{"product_id":"life-with-sudden-death-a-tale-of-moral-hazard-and-medical-misadventure-paperback","title":"Life with Sudden Death: A Tale of Moral Hazard and Medical Misadventure - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eMichael Downing\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe youngest of nine children, Michael Downing was three when his father died -- suddenly and inexplicably. No autopsy was performed. The family diagnosis was God's will. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs a boy, Downing rigorously trained as a spiritual athlete, preparing to vault into heaven. But eventually he escaped the religious dogma, and the family arena -- until one of his brothers died in 2003, suddenly and inexplicably. No autopsy was performed. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAlarmed, Downing pursued a diagnosis: Drawn into a world of researchers, clinicians, and manufacturers with their own arcane ethics and faith, Downing discovered he had inherited a mutant protein from his father, and the first symptom would be his sudden death. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTo save his life, a defibrillator was hard-wired to his heart. Within weeks, he needed emergency surgery to remove the device and the life-threatening infection he got with it. Two months later, he was re-implanted -- only to read in his morning newspaper that the new wires anchored to his heart were prone to failure. His device might be powerless, or it might deliver a series of unwarranted, possibly fatal, shocks. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom a bedeviled boyhood in the Berkshires to a grim comedy of errors in one of Boston's best hospitals, \u003ci\u003eLife with Sudden Death\u003c\/i\u003e is a wild ride.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMichael Downing\u003c\/b\u003e's novels include the national bestseller \u003ci\u003ePerfect Agreement\u003c\/i\u003e, named one of the 10 Best Books of the year by Amazon and \u003ci\u003eNewsday\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eBreakfast with Scot\u003c\/i\u003e, a comedy about two gay men who inadvertently become parents. An American Library Association honor book, \u003ci\u003eBreakfast with Scot\u003c\/i\u003e was adapted as a movie that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. His nonfiction includes \u003ci\u003eShoes Outside the Door: Desire, Devotion, and Excess at San Francisco Zen Center\u003c\/i\u003e, hailed by the \u003ci\u003eNew York Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e as a \"dramatic and insightful\" narrative history of the first Buddhist monastery outside of Asia, and by the \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e as \"a highly readable book.\" His essays and reviews appear in the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, and other periodicals. Michael teaches creative writing at Tufts University. He and his partner have lived together in Cambridge for more than 25 years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 256\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.68 x 8.68 x 6.06 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 01, 2010\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48816687513848,"sku":"9781582436159","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0698\/5629\/7208\/files\/8fve-IOxv39781582436159.webp?v=1780577428","url":"https:\/\/barneysbooksellers.com\/products\/life-with-sudden-death-a-tale-of-moral-hazard-and-medical-misadventure-paperback","provider":"Barney's Book Sellers","version":"1.0","type":"link"}