Close to the Sun: The Journey of a Pioneer Heart Surgeon

by Stuart Jamieson

Taut, elegantly written, and ever-attentive to the patients for whom he was the last best chance, Close to the Sun is an adventurous, riveting account based on the experience of over 40,000 heart surgeries, where everything was on the line every moment in the O.R.

Stuart Jamieson has lived two lives. One began in heat and dust. Born to British ex-pats in colonial Africa, Jamieson was sent at the age of eight to a local boarding school, where heartless instructors bullied and tormented their students. In the summers he escaped to fish on crocodile-infested rivers and explore the African bush. As a teenager, an apprenticeship with one of Africa’s most fabled trackers taught Jamieson how to deal with dangerous game and even more dangerous poachers, lessons that would later serve him well in the high-stakes career he chose.

 Jamieson’s second life unfolded when he went to London to study medicine during the turbulent 1960s, leaving behind the only home he knew as it descended into revolution. Brilliant and self-assured, Jamieson advanced quickly in the still-new field of open-heart surgery. It was a fraught time. For patients with terminal heart disease, heart transplants were the new hope. But poor outcomes had all but ended the procedure.

In 1978 Jamieson came to America and to Stanford—the only cardiac center in the world doing heart transplants successfully. Here, Jamieson’s pioneering work on the anti-rejection drug cyclosporin would help to make heart transplantation a routine life-saving operation, that is still in practice today as he continues to train the next generation of heart surgeons. Stuart Jamieson’s story is the story of four decades of advances in heart surgery.

Genres: Medicine, Africa, Nonfiction, Biography

336 pages, Hardcover

Published March 12, 2019

Reviews

[India M. Clamp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewing "Close to the Sun: The Journey of a Pioneer Heart Surgeon" is like a moment in the cold when suddenly a ray of sun decided to caress my skin and warm it to the level of divine inspiration. Dr. Jamieson is whom this story is about. He is a Rhodesian (Zimbabwe) surgeon attaining worldwide recognition for heart/lung transplants. Rightly titled a "Living Legend" in his specialties. His work traverses the continents of Africa, England and terminally the United States. Intriguing is an understatement in the ways he breathes life in words with his tales of brushes with wild bush animals and brutality suffered at the hands of classmates at the tender age of eight years old.

“Cape Buffalo browsed in the bush, bulking black shadows that moved noiselessly…they breathed clouds of steam in the morning light. There was a peace then that I never since have achieved.”
—Stuart Jamieson, M.D.

Shumway is a common term in Jamison's' autobiography---unlike Christiaan Neethling Barnard. We traverse over strange barren land when a cardiac surgeon (chain smokes) under goes the knife at the hand of his rival. This surgeon existed on “Coca Cola,” chocolate cake and cigarettes "Cetera desunt." Life is something that may be given to those surgical patients living on "borrowed time." Aequat Omnes Cinis...

[Richard Dominguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful autobiography of the struggles that helped Stuart Jamieson master and help move forward the science of heart and lung transplants, as well as helping to make him an internationally known surgeon in the field.
This full journey in his story moves us from life through medicine and the ramifications on both. Showing us the education, trials and errors and the triumphs despite the obstacles.
I found this to be an interesting read that became a page turner, even through the medical indoctrinations. More than a story about Stuart, it is a story about those who refuse to let their circumstances dictate the road their lives will take or where that road will go.
A great read and well deserved recommendation ...

Thanks to Mr Jamieson and Goodreads for hosting the contest that won me a copy of this marvelous story

[Nadia The Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am glad I got advance copy of this book from Goodreads giveaway. As someone interested in cardiology (almost a nurse about to start working on cardiac unit) I was excited to read about beginnings of cardio-thoracic surgery and how it advanced over the decades. You do not need to be a medical professional to understand this book. Dr. Jamieson’s descriptions are easy to follow and understand. I also enjoyed his descriptions of his childhood in Africa. He recalls a lot of details and you can see that he is clearly fond of that time and his homeland. You can also see the surgeon in his writing. All the descriptions, whether of his medical procedures and research or of the African nature are concise and to the point. He does not waist words as I am sure he does not waist any moves during his surgeries. Dr. Jamieson is an impressive man, a legend in his own right. I am grateful he allowed us a glimpse at his life and career. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys biographies and is interested in medicine.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a goodreads giveaway for me that I really enjoyed reading. The best part of the book was reading about the author's life growing up in Africa. The descriptions of the wildlife and dangers were so realistic I felt as if I was in Africa living this too. He was a tremendous success in the world of cardiac medicine and was able to overcome the envy and injustices that were done to him by others but also triumphed in the fact of having so many professional mentors ,who taught and supported him through his career.

[Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very detailed. But the author led an amazing life!

[Jack Duryea · Rating 2 out of 5]

300 pages of Jamieson bragging about his accomplishments

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was equal parts nervous and excited to begin this memoir. Would it be too-filled with medical jargon that reads more like a manual? Yet I've been trying to broaden my reading-base, memoirs being one of the topics of choice, and was so relieved to find CLOSE TO THE SUN smooth sailing for a non-medical reader. I took quickly to the writing style. It was easy, smooth, fun, witty, a spot of humor here and there, devastating, touching, informative, and wonderfully descriptive in settings.

CLOSE TO THE SUN begins with Stuart Jamieson telling the history of where he grew up; Balawayo, then his years as a young boy at a rough and strict boarding school before sharing his month's off immersed in wildlife that was right out his front door, both dangerous and spectacular. Soon he was off to Falcon College in London where he had far more freedom than in his previous boarding school.

Next he takes the reader to medical school in London where the heart becomes his point of interest. I liked how he didn't just speak of what he did (both in school and out) and learned mechanical-like, fact by fact, but with emotion. Traits that make him seem a personable surgeon down the road and most definitely a personable author for readers I know will enjoy his story.

