Review By Sonal Kumar

“As it turns out, life and death is not a black-and-white issue. There is a gray zone—a faint no-man’s land where you are neither truly dead nor actually alive.”

These are the words of physician-journalist Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a practicing neurosurgeon and the Chief Medical Correspondent to CNN and Time columnist. Gupta is also New York Times bestselling author of Chasing Life.

In his newest book, Cheating Death (Grand Central Publishing, Oct 2009), Gupta explains the “gray zone” as he reveals a handful of medical emergencies-turned-miracles, manipulated by seasoned magicians in crisp white coats. Gupta presents several fascinating and adventurous cases of patients who flirt with death: a young skier who dies after a traumatic fall on a slope, a 68-year-old man who had a cardiac arrest while running on a treadmill, and a patient uplifted from a noxious coma.

According to Gupta, a doctor’s courage, efficacy, and optimism can reverse the body’s reactions and revive a seemingly dead patient. A procedure known as “therapeutic hypothermia”—chilling organs by rushing cool saline through the veins— lends the patient more time to convalesce. Time can prevent a fading heart or a deteriorating brain from completely shutting down. He shows that the slightest alterations to existing medical practices and procedures can resuscitate a dying patient.

Gupta dispels the assumption that people who look and act dead are dead. It is not the diminishing flow of oxygen or blood circulation or heart beats that distinguishes the dead from the living. Instead, it is the doctor pouring over the patient on the operating table with a scalpel in one hand, standing beside a collection of state-of-the-art medical technology, who “shifts the line between life and death.” These chilling yet realistic detail plays out in each story and it is what make each page of the book an informative read and a fulfilling experience.

Gupta’s commitment to educating the public about health coupled with his expertise in investigative reporting make Cheating Death unlike any other medical-related literature. The chapters instigate a narrative about a near-death patient while interlacing Gupta’s medical proficiency from his work as a neurosurgeon. He easily transitions to an objective lens when he quotes other professionals from top-rated hospital research centers, including several medical doctors from the College of Physician of Surgeons and University of Pennsylvania.

Despite the saturation of technical terms, Gupta’s prose remains coherent, consistent, and clear, even for those without scientific expertise. In fact, Gupta provides vital information about how bystanders can help to save a life, making it instructive for laymen. According to him, a spectator of an accident can simply push the heart and circulate blood flow throughout the body, and this in turn significantly increases the chance of survival for a cardiac arrest patient.

The excitement of the medical stories and the superiority of Gupta’s scientific inquiries make Cheating Death a transformative experience, one that enlightens the mind, body, and soul.

Sanjay Gupta, MD is a practicing neurosurgeon at Emory University Hospital and associate chief of service at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. He is a contributor to 60 Minutes and appears regularly on the CBS Nightly News with Katie Couric.

Sonal Kumar is an undergraduate student at Columbia University in the City of New York. She is a Psychology major with a strong interest in pursuing a career in the medical profession. She is a writer for her college paper, Columbia Daily Spectator, as well as a freelance journalist for various New York City publications. Her zeal for writing—especially on the topics of health, nutrition and wellness— fortifies her decision to incorporate writing in her professional career.

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