Coppola: A Pediatric Surgeon in Iraq [Hardcover]

Chris Coppola (Author), Guy Raz (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2010

Eric Hoffer Award Finalist and Montaigne Medal Finalist

 

The fierce, true-life account of United States Air Force pediatric surgeon Lt. Col. Dr. Chris Coppola, this book describes his experiences through two deployments in Operation Iraqi Freedom inside a military trauma hospital at Balad Air Base, just 49 miles north of Baghdad. Novelistic in scope and vision, this memoir extends beyond objective reportage to give genuine voice to U.S. surgeons and soldiers, Iraqi translators, and everyday civilians whose core beliefs have been tested in the turmoil of war. Raw and powerfully moving, it reveals how one man’s extraordinary courage and commitment to children survived and flourished even as he witnessed some of the most unspeakable horrors of war.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Coppola speaks as a witness to human tragedy—a testimony of two deployments in hell . . . This is a heartbreaking memoir by a hero who would never call himself that . . . essential reading for our time.”  —Terry Sanders, two-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker, producer/director, Fighting For Life

“War often puts doctors in impossible situations. Dr. Chris Coppola's remarkable account of his experience as a combat surgeon in Iraq throws a whole new light on medicine under fire . . . This is a great read and tribute to the American spirit of generosity."  —Dr. Khassan Baiev, president, the International Committee for the Children of Chechnya and author, The Oath: A Surgeon under Fire

"Compelling, heartwrenching . . . Coppola reveals the true victims of war; the children of Iraq."  —Gunnar Swanson, War Kids Relief

“With a quick wit, and a fine tongue, Coppola brings a fresh voice to the war.”  —Michael Anthony, Iraq veteran and author, Mass Casualties: A Young Medic’s True Story of Death, Deception, and Dishonor in Iraq

"Powerful, thought-provoking and unforgettable, A Pediatric Surgeon in Iraq stands alone among accounts of the Iraq war. Unlike other authors, Chris Coppola has chosen to focus on the two issues that transcend all conflict: our mortality and our sense of morality. Writing with poignant honesty, he illuminates the well-worn generalizations of war with trenchant details, recounting stories about American and Iraqi individuals who must bear, as well as care for, the often tragic consequences of combat. You will never again look at the Iraq war—or any war for that matter—in quite the same way."  —Dr. Pauline Chen, author, Final Exam: A Surgeon's Reflections on Mortality, NY Times Columnist

About the Author

Dr. Chris Coppola received his medical degree from the John Hopkins University School of Medicine, trained in surgery at Yale University, and completed pediatric surgery specialty training at the Children’s National Medical Center. He has served as the consultant to the Surgeon General of the Air Force in pediatric surgery and has completed humanitarian missions to Haiti and Brazil. He lives in Danville, Pennsylvania. Guy Raz is the weekend host of NPR’s All Things Considered. He lives in Washington, DC.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 265 pages
• Publisher: NTI Upstream; 1 edition (February 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0984053115
• ISBN-13: 978-0984053117
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #519,105 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Behind the scenes...., December 18, 2009

By 

Amy Henry (Nipomo, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Coppola: A Pediatric Surgeon in Iraq (Hardcover)

I was a bit hesitant to read this book, as I was afraid it might be too political or slanted. What is amazing is to read it and realize there is no hidden political agenda or mindless promotion of the military presence. Instead, it focuses on people: Doctors and nurses and staff that take devoted care of people, whether troops or civilians, and work in the most unimaginable of circumstances.
I hadn't really considered how many people are working in Iraq who may disagree with the politics, but are serving to fill their obligations. And not just doing it for an audience, but toiling in the dark and dirt and noise of temporary hospitals. These are providing patient care with no idea of what will be rolled in next: a child riddled with shrapnel, or a civilian who was ambushed as they tried to vote, or a soldier injured in a roadside bomb. These doctors, specifically Dr. Coppola, are working out of their comfort zone, with very few opportunities to recover emotionally before the next ambulance arrives.
I found the whole book fascinating, and wish more people could look at the Iraq war from this perspective, within, rather than simply what they see the spin doctors say on the nightly newscasts. My mental picture of Iraq, prior to reading this, featured sand, heat, dirt, machine guns, women in long black gowns and camoflaged soldiers. After reading this I now understand that there is an entire population that exists hidden from popular view: real people with real issues (both American and Iraqi), trying to sift life and death from the sand.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Schrapnel Removal in Iraq, December 23, 2009

By 

AKA "authorknows" (Cambridge, Ma United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coppola: A Pediatric Surgeon in Iraq (Hardcover)

Chris Coppola is the kind of guy you want to have serving your country: a dutiful, sincere husband, father, surgeon and soldier. If everyone involved in the war machine were like him, there would be no war. In this memoir, Coppola makes his way through two tours in Iraqi. He lives in a base station right outside Bagdad and works first tour in a tent, later in a high-tech facility, where he patches together bodies--many children's--who have been riddled with shrapnel, burned, blown apart, bulging entrails, and missing faces. His story recounts, in detail, his encounters with the teetering area between the life and death of both Americans and Iraqi enemies who depend on his care. Not a spiritual or psychological journey, it's a diary-structured story told in day-to-day events. Coppola lets us know he does not necessarily believe in the war, or understand why America is involved, but he does not expound on his views. I was struck by how much blood is needed and wasted in the medical facility. Lieutenant Colonel Coppola, his fellow doctors, translators, and family members make up the book's cast of characters. There are no surprises; some pictures and drawings. Anyone employed in the health profession will surely enjoy the camaraderie and feel right at home in the pages of this book; all of us who wonder about the fate of war casualties and the devotion of doctors will be grateful to read this book; everyone who needs confirmation about the resiliency of life in the face of war would do good to pick Chris Coppola: a Pediatric Surgeon in Iraq.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A riveting, and dually depressing and uplifting read, highly recommended, April 10, 2010

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coppola: A Pediatric Surgeon in Iraq (Hardcover)

The nightmare never ends for a pediatrician in war. "Coppola: A Pediatric Surgeon in Iraq" delves into the tale of Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Chris Coppola, a war surgeon who with a defiant act of kindness, finds himself in a parade of tragedy from critically injured Iraqi children. Through his works, he gains reputation throughout Iraq as a healer, and here he tells his story of working in harsh conditions for a greater good. "Coppola" is a riveting, and dually depressing and uplifting read, highly recommended.