All That Moves Us: A Pediatric Neurosurgeon, His Young Patients, and Their Stories of Grace and Resilience
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-06-30 20:21:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jay Wellons
- ISBN：0593243366
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Katie P （3HeartsAndAWish）
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This book was absolutely fascinating。 The author is an outstanding writer and sucked me in to the stories in each chapter。 Very well done。
Sue
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"Eat when you can， sleep when you can， and don't #%^& with the hypothalamus。"The miracles and heartaches of modern medicine are chronicled in All That Moves Us。Jay Wellons is a pediatric neurosurgeon， a specialty narrowed to a select few， on an even more noteworthy demographic。 Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for the eARC for review！All That Moves Us is a series of short essays documenting Dr。 Wellons' cases and personal life experiences。 The stories are descriptive， but not graphic。 The "Eat when you can， sleep when you can， and don't #%^& with the hypothalamus。"The miracles and heartaches of modern medicine are chronicled in All That Moves Us。Jay Wellons is a pediatric neurosurgeon， a specialty narrowed to a select few， on an even more noteworthy demographic。 Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for the eARC for review！All That Moves Us is a series of short essays documenting Dr。 Wellons' cases and personal life experiences。 The stories are descriptive， but not graphic。 There's a fair bit of medical terminology， a potential challenge for the layman reader。 We learn of operative measures taken due to trauma， chronic conditions， anatomical defects， and disease processes。 Some even prior to the patient's birth！As with any true-life book dealing with literal life and death， the emotional value can be close to the surface。 Wellons documents successes alongside defeats - the realities of high-stakes healthcare in the hands of humans。Recommended to anyone with interest in a most readable medical work！Released on June 28。 。。。more
BOOKLOVER EB
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For approximately two decades， Jay Wellons， a pediatric neurosurgeon and professor， has operated on thousands of children。 In "All that Moves Us，" Dr。 Wellons， who grew up in Mississippi， reminisces about his personal and professional life。 More than once， he discusses his close relationship with his dad， a military pilot who taught him a great deal about grace under pressure。 In addition， Wellons pays tribute to the wonderful mentors who advised and encouraged him。Dr。 Wellons recounts some of t For approximately two decades， Jay Wellons， a pediatric neurosurgeon and professor， has operated on thousands of children。 In "All that Moves Us，" Dr。 Wellons， who grew up in Mississippi， reminisces about his personal and professional life。 More than once， he discusses his close relationship with his dad， a military pilot who taught him a great deal about grace under pressure。 In addition， Wellons pays tribute to the wonderful mentors who advised and encouraged him。Dr。 Wellons recounts some of the procedures he has performed on youngsters with life-threatening conditions， such as brain tumors， aneurysms， and spinal cord injuries。 Laymen will not comprehend all of Wellons' medical terminology， but everyone will admire his heroic efforts to save his patients from permanent disability or death。 The author eloquently describes his conversations with anxious parents; his relief after he performs a successful operation; the satisfaction he derives from teaching physicians-in-training; and his grief when he loses a child whom he desperately tried to save。When something goes awry in the central nervous system of pediatric patients。 exceptional physicians like Jay Wellons perform technically demanding procedures on fetuses， infants， children， and adolescents。 Neurosurgeons have a reputation for being arrogant， but Dr。 Wellons is a humble and thoughtful individual who writes candidly about his fascinating career。 This is an enlightening and memorable work of non-fiction by a dedicated surgeon and a remarkable human being。 。。。more
Lorena
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This is an interesting and emotionally intense memoir by a pediatric neurosurgeon。 Dr。 Wellons shares his story with vulnerability， awareness， and honesty， and many of the patients’ stories are quite dramatic。 If you don’t have any background in anatomy， the language can be a bit technical at times， but I found the explanations easy to understand and I enjoyed learning about the nervous system and what it’s like in an operating room。 The epilogue provided a timely and moving conclusion。I recomme This is an interesting and emotionally intense memoir by a pediatric neurosurgeon。 Dr。 Wellons shares his story with vulnerability， awareness， and honesty， and many of the patients’ stories are quite dramatic。 If you don’t have any background in anatomy， the language can be a bit technical at times， but I found the explanations easy to understand and I enjoyed learning about the nervous system and what it’s like in an operating room。 The epilogue provided a timely and moving conclusion。I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys memoirs and is curious about neurosurgery。I received an unproofed ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review。 。。。more
