"An incredible book...an absolutely fascinating read".
--Ira Flatow, National Public Radio's Science Friday
"Markel brilliantly describes the paradox of [Halsted's and Freud's] lives".
--George Rousseau, NATURE
"A witty, wide-ranging book".
--Boston Globe
"Inspired, entertaining, and informative...[Howard Markel] tells this fascinating tale in an insightful contemporary book that is both intellectually engaging and exceptionally well written."
--Journal of the American Medical Association
“Markel creates rich portraits of men who shared, as he writes of Freud, a ‘particular constellation of bold risk taking, emotional scar tissue, and psychic turmoil.’”
—
The New Yorker “Terrific . . . This rich, engrossing book reminds us of the strangeness of even heroic destinies.”
—Richard Rayner,
Los Angeles Times“[A] rich, revelatory new book . . . . [Markel is] a careful writer and a tireless researcher, and as a trained physician himself, Markel is able to pronounce on medical matters with firmness and authority.”
—Lev Grossman,
TIME “[An] incisive—and often damning—story of the “miracle drug cocaine.”. . . Elegantly subversive . . . . The author’s insights and analytical skills make
An Anatomy of Addiction an irresistible cautionary tale”
—Deborah Blum,
The Wall Street Journal “A splendid history. . . [Markel is a] fluent, incisive and often subtly funny writer.”
—Michael Sragow,
The Baltimore Sun “Absorbing and thoroughly documented. . . a vivid narrative of two of the most remarkable of the many contributors to our understanding of human biology and function . . . A tour de force of scientific and social history, one that helps illuminate a unique period in the long story of medical discovery.”
—Sherwin Nuland, on the cover of
The New York Times Book Review “Provocative . . . persuasive and engrossing.”
—Laura Miller,
Salon.com "Compelling and compassionate. . . a book that profoundly demonstrates the complexity and breadth of their genius. . . a richly woven analysis complete with anecdotes, historical research, photos and present-day knowledge about the character of the addictive personality."
—
Booklist
“Howard Markel eloquently tells the parallel stories of these two pathbreaking physicians and how their stories intersect in remarkable and sometimes tragic ways . . . Markel's extraordinary achievement combines first-rate history of medicine and outstanding cultural history.”
—
Publishers Weekly (starred)
“From the dramatic opening scene on the first page to the epilogue,
An Anatomy of Addiction is a hugely satisfying read. Howard Markel is physician, historian and wonderful storyteller, and since his tale involves two of the most compelling characters in medicine, I could not put it down—addictive is the word for this terrific book.”
—Abraham Verghese, author of
Cutting for Stone