Noble Vision (Paperback)

by Gen LaGreca (Author) "The bus terminal was a study in gray, with its vertical steel beams, smudged windows, scuffed slate floor..." (more)
Key Phrases: scar inhibitor, replacement anesthetic, noble vision, David Lang, Nicole Hudson, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
". . . a suspenseful tale of one surgeon’s heroic struggle to save his work and the woman he loves. . . . Inspiring . . ." -- Beth Haynes, MD

". . . extraordinary hero, a tender love story, a fascinating medical discovery, and an intense family conflict are dramatically interwoven . . ." -- Edith Packer, JD, PhD, psychologist

". . You’ll be captured till the end by villains you’ll despise, heroes you’d love to meet, plus betrayal, romance. . . " -- Karen Tierney, MD

"A beautifully crafted and completely engaging novel. It made me want to stand up and cheer!" -- James Vawter, MD

"Salutary tale of what can happen to medical breakthroughs if Big Government claws even deeper into our health care system!" -- Steve Forbes, President and CEO, Forbes magazine

. . . intriguing novel about how unintended consequences of good intentions can have a devastating impact on the healing professions. . . . -- Walter E. Williams, syndicated columnist and John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics, George Mason University

A gripping story superimposed on today's threats to quality medical care. -- Edward Annis, MD, Past President, American Medical Association, and author of Code Blue

I got so drawn into the characters and plot. It reminded me of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead. -- Judith Kleinfeld, PhD, University of Alaska psychology professor and author

Noble Vision resembles an Ayn Rand novel . . . It captivated me from beginning to end. -- Jane M. Orient, MD, Executive Director, Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, and author of Your Doctor Is Not In

The defects of government-controlled medicine are dramatized effectively in this page-turning story . . . -- Milton Friedman, economist and Nobel laureate

Product Description
What happens to independent thought in a socialized health system? This question is superimposed on the action in NOBLE VISION, a gripping love story between Nicole Hudson, a tragically injured ballerina, and Dr. David Lang, an innovative neurosurgeon who is determined to save her with a revolutionary new treatment that is prohibited by the state. Romantic thriller with philosophical depth.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Winged Victory Press (January 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974457949
• ISBN-13: 978-0974457949
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #298,744 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Novel I've Read In Ten Years!, March 14, 2005

By	Dr. Jonathan Dolhenty (Port Orford, OR United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Noble Vision (Hardcover)

I don't usually write book reviews for novels or books that generally are considered to be works of "fiction," although I regularly read a great many novels for my own enjoyment, merely for the sake of recreation. Now and then, however, a novel comes along that I consider to be a work of "fiction that makes an important point." This is the case with Gen LaGreca's new novel, "Noble Vision." Written in the tradition of Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead" and Dean Koontz's "Dark Rivers of the Heart," LaGreca's book does, indeed, "make an important point," and does it superbly. The battlefield is sociopolitical geography and the war is rational individualism against state totalitarianism.

The basic plot of the novel is really quite simple, but the philosophical ramifications are profound. Dr. David Lang, a noted and successful neurosurgeon, has discovered a way to regenerate nerve tissue. The government (of the state of New York, in this case) will not allow him to try his experimental procedure on Nicole Hudson, a professional ballerina who has become blind because of a fall which occurred during an explosion at the theater where she was performing. And why can't Dr. Lang help Nicole to possibly regain her sight with his new medical breakthrough? Well, because medical practice in New York is now regulated by the state's socialized medicine program (named, interestingly enough, "CareFree"), and Dr. Lang's procedure has not yet been "officially" approved. It doesn't matter, of course, that Nicole, as his patient, has granted him permission to try the new procedure.

There are a number of subplots in the story, adding complexity to both the major theme of the novel and the suspense experienced by the reader, and a cast of characters who are clearly drawn and with whom the reader will either identify or vilify. The state's governor is an exemplar of the truly corrupt politician; the head of the state's socialized medicine program is a compromised physician (who just happens to be Dr. Lang's father!); and Marie Lang, David's wife, who is also a physician but one who has caved in to the powers-that-be, has given up her dream of being a cardiologist to be a general practitioner because that was the "socially correct" thing to do. Other characters grace the pages of this fine novel and the reader has no trouble determining where they stand in relation to the main theme of the book. Yes, it's pretty much black and white, and that's the way good fiction ought to be when it's trying to get the reader to think about an important issue. This is what fiction in the "Romantic" tradition is meant to be. In LaGreca's novel there are no namby-pamby gray areas of moral indecisiveness; there are no colorless characters who couldn't be heroes or villains because they wouldn't know the difference; there is no compromise between true individualism and the suffocating policies of state collectivism. Hurray for that!