Jill
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I gave it a 4。。 because that’s how many boxes of tissues I needed when I read this。 Nice story about a nice doctor。
Kathleen Gray
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While ostensibly a memoir， this is very much about the young patients Wellons treats。 A pediatric neurosurgeon， he's seen horrible things and yet what comes through is the sense of hope and commitment he has every time he meets a new child。 He tells painful stories， to be sure， but he does it with compassion。 This never becomes voyeuristic and is always sensitive not only to the kids but to their parents as well。 Thanks to netgalley for the ARC。 An excellent read。 While ostensibly a memoir， this is very much about the young patients Wellons treats。 A pediatric neurosurgeon， he's seen horrible things and yet what comes through is the sense of hope and commitment he has every time he meets a new child。 He tells painful stories， to be sure， but he does it with compassion。 This never becomes voyeuristic and is always sensitive not only to the kids but to their parents as well。 Thanks to netgalley for the ARC。 An excellent read。 。。。more
Karen R
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Fascinating， insightful and reader-friendly writing on a complex topic。 Thank goodness there are doctors like Jay Wellons， pediatric neurosurgeon。 He is not only at the top of his game professionally making lightening quick decisions on intricate surgeries to save his young patients but appears to be a highly compassionate human being， wholeheartedly committed to his critically ill patients and their families。 His stories are heart-breaking， others miraculous。 I received a complimentary copy of Fascinating， insightful and reader-friendly writing on a complex topic。 Thank goodness there are doctors like Jay Wellons， pediatric neurosurgeon。 He is not only at the top of his game professionally making lightening quick decisions on intricate surgeries to save his young patients but appears to be a highly compassionate human being， wholeheartedly committed to his critically ill patients and their families。 His stories are heart-breaking， others miraculous。 I received a complimentary copy of this book。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 。。。more
Kristie
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This book is a triumph。 It's heavy， full of medical speak and intense stories about sick and injured children， but I loved it。 I'm so glad that it wasn't dominated by COVID experiences （but still showed appreciation for the front liners。） I'm grateful that neurosurgeons exist who are not arrogant and who consult their books when they don't have all the answers。 Throughout， I felt like a （very sterile） bug on the wall watching the surgeries， consults， and interactions between Dr。 Wellons and his This book is a triumph。 It's heavy， full of medical speak and intense stories about sick and injured children， but I loved it。 I'm so glad that it wasn't dominated by COVID experiences （but still showed appreciation for the front liners。） I'm grateful that neurosurgeons exist who are not arrogant and who consult their books when they don't have all the answers。 Throughout， I felt like a （very sterile） bug on the wall watching the surgeries， consults， and interactions between Dr。 Wellons and his young patients and their families。 What a draining， yet rewarding profession。 A wonderful memoir。My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advanced copy。 。。。more
Debbie
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My thanks to #NetGalley and #RandomHouse for an ARC and the ability to freely post my opinion。𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤:📘Pub。 Date: June 28，， 2022📘Publisher: Random HouseDo you enjoy books that center around medical/surgery stories？This is full of touching stories that not only center around these things， but Wellons， Professor of Neurological Surgery， Pediatrics， and Radiology & Radiological SciencesChief， Division of Pediatric Neurological Surgery （and I think there’s more， so let it be said that he’s a My thanks to #NetGalley and #RandomHouse for an ARC and the ability to freely post my opinion。𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤:📘Pub。 Date: June 28，， 2022📘Publisher: Random HouseDo you enjoy books that center around medical/surgery stories？This is full of touching stories that not only center around these things， but Wellons， Professor of Neurological Surgery， Pediatrics， and Radiology & Radiological SciencesChief， Division of Pediatric Neurological Surgery （and I think there’s more， so let it be said that he’s a noted surgeon）， shares stories that are touching， scary， upbeat， intense， and honest。 I say honest because I would guess most surgeons would want to skip over their first surgical mistake。 Wellon’s doesn’t。 It’s included。I love the details that are provided▪ in some cases detailed information regarding the surgeries▪stories about the children▪emotions and stories regarding WellonsIf you， like me， are attracted to well-written medical memoirs， be sure to pick this up。 The only reason I didn’t give this 5 stars was that I didn’t feel the pull to continue reading as much as I would have liked to。 。。。more
