The Wet Engine: Exploring the Mad Wild Miracle of the Heart

by Brian Doyle

Book Overview

In this poignant and startlingly original book, Brian Doyle examines the heart as a physical organ--how it is supposed to work, how surgeons try to fix it when it doesn't--and as a metaphor: the seat of the soul, the power house of the body, the essence of spirituality. In a series of profoundly moving ruminations, Doyle considers the scientific, emotional, literary, philosophical, and spiritual understandings of the heart--from cardiology to courage,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0870716530
• ISBN13: 9780870716539
• Release Date: May 2012
• Publisher: Oregon State University Press
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Brian Doyle has an absolutely unique voice...

No one writes quite like Brian Doyle. He is lyrical, literate, unpredictable, unafraid, kind, and damned funny. In this book, he is also incredibly moving, as he writes about his son's wounded heart and the doctors who save him. As he explores all the emotions and science leading outward into the world from his family's journey, we share in his curiosity and his reverence and his joy. A fine book.

Walk in his shoes before criticizing!

This is definitely a beautiful tribute to his son AND his surgeons! To those who may feel as though the author has resorted to "simple hero-worship", I must tell you that you will NEVER fully understand the author's position. He does, in fact, worship those surgeons. He puts them on a pedestal and will never be able to thank them enough. I know this because those same surgeons, (Dr. McIrvin, Dr. Iguidbashian, Dr. Hagup) also performed surgery on my son who was born with the same heart defect of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. They are the epitome of pure genius. I bought this book in part because it IS a tribute to those men. How would you feel about someone who gave your precious child the gift of life and hope? Thank you, Mr. Doyle, for this moving story of hope, strength, inspiration, and admiration.

Lovely, spirit-filled, and poignant.

This little book shows how important and precious each life is. It reminded me that every day is a gift, and the way we live can be a gift to all those with whom we interact. This book is huge even in its brevity.

A Book with a Heart

This extraordinary little book filled with wonder and gratitude defies categorization. Poetry and narrative blend to give us an intimate view of a parent's pain, hope and despair because of his infant son's desperate need for surgery to repair a defective heart. Doyle's minutely detailed description of the workings of our "humming, hammering, holy heart" is joined with an appreciative biography of the pediatric heart surgeon, Dr. Dave McIrvin. In his elegant language the author asks what we might be if we would "act as if our words really matter, if our words become muscled mercy," and he invites us to ponder "what human beings might be if we ever actually rise to our own sweet wild possibilities." Sr. Lenora Black, OSB

It's What Inside That Counts

You've heard the expression, "Don't judge a book by it's cover?" In this case, don't judge this book by it's title. Get into the pages of this book -- get into the 'heart' of this book -- and you'll be intrigued. Doyle, an award-winning essayist - and well he should be-- is a talented writer breaking all the rules about composition -- and I LOVE IT - he can write the longest run on sentences with incredible interest - reading them is sorta' like being in am Olympic bobsled run. His pages leave you energized, fasinated and breathless. He's a genius at weaving scientific fact, historical information, emotions and spiritual musings on a single subject. Probably one of the few people that could make this hodegpode work. Even if you have no medical or personal interest in heart problems, read this book -- and give it as a gift to a nurse, doctor or someone recovering from heart surgery