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Jun 01, 2009

Sam rated it:

This is a memoir of how Daniel goes to great links to help his cousin get a kidney transplant in China. It is an intriguing story of romance and family loyalty, as well as, Daniel's ability to see through Larry's personality to the childlike nature he knew as a child.

Larry, Daniel, and Larry's mail order bride leave America to find a doctor who will give him a kidney transplant before he dies waiting for one in America. Larry's personality takes them on a journey they will never for More...

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Jun 20, 2011

Will rated it:

In this amusing, fascinating and aggravating memoir, Daniel Rose tells, in highly comedic tones, of his adventure in China attempting to find a kidney for his dying cousin. Frankly, Larry is so annoying that I was tempted to put the book down, a rare event indeed. But I hung in and I am glad that I did. You will not come to love Larry, probably not even like him. But you will enjoy and learn from Rose’s portraits of China.

It is remarkable how the pair stumbles their way into an actu More...

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May 11, 2010

Jamie rated it:

This is a funny, deeply moving, bizarre and keenly observed stranger-than-fiction memoir of the author's effort to obtain a kidney transplant for his cousin in China (where kidney transplants are illegal for westerners)...Improbably wonderful. Hard to put down-- rich with insights about China, family, medicine, transplants and the human heart.

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Oct 18, 2010

Sarah rated it:

I think this book is probably actually 3.5 star-worthy, but I'm really not sure.

I HAD to read this book based on the subject. It's one of those cases where fact is stranger than fiction and you really can't make this stuff up. The author gets a call from his long lost cousin (who doesn't really get along with the family at all), a man with a speech impediment who makes a living off of suing people, and who is in desperate need of a kidney. The American donor/transplant system bein More...

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Jun 29, 2010

Michael rated it:

Four stars is because I "really liked it" (or at least was much amused by it) but not because I think it is such a great book generally. The title summarizes what the book is about - that the author is able to extend this to almost 300 pages is what is most remarkable.

The most interesting part is the rather culturally insensitive/politically incorrect experience of China that the author presents. If in the first few pages in China someone doesn't like that aspect, then it More...

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Aug 19, 2009

Faith rated it:

A Delightful Armchair Adventure
I was hooked with the first line, 'Huwwo?' Larry's Kidney, by Daniel Asa Rose, is indeed an 'adventure of a lifetime (really) -- a madcap odyssey of the heart (and kidney) in the most exotic country on earth,' as the back cover proclaims.
Larry is something else. Rose shows him as funny, exasperating, morose, kind hearted, unyielding, dictatorial, and expansive by turns, a moody man who is nonetheless charming and hard not to like. I believe that Rose sh More...

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Jul 22, 2009

Grady rated it:

'Huwwo' summarizes a character in one word!

Daniel Asa Rose has a winner on his hands with LARRY'S KIDNEY'. He has the skill and the comic timing to pull off an unlikely caper story with lightness, hearty laughter, tenderness, and wisdom, creating a book that most likely will go directly to film. It is a fast summer read that is brimming over with some of the funniest conversations between the characters while keeping an eye focused on the very fast paced story that borders More...

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May 19, 2009

Catherine rated it:

The title pretty much sums it up. The book started out with the mildly amusing details of how Rose was contacted by his cousin Larry and how he became involved in Larry's life again. Then the book quickly went downhill from there.

Rose's dialogue writing style was inane, tedious, and the stories were far-fetched, punched-up to try to hold the reader's attention, but boring. And Larry's stories were not only implausible, but put me to sleep.

Larry is a racist and Rose moc More...

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Sep 22, 2011

Karen rated it:

I borrowed this book from a friend who bought it after hearing about the author on NPR. It's definitely a crazy story and a wild ride, but I was left feeling like much of it had to be fabricated. I think it often seemed too outlandish, where maybe it could have held back a little and would have still sounded crazy, yet more believable. I had a hard time buying a lot of the little details about their time in Chine and the relationship between the two cousins. The way the family History was reveal More...

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Sep 17, 2011

Intplibrarian added it

I started reading it... and admit that while reading it I actually laughed out loud at times.[return][return]But... I'd put it down and forget about it. Never really really wanting to pick it up again. It just didn't grab me.[return][return]This, of course, isn't much help as a review unless you personally know me and kind of know what books I like and which just don't do it for me.[return][return]I wish I could say more about why I stopped reading it or didn't want to continue. It really IS More...

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Jun 29, 2009

Lisse rated it:

This book started out pretty hilarious with Dan, the author, getting a phone call from his cousin, Larry, (whom he had not spoken to in years) about his need for a kidney transplant (or kiddie as Larry's speech impediment makes it sound). Their conversation is very funny, but unforunately the rest of the book does not follow suit. It definitely has its moments, but there are also odd parts of it as well, like Jade, one of the girls who helps Dan and Larry find a kidney. Dan refers to her as b More...

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Dec 04, 2011

Elaine rated it:

I read this book because of my own experiences with my mother receiving her liver transplant. It was an amazing to see first hand the processes, medical exams, committees, meeting with doctors, meeting with the people who have already received their transplants and also knowing people who did not make it because there was not an organ available.

My mother received her liver legally and in Utah. We believe it was from a woman who was killed in an automobile accident. Also, an interest More...

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Jun 22, 2010

Len rated it:

First off, thanks to my friend Ofer Webman for recommending this book. He couldn't stop talking about it after he read it and now I know why.

Larry's Kidney is a funny story about a serious subject -- organ donations. In the book Daniel Rose tells the true story of the trip he took with his cousin Larry to try to locate a black market kidney to save Larry's life and in the process sheds some light on organ donation issues, the American medical establishment, Chinese culture and of mos More...