Remember Hilary Clinton's proposed healthcare program back in the 1990s? One thought that occurred to me as I read further into this novel was how close this story was to what probably would have occurred if her healthcare program had, in fact, been implemented. One point that stood out was this: in the Clinton program, as I recall, a physician could be fined and/or imprisoned for treating a patient privately. I found such a proposal shocking at the time. In "Noble Vision," this possibility becomes "real," in the sense that a novel can actually serve to illustrate just how such an immoral policy would be applied if executed, and the consequences of such a misguided program. I am old enough to remember the days when the practice of medicine was considered a "calling," and physicians were more concerned about treating their patients than about becoming rich or meeting the arbitrary whims of some bureaucrat. The practice of medicine does not mix well with politics; in fact, I would argue that politics would be (and yet may be) the death of good, sound medical practice.

There are, in my considered opinion, three types of people (or institutions) one should absolutely avoid: Those who say (1) "I know what is best for you"; (2) "I'm only doing this for your own good"; and (3) "This will hurt me more than it will you." Substitute the "State" or "government" for "I," or "I'm," or "me" in the above statements and you'll get my point and, I think, the warning that this novel provides. Socialized medicine is, in reality, "antisocial" medicine, and the evidence can be found in the failing programs implemented in countries such as England and Canada. LaGreca's novel simply brings this idea into "reality" by showing what would inevitably happen.

A brief word about the writing itself. I am supersensitive to sentence structure and word usage when it comes to fiction. I will cease reading any novel when I begin to pay more attention to the writing itself than to the story. Fortunately, in this case, I have nothing but praise for the writing style of the author. She writes excellent prose; there is no excessive description, which means no superfluous adjectives and adverbs (so common these days), and no complex sentences to confuse the reader, but just a comfortable "flow" of words, driven by nouns and verbs, which propels the story forward and doesn't interfere with the readers' involvement in the story itself. LaGreca is not only a great storyteller, she is also a great story-stylist.

Now, does Dr. David Lang get to perform his experimental procedure on Nicole Hudson (with whom he is secretly in love), and does it all end well? I am not one to give away the ending of a book which will, I guarantee, keep you turning the pages into the night. An excellent story, highly recommended by one who doesn't do so lightly, especially when it comes to fiction. But, this novel is truly "fiction that makes an important point."

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books I've read in years, April 2, 2005

By	Roman Rozin (University Park, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Noble Vision (Hardcover)

In many ways, this book is reminiscent of Ayn Rand's, The Fountainhead. The struggle of the neurosurgeon, David Lang, to do his work his way, is similar to the struggle of Howard Roark, but, in many ways, the struggle is more intense. Every medical student and resident should read this book. It is both an exceptionally well written novel in the great romantic tradition, and a warning of nightmarish consequences for every patient, if the government continues to increase its death grip over medicine.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At last, a well-researched thriller about the medical muddle, February 12, 2005

By	A.C. Cargill (U.S.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Noble Vision (Hardcover)

Gen LaGreca has obviously done her homework. Her writing is not only thoroughly researched, it is gripping and entertaining. Her characters are thoroughly believable. The plot moves along at an appropriate pace. Unlike some authors I have read recently, Ms. LaGreca doesn't lose steam at the end or rush to draw everything to a close. She clearly knew where she wanted to end up before starting the journey.

Further, thanks to this novel and its portrayal of the behind-the-scenes machinations of the health insurance bureaucracy with its sometimes disastorous results for patients and medical practitioners, I now understand why I barely have 15 minutes to spend with my health care provider after waiting 1-2 hours to see him/her. Government regulation has driven several companies virtually to the brink of extinction (the latest being AT&T, which was just swallowed whole by one of the "baby bells" created by US Anti-trust laws). Hopefully, Ms. LaGreca's book will give us all a heightened awareness of the same thinking that is now targeting our healthcare providers before more of them quit medicine to grow oranges in Florida.

Thank you, Ms. LaGreca, not only for such a splendid read but for exposing these important issues.