Kristie
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An experienced pediatric neurosurgeon with decades of operating and teaching experience， this is his memoir and love letter to the profession。 We follow him from patient to patient， those that he saved and those he couldn’t， year after year。 As expected， certain patients stand out and have left imprints on his heart。 The writing is excellent and his humility is admirable。 Be prepared for some detailed medical explanations， but it is never boring。 A great， timely autobiography。 Thank you to NetGa An experienced pediatric neurosurgeon with decades of operating and teaching experience， this is his memoir and love letter to the profession。 We follow him from patient to patient， those that he saved and those he couldn’t， year after year。 As expected， certain patients stand out and have left imprints on his heart。 The writing is excellent and his humility is admirable。 Be prepared for some detailed medical explanations， but it is never boring。 A great， timely autobiography。 Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy。 。。。more
Sara Broad
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I'm really glad that I had the opportunity to read "All That Moves Us" by Dr。 Jay Wellons。 I have a newfound appreciation for the vast knowledge and dedication of pediatric neurosurgeons and the many years of training it takes to be as skilled as Dr。 Wellons appears to be。 I would hope that all physicians have the same dedication to being leaders in their field and to training others to be excellent doctors。 Aside from being wowed by the author's medical abilities， I found Wellons' writing style I'm really glad that I had the opportunity to read "All That Moves Us" by Dr。 Jay Wellons。 I have a newfound appreciation for the vast knowledge and dedication of pediatric neurosurgeons and the many years of training it takes to be as skilled as Dr。 Wellons appears to be。 I would hope that all physicians have the same dedication to being leaders in their field and to training others to be excellent doctors。 Aside from being wowed by the author's medical abilities， I found Wellons' writing style to be of a more academic nature than the engaging， beautiful writing that I have found in other memoirs。 There were places in the book that were overly detailed in ways that didn't add anything to the book and the chapter endings fell flat。 Still， I'm glad I read this book。 。。。more
Sue Purbrick
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All That Moves Us is Dr Jay Wellons’ account of some of his more memorable brain surgeries。 I found it both heartbreaking and heartwarming。 I was fascinated by the stories， often dramatic， and by the courage as well as fortitude of his young patients and their parents。 This isn’t only about medical procedures， but a candid， holistic account of what it’s like to be a pediatric neuroseurgeon with its life-saving responsibilities。 Apart from medical procedures， for example， we learn of the author’s All That Moves Us is Dr Jay Wellons’ account of some of his more memorable brain surgeries。 I found it both heartbreaking and heartwarming。 I was fascinated by the stories， often dramatic， and by the courage as well as fortitude of his young patients and their parents。 This isn’t only about medical procedures， but a candid， holistic account of what it’s like to be a pediatric neuroseurgeon with its life-saving responsibilities。 Apart from medical procedures， for example， we learn of the author’s relationship with his father who was taken too soon by a horrific disease。 Partly scientific， partly philosophical， this is a fascinating， insightful look into what is for me another world。 。。。more
Jade