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Dec 10, 2009

Catherine marked it as to-read

SA: "A hilarious story about two cousins in China, one searching for a kidney and true love, the other aiding and abetting. Rose's writing is by turns hyperbolic and hallucinatory as he deals with the outlandish situation and his wacky cousin. Sometimes slapstick, sometimes caustic, Larry's Kidney is also sweet and thoughtful as Daniel finds himself improbably falling in love with China."

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Nov 20, 2009

Donna rated it:

Gave this book 3 and a half stars. Very funny book in spite of the serious topic, and makes you think just a little bit about relationships between countries. Would have rated it higher if it had addressed more the moral and ethical dilemmas around donations of human organs. Although a kidney transplant was the topic of the book, most of the story was the human relationship between the recipient and his cousin.

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Apr 19, 2010

Nicole rated it:

Interesting read, a cross between a cultural travelogue and a nonfictional medical saga. The author's bitting sarcasm made for good laughs periodically. He made it a point to justify his use of "cultural" slang/diction but I didn't find that offensive in the least. However, I am not sure how a medically-naive audience would interpret the novel's foray into a discussion on the allocation of organs but it was food for thought.

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Jun 19, 2009

Melissa rated it:

Based on the title, I really thought I would enjoy this book. Unfortunately, the overuse of local dialect, the inappropriate "father-daughter" relationship between the author and Jade and the ethical issues that come up when the cousins finally find a kidney make it nearly impossible to find humor in their adventures. I may have been more inclined to like this book if it were presented as a work of fiction.

With that said, there are some funny moments and it is nice to se More...

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Dec 28, 2009

Turi rated it:

Daniel Rose's "black-sheep" cousin is dying of kidney failure, and wants to take advantage of "medical tourism" to jump the long line for one in the U.S. and find a kidney in China. Along the way, they confront the mushy ethics of the situation, some long buried familial issues, and the culture shock that awaits them in China. Interesting but bizarre; moving but confusing.

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Aug 08, 2010

Dawn rated it:

Very funny in the first half, less so for the middle and conclusion. Even though at times it seemed like the two people in it often discussed things both of them would have known, as this is a memoir it made some sense. Sometimes I found sentences jarring, but there is some wonderful humor here.

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Nov 18, 2011

Lisa rated it:

what i found most interesting about this book is that it (slightly) changed my views on the chinese culture. i know that the govt oppresses the people, but i had trouble understanding why the citizens were they way they were. i guess i understand them better now and admire their sense of communal unity that we lack here in the US.

oh, and i found larry to be an annoying shit. i almost wanted him to die.

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Aug 18, 2009

Stacie rated it:

Two cousins travel to China to obtain a kidney because one of them has kidney disease. They receive help from a cast of colorful Chinese characters along the way. Although Larry, the writer's cousin, is the main focus of this memoir, it was really the Chinese people - specifically the women - who stole the show in this story.

This is a story about family, with all its nasty scars and flesh exposed, wrapped in an awkward love note to China - hysterical, heartwarming and slightly horri More...

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Jan 27, 2010

Paul rated it:

By turns touching and humorous, Rose's account of his travels to China with his cousin is an affecting story. His difficult-to-get-along-with cousin asks the author to accompany him to China in order to probe the black market for a kidney. It seems that cousin Larry needs one to prolong his life. But after arriving, Larry informs Dan that he has also come to meet his mail-order bride. Complications and surprises ensue covering a full range of emotions. It isn't literature, but it is a quick More...

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Aug 18, 2009

Tracey rated it:

Adult nonfiction; travel/memoir/miscellany. Goes off for a bit towards the end but a decent narrative. Reveals a little more about China: the smog we already know about, but I found the various layers of humanity displayed (and hidden) by the Chinese to be intriguing.

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Aug 19, 2009

Suzi rated it:

This book is hysterically funny and very heartwarming. Larry is a complete nebbish, and at several points, one wonders if he is really worth saving. The writer's compassion toward Larry is amazing. The writing, especially the dialogue, are great.

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Jun 23, 2009

Victoria rated it:

I really enjoyed this quirky book about quirky people and the even more quirky people that touched, aided and abetted them. A rare insight into the lives of everyday Chinese and the system that molds their actions.

Good luck to you, Larry, and... give Burton a break.

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Sep 08, 2009

Ashlee rated it:

This book has a very interesting story line. But it couldn't hold my attention for some reason. I though I would like it, but I just never found myself wanting to read it.

However, this is a very good book that includes many fascinating elements and cool fortune cookies at the beginning of every chapter. It is filled with suspense and humor, but also has a very serious element to it. It really exemplifies just how far one would go for family. This book contributes a very good message More...

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Mar 05, 2009

Alisha rated it:

Having helped hospital patients in China while living there, it was interesting to read the comments of someone dealing with it from the other side. At the same time, parts of the book didn't flow well, and the author made at least mildly racist remarks in a few places.

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Feb 01, 2010

ஐ Briansgirl "Book Sale Queen"ஐ rated it:

This was a rather unique memoir/biography. It's a true story, but told with alot of humor. I read the entire thing in a day and a half. It held my interest as you wanted to know what happened.

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Feb 04, 2010

Ruth rated it:

An excellent advocate for organ donor programs! The relationship with his cousin was funny & interesting as were the descriptions of China & its people.

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May 22, 2011

Hsien rated it:

His rendering of China, the Chinese people, the Chinese language and his cousin Larry was beautiful, haunting, and hilarious.

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