Never Question the Miracle: A Surgeon's Story

by Anthony Santaniello and Rose-Marie Toussaint

Book Overview

When people ask, "How did you get here?" I know they are really asking, "How did you, female of color from Haiti, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, get here?" Dr. Rose-Marie Toussaint is... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345407237
• ISBN13: 9780345407238
• Release Date: February 1998
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 377 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 1.3" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

One Woman's Struggle & Inspiration

Rose-Marie Toussaint's autobiographical novel Never Question the Miracle: A Surgeon's Story is a touching tale about the struggles of an African American woman whose lifelong dream is to become a surgeon. In plain and soemtimes simple language, Toussaint transports the reader to various times in her life, each fraught with strong and unique emotion. Toussaint shies away from nothing in this detailed account of her personal triumph over numerous obstacles such as her troubled childhood in Haiti, her draining years at college as a pre-med student, her failed relationships and her long years in residency. It is the story of a journey through life and the importance of not giving up hope. The book begins with Toussaint struggling amid the limitations of transplant surgery. She tells of sick patients desperately in need of a liver transplant but too poor to afford one, while in another hospital a wealthy patient who lacks the will to survive is given preference because the family can afford to pay for the transplant. She tells of the reality of organ transplantation, how doctors have to fight with insurance companies to convince them to authorize the operations. These social injustices and bureaucratic intricacies of the medical world show the reader that there is much to question about the system. She aligns herself on the side of the poor, often times African American patients, whom she sympathizes with since she herself has had to overcome similar barriers. The author then turns the spotlight on herself and begins with her autobiography which starts in Haiti; it is a childhood marked by poverty and a strong sense of religion, a blend of both Christianity and voodoo. She examines the various relationships that influenced her childhood and speaks openly about her mother's abusive nature and her father's desertion of the family. The subsequent journey to Miami and the reunion of her family there gives Toussaint the strength she will need to apply to a difficult premedical college program. From then on her family remains a solid backbone of support throughout the rest of Toussaint's journey. From her college years on Toussaint shares her struggles without apology; she tells of the disappointment she felt at not getting accepted to medical school and her frustration with the low level jobs she took as a result. Even her heartbreaking personal relationships with men are included in the story. When at last she is accepted into a medical school and starts to make sense of the schooling process, her relief is contagious. During medical school, Toussaint is faced with considerable amounts of prejudice both because she is a woman and because she is African American. As she proves herself to the older doctors and professors, she is also proving to herself that she can accomplish her goals. Toussaint's story draws the reader into her mind as she progresses thorugh her journey to ultimately become a transplant surgeon. Her thoughts and r

Great Inspirational Guide for all women

Reads like a fantastic novel! Meet Dr. Toussaint at holisticdoctor.org

An inspration for anyone with dreams.

Rose-Marie is a friend of mine. Because she is humble and unassuming, I had only a hint of what a treasure load of talent, inspiration and skill she really is. Her book tells her story - a young woman from Haiti, literally pulling herself up by her own boot straps to become a surgeon at Howard University Hospital specializing in liver transplant surgery. She has met every challenge that blacks and women must meet, and she has conquered them all with brilliance and understanding. I hope you have time to look at her book. It's a real inspiration for young people with dreams.