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After spending a semester studying the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system in detail it was an absolute pleasure to read Dr Jay Wellons’ memoir， and understand nearly all of the technical terms and descriptions that he uses！ Dr Jay Wellons is a pediatric neurosurgeon and All That Moves Us is his story of how he got there， and some of the stories that continue to stick with him。 While there is a lot of medical language in the book， Wellons does a great job of explaining it in layman’s te After spending a semester studying the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system in detail it was an absolute pleasure to read Dr Jay Wellons’ memoir， and understand nearly all of the technical terms and descriptions that he uses！ Dr Jay Wellons is a pediatric neurosurgeon and All That Moves Us is his story of how he got there， and some of the stories that continue to stick with him。 While there is a lot of medical language in the book， Wellons does a great job of explaining it in layman’s terms。 That said， you may benefit from having a anatomical picture of the brain and spinal cord on hand to picture some of the operations。 Neurology and neurosurgery in general are fascinating to me， and I really enjoyed reading about the different experiences a neurosurgeon may have， how one has to become a little “cold” at times in order to protect oneself， and just how crazy difficult it actually is to understand the brain， and to make sure a patient is saved in time。 Although Wellons mentions that he may sometimes appear detached， as you make your way through the book he comes across as super caring， and involved in his patient’s lives post-surgery。 Some of the stories could have been pulled from a medical drama （an accident that shows Wellons just how difficult the job of a paramedic is， and how every life-saving decision must be made in split seconds）。 Others are just terribly sad， especially the story of how Wellons could not save his father from the grips of ALS。 And others are just amazing， a little girl saved at the last minute， who then goes on to live a happy and fulfilling life， for example。 All That Moves Us is a gripping， interesting， and very much heartwarming story of one man’s life studying the brain， and fixing it in any way he can。 If I ever find myself in the need of a pediatric neurosurgeon for one of my kids （I hope not）， then I hope to meet someone like Dr Wellons。 He really is amazing。Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book。 。。。more
Sharon
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Dr。 Wellons takes you on an beautiful journey in this book。 One that travels through grace， love， sorrow， joy and lessons learned。 All of these are perfectly woven throughout stories of his own life as a young man to his life today as a neurosurgeon， a teacher， a husband and a father。 Just as beautifully written and intertwined with his patients' stories are the stories of his mentors， friends， and family， especially those about his father。 It is apparent that Dr。 Wellons' father was a formidabl Dr。 Wellons takes you on an beautiful journey in this book。 One that travels through grace， love， sorrow， joy and lessons learned。 All of these are perfectly woven throughout stories of his own life as a young man to his life today as a neurosurgeon， a teacher， a husband and a father。 Just as beautifully written and intertwined with his patients' stories are the stories of his mentors， friends， and family， especially those about his father。 It is apparent that Dr。 Wellons' father was a formidable and positive influence in his life as well as the lives of so many other people。 Still at the core of this book is the science and the medicine that Dr。 Wellons clearly loves and is in awe of on a regular basis。 When you meet his patients and learn of their conditions， at first you are sure there can not be a good outcome。 But then he describes the anatomy and the surgery in such detail that you can almost picture it！ At times， you feel like you are right there in the operating room with him。 And when the procedure is over， you can feel exactly how he felt - he shares this as well。 This is a great book and a delightful read！ 。。。more
Cynthia
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Excellent medical memoir。
Monie Henderson
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A moving and timely memoir that will make you appreciate your daily life and the people around you。 Dr。 Wellons accurately portrays the challenges and triumphs of a career in pediatric neurosurgery while illustrating the influence that his patients and their families have had on his life。 A beautiful read， and all of the medical terminology is very well explained。 I highly recommend this memoir。
Andrea
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I found All That Moves Us to be well written and engaging。 I was able to understand （at least the gist） of what each medical procedure entailed and the authors relationships with the patient and their families。 But it left me wanting more。。。more emotion， more depth on particular stories， maybe even more perspectives from his students。 I enjoyed reading about his father and how that relationship helped form him and set him on his path。 I think if you like reading about the medical field and are i I found All That Moves Us to be well written and engaging。 I was able to understand （at least the gist） of what each medical procedure entailed and the authors relationships with the patient and their families。 But it left me wanting more。。。more emotion， more depth on particular stories， maybe even more perspectives from his students。 I enjoyed reading about his father and how that relationship helped form him and set him on his path。 I think if you like reading about the medical field and are interested in neurology， you will enjoy this book。 。。。more