It was mind-opening to follow the life of another that is far from my own. Even on some things I wasn't crazy reading about (cross-species transplantation) though I'm not blind to the reasoning behind such a concept and the necessity for such trials and errors to make genuine medical advancements. I had to smile at his nickname of "midnight cowboy" for the time of day - or I should say night :)) - he preferred to do surgeries. His dedication was incredible. I was moved that despite his crazy-busy-research-surgery life, he recalled patients names and their specific operations; they hadn't just been another number to add his success or failure chart (not that he had one, that was just me saying that:) ).

He went from his home of several years in California, with loyal colleagues, to a struggle in Minnesota where he had to deal with petty colleagues not above trying to ruining anothers carrier. After reading about a life so incredible, it was grounding as a reader, when Mr. Jamieson took a pause - acknowledging that even a top-of-the-line-surgeon needed a calm in his life - to revisit his home in Africa before re-entering the medical field back in California.

The writing never became bland nor complicated when diagnosis, research, or surgeries were described. I recommend this memoir to anyone who likes memoirs of course, but especially to anyone wanting to try something new, to step out of that reading comfort-zone. It took me just two days to gobble this up.

I want to thank RosettaBooks for my ARC-copy.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed each section of this memoir from his early life in the wild African Bush, his studies in London and his remarkable career in America. It is one of my favorite memoirs. It was a nice surprise to see there were black and white photos sprinkled throughout the book. I am amazed at how far cardiac surgery and transplants have developed over the years from something that was considered impossible to a common operation. Dr. Jamieson writes about complicated operations in a way anyone can understand. He has such a dedication to his work and a genuine concern for each patient. His work will continue through the several surgeons he has trained over the decades, along with lectures he has given all over the world and the hundreds of research studies he had published.

Being an advance reading copy, I wonder if mine is missing something because there is no mention of him finding the time to meet someone and have a family. The book is dedicated to his two daughters yet the Wikipedia page on him mentioned he has three children with nothing about a wife or wives. He did mention escorting one of Dr. Eastcott's daughters and meeting a Miss Israel. This is a memoir, so I wonder why there is not even a sentence or paragraph about this at all. I thank the author, publisher, and Goodreads for the book. My opinions are my own. #goodreadsgiveaway

[Jjudyfl · Rating 5 out of 5]

-----I won this glorious book from Goodreads.
-----Stuart Jamieson is a modern day hero - with childhood experiences that would frighten an Indian Jones. Raised in Rhodesia, amid all kinds of "beasties," he would grow up to pioneer the use of cyclosporin , (a transplanted organ rejection drug) and save many thousands of lives.
-----I was informed of medical advancements in heart/lung transplants, and happy that info is in "Layman's Language." Dr. Jamieson's advancements were, actually LEAPS.
-----Each chapter of his life story has its own good reason to be read. It's all exciting & entertaining - with some definite humor appearing.
-----This dedicated doc had many good teachers and friends, (Matt Paneth, Norman Shumway, Denton Cooley et al) who helped him along his path - and a few enemies - which was great fun to read about. (He was no fan of Christiaan Barnard...)
-----Recommended read = Time well spent.

[Kim Bakos · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read much more fiction than non-fiction, but this book was so well written and interesting that I didn't mind that it was real life! I loved the early chapters when he described how he grew up in undeveloped Africa. It is sad that the way of life he describes has been lost due to war and "progress". I can't imagine the exhilaration of encountering animals usually only seen at a zoo or on a safari as part of my everyday experience.
His development and progress as a surgeon was very interesting. He is able to put things in layman terms so you never lose the story trying to untangle complicated medical terms. I love the way he is so descriptive of the others who he has worked with - it is so easy to picture them both physically and by their personality.

[Elyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, which almost had two distinct phases (growing up in Africa and his career in medicine), both of which were extremely enlightening and interesting. His descriptions of the Rhodesia of his youth were beautiful and reminded me of my time in East Africa, I could picture everything he described in my mind, down to the sounds of hippos eating (they really are super noisy!) I also really loved learning about the beginning of heart transplantation. It seems so ubiquitous now that I never really considered how dangerous it used to be and how much experimentation went into it (even though, duh of course it would have been).

Note: I received a free copy of this book as a Goodreads Giveaway - all opinions expressed above are my own!

[Lois Sittu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Close to the Sun: The Journey of a Pioneer Heart Surgeon by Stuart Jamieson was a paperback Goodreads win. It was interesting to read about his early childhood growing up in Africa, his study of medicine in London and his work in the field of heart and lung transplants and his pioneering work on the anti-rejection drug cyclosporin .

What amazed me was that the only name I recognized when I read about all of the surgeons that did all this ground breaking work was Christiaan Barnard who did the first human-to-human heart transplant surgery in 1967. I did not know of Stuart Jamieson who was named a "Living Legend" by the World Society of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads. What an amazing book starting from the author's childhood in Rhodesia now Zimbabwe, to London, and finally to America. This book details the pioneering efforts in health and medicine describing the successes and deaths that often comes in healthcare. I especially enjoyed the first part in Zimbabwe and the way the author described the country so eloquently. I was enthralled from page one of this book!

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not one to read biographies of memoirs, but I found the journey of Dr Stuart Jamieson fascinating. From his childhood in Africa to his training in England to Heart Surgeon in America, an amazing story and journey. I found the details of the beginnings of heart and lung transplants interesting. It is really amazing to see how modern medicine was formed. A thoroughly enjoyable read!

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was so interesting to learn about the history of heart and lung transplantation. 3.5 stars.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last chapter was quite moving.