, strip away the inessentials, and tells a memorable, moving story." —Booklist, STARRED review  

*"Murphy’s dramatic nonfiction narrative recounting of one of the first open heart surgeries ever performed is not to be missed." —School Library Journal (starred review)

*"Murphy masterfully interweaves discussions of discrimination, the controversy over animal testing, and the background of each protagonist into the main narrative, building tension as he leads up to the surgery itself." —Publishers Weekly, STARRED review  

* "A gripping look at a major medical breakthrough." —Kirkus  

*“[T]he book’s clear and concise account offers a compelling picture of all that goes into medical — and societal — advances.” —Washington Post —

*Winner, Notable Books for a Global Society

*Horn Book Fanfare List

*A Booklist Best Young Adult Book

5.       Connections

*This would be a good book for students who want to be doctors/ are interested in surgery.

*This would be a good story, even just parts of it, to show how people broke through barriers of race and gender for the greater good of medicine.