Face to Face: My Quest to Perform the First Full Face Transplant (Hardcover)

~ Maria Siemionow (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The first U.S. surgeon to perform a near-total face transplant, in December 2008, could well be expected to deliver a compelling account of the groundbreaking procedure at the Cleveland Clinic—the same place where a Connecticut woman horribly disfigured by a friend's chimpanzee is recovering and may herself become a candidate. But Siemionow's purpose is larger: to lay out the history, labor, challenges and need for such transplants.Polish-born Siemionow does so precisely and winningly as she charmingly weaves her own personal history into the mix. Someday the young lady may become a good surgeon, she's told by the Belgian doctor to whom she's apprenticed in Europe. I can't remember anything else that happened that day. The extraordinary achievement that followed nearly 30 years later could only be realized after Siemionow negotiated a path fraught with ethical, biological and technical complexity. Yet the awesome science of her feat is never eclipsed by the heart that guides it: for the patient and me, the reward will be something we're both waiting to see. A smile. 8 pages of b&w photos. (June)
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Review

“…a compelling account of the groundbreaking procedure at the Cleveland Clinic.” —Publishers Weekly

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Kaplan Publishing; 1 edition (June 2, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1607140519
• ISBN-13: 978-1607140511
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #778,212 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Review of Fafe to Face, February 6, 2010

By	Mary M. Wooley - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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Awe inspiring story of Maria's journey of dedication, determination , hardships faced while developing and achieving her goal. Tale of a modern Polish woman !

5.0 out of 5 stars Includes a great deal of medical insights and a survey of transplant science in general, November 16, 2009

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

FACE TO FACE: MY QUEST TO PERFORM THE FIRST FULL FACE TRANSPLANT includes a great deal of medical insights and a survey of transplant science in general. What it doesn't include are any photos of transplant results, or in-depth case histories. Thus medical collections will be satisfied with the detailed history and examination of the medical challenges involved, while general-interest holdings will wish for more patient details.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, June 20, 2009

By	dlc (WA United States) - See all my reviews

I was hoping to find here a book which described the world's first face transplant. It would have been fascinating stuff, no doubt.
Instead I read the biography of the surgeon, Dr. Maria Siemionow, interspersed with a bit of detail on transplant science. The author's childhood and the rigors of her training make for dry reading, and the details of the ground-breaking, first-of-it's-kind face transplant surgery (which should have easily filled half the book) is strangely relegated to a three page epilogue.