Rachel Wimberly
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Phenomenal storytelling in a genre way out of my comfort zone。 You can tell from the very beginning of this book the amount of empathy Jay has for each and every one of his patients。 The best part about reading all of his stories was hearing the immense amount of care he had for everyone he operated on。 There are a lot of medical explanations throughout the book， but Jay is able to construct them in such a way that even someone like me who has never really taken any science classes could underst Phenomenal storytelling in a genre way out of my comfort zone。 You can tell from the very beginning of this book the amount of empathy Jay has for each and every one of his patients。 The best part about reading all of his stories was hearing the immense amount of care he had for everyone he operated on。 There are a lot of medical explanations throughout the book， but Jay is able to construct them in such a way that even someone like me who has never really taken any science classes could understand and appreciate。 These descriptions took a bit of the mystery out of surgery for me， allowing me to see the tasks and techniques as puzzles， or even art in a way - there isn’t a one right way to do things， even in surgery where things seem so black and white to us outsiders。 Somehow， Jay produces a book that simultaneously makes me trust him as an expert in his field， see him as a non-perfect person who makes mistakes， and get a sense for his down to earth， very humble character。 Absolutely recommend for anyone who has even a little interest in this field。 Thanks to goodreads for the ARC of this book！ 。。。more
Sophia M。 Davis
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Incredibly well written。 You feel like you’re right there with him as he’s doing these surgeries and interacting with families。 While Neurosurgery and the brain are incredibly complex， the book is written in a manner that is easy to understand。 There is no jargon or medical terminology used that isn’t defined and explained which I really appreciated。 The authors life is amazing and so interesting。 I strongly recommend this book and enjoyed reading it so much。 Thank you NetGalley for the opportun Incredibly well written。 You feel like you’re right there with him as he’s doing these surgeries and interacting with families。 While Neurosurgery and the brain are incredibly complex， the book is written in a manner that is easy to understand。 There is no jargon or medical terminology used that isn’t defined and explained which I really appreciated。 The authors life is amazing and so interesting。 I strongly recommend this book and enjoyed reading it so much。 Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy！ 。。。more
Sharon
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I have enjoyed all of the Oliver Sacks books and so when I saw this in upcoming nonfiction in NetGalley， I knew it was the book for me。 It’s a collection of case histories and while I understand very little of the technical parts， I sure can understand anxiety， hope and fear。 He like all medical personal have been stung by the hateful attacks on their profession in the throes of Covid-19。 He said the reason he decided to write his book was to reach out to one another with an open hand， and share I have enjoyed all of the Oliver Sacks books and so when I saw this in upcoming nonfiction in NetGalley， I knew it was the book for me。 It’s a collection of case histories and while I understand very little of the technical parts， I sure can understand anxiety， hope and fear。 He like all medical personal have been stung by the hateful attacks on their profession in the throes of Covid-19。 He said the reason he decided to write his book was to reach out to one another with an open hand， and share stories from the depths of our lives， of our joys as well as our pain “and to tell something of the story of how in this life we are all both the healers and the healed。” Amen to that。 。。。more
Penmouse
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All That Moves Us by Jay Wellons is a heartfelt and often humorous （yes humorous） book that gives the reader a look into the world of a pediatric neurosurgeon。 Wellons writing is exquisite and uplifting。 I really loved his writing about his Dad and how his Dad's influence not only helped him decide on a career but his approach to life。 In particular I loved the story about naval aviators making good landings。 Read his book and you'll find out why Wellons was writing about naval aviation。 I highl All That Moves Us by Jay Wellons is a heartfelt and often humorous （yes humorous） book that gives the reader a look into the world of a pediatric neurosurgeon。 Wellons writing is exquisite and uplifting。 I really loved his writing about his Dad and how his Dad's influence not only helped him decide on a career but his approach to life。 In particular I loved the story about naval aviators making good landings。 Read his book and you'll find out why Wellons was writing about naval aviation。 I highly recommend reading All That Moves Us。Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley。 。。。more
