"Murphy assembles a complicated set of facts, strip away the inessentials, and tells a memorable, moving story."
-- Booklist

"Murphy’s dramatic nonfiction narrative recounting of one of the first open heart surgeries ever performed is not to be missed..."
-- School Library Journal

"Murphy masterfully interweaves discussions of discrimination, the controversy over animal testing, and the background of each protagonist into the main narrative, building tension as he leads up to the surgery itself."
-- Publishers Weekly

"A gripping look at a major medical breakthrough."
-- Kirkus

“[T]he book’s clear and concise account offers a compelling picture of all that goes into medical — and societal — advances.”
-- Washington Post