Isabelle
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All That Moves Us // by Jay WellonsThere aren't many books lately in my inbox that I jump at quickly but as soon as I saw this one， I just knew I had to read it。 I'm a sucker for medical memoirs and this one promised a lot of emotions， analyzing of experiences， and medical explanations -- all things that I really enjoy reading about。 I like how Wellons pulled together the different strands of his life: growing up with a military pilot as his father， his medical training， his hobbies， coping with All That Moves Us // by Jay WellonsThere aren't many books lately in my inbox that I jump at quickly but as soon as I saw this one， I just knew I had to read it。 I'm a sucker for medical memoirs and this one promised a lot of emotions， analyzing of experiences， and medical explanations -- all things that I really enjoy reading about。 I like how Wellons pulled together the different strands of his life: growing up with a military pilot as his father， his medical training， his hobbies， coping with his father's illness and death， and the triumphs and failures at his job。 It was fascinating to see how many things can be taken from one part of your life and either applied to another or used to understand other experiences better。 Many people say that doctors， and especially specialists such as neurosurgeons， are aloof， disconnected， or unemotional。 This book will show you both that this isn't actually always true as well as why these doctors might act the way they do in those situations， which I can be much more understanding of after reading this book。 If you like learning about new perspectives， especially while on an emotional rollercoaster， then you should definitely pick this book up！Thank you for the free copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Cindy
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This author does a good job of making very complex medical concepts understandable。 I still won’t remember any of them but at least I understood them when reading it！ The writing is good and parts are heartwarming but for some reason it just didn’t keep me engaged。 I found myself starting to skim part way through and wanting to finish reading it already。 When I began reading this memoir I expected to read about medical cases， the evolution of pediatric neurosurgery and the author’s role in both。 This author does a good job of making very complex medical concepts understandable。 I still won’t remember any of them but at least I understood them when reading it！ The writing is good and parts are heartwarming but for some reason it just didn’t keep me engaged。 I found myself starting to skim part way through and wanting to finish reading it already。 When I began reading this memoir I expected to read about medical cases， the evolution of pediatric neurosurgery and the author’s role in both。 Instead I found this memoir to be mostly about the author’s feelings of success and regret and the emotions involved with being a neurosurgeon。 I have no doubt this book will do well it just didn’t quite hit the mark for me。 Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an early release in exchange for a fair and honest review。 。。。more
Mary Vogelsong
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Mention "Pediatric Neurosurgeon"， and the first thing that came to my mind （before reading this book） is Dr。 Ben Carson， who performed the first pediatric hemispherectomy， and was famously involved in the separation of conjoined twins。 I have read about and watched a movie about the now-retired Dr。 Carson。Thankfully， I didn't have any children in need of a pediatric neurosurgeon。 If I had， I'm sure I would have learned about Dr。 Jay Wellons， who practices at Vanderbilt。 Wellons， an inveterate so Mention "Pediatric Neurosurgeon"， and the first thing that came to my mind （before reading this book） is Dr。 Ben Carson， who performed the first pediatric hemispherectomy， and was famously involved in the separation of conjoined twins。 I have read about and watched a movie about the now-retired Dr。 Carson。Thankfully， I didn't have any children in need of a pediatric neurosurgeon。 If I had， I'm sure I would have learned about Dr。 Jay Wellons， who practices at Vanderbilt。 Wellons， an inveterate southerner， is a talented writer， having also published op-ed pieces in the New York Times。Wellons advanced progress of pediatric neurosurgery beyond what it was in Dr。 Carson's time。 Significantly， Wellons is part of a team which corrects spina bifida in utero。 Dr。 Wellons relates stories about this as well as brain surgeries， nerve repair， and ironically， coming to terms with his father's ALS。 。。。more
Jena Henry
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