Time for a Heart-to-Heart: Reflections on Life in the Face of Death

(Hardback)

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Time for a Heart-to-Heart is not your typical memoir, but is rather eclectic in tone at times philosophical, poetic, poignant, uplifting, confessional, hysterically funny, and nostalgic. But most of all, it is an inspiring story of the triumph of hope and the human spirit in the face of the direst of circumstances and the ultimate challenge of survival. People who have gone through significant heart disease or have undergone organ transplants as well as their families and friends will appreciate this book.
About a year ago, Bob Mitchell became very sick. He would endure three near-fatal episodes of ventricular tachycardia due to a heart muscle comprised of 54% scar tissue, as well as heart surgeries, two harrowing months of waiting on the transplant list for a new heart on life supporting IV drips (during which time a malignant tumor was detected in his kidney), partial nephrectomy surgery to remove the cancer, another month of waiting, 12-hour heart and kidney transplant surgery, and 100 days on life support in four different hospitals. A novelist at heart, Bob's ordeal seemed like a memoir screaming to be written.
Not simply a narrative of the physical and emotional experience of what it's like to go through and recover from a transplant, it is at its core both a thought-provoking, introspective monologue, and an intimate dialogue with the reader, concerning life's fundamental conflicts that the author pondered during his ordeal. These experiences and tribulations gave clarity and perspective to the things Bob had been thinking, teaching, and writing for over five decades: fear and hope, despair and joy, failure and success, pride and humility, thought and feeling, control and surrender, arbitrariness and justice, constriction and freedom, youth and age, life and death.

Reviews

There are lots of memoirs out there about heart disease, but Time for a Heart-to-Heart is unique . . . thought-provoking and challenging, with lots of insight and wisdom, inviting any reader with a beating heart to contemplate nothing less than the meaning of life. Plus, its a fun read filled with entertaining anecdotes from Bobs colorful past. As we used to say in Brooklyn, Whats not to like This is a must-read. Larry King, founder of the Larry King Cardiac Foundation (from the foreword)

Bob Mitchell has great insights into medicine, and much more brilliant insights into life. His memoir is wonderfully funny, uplifting, and a true celebration of what we all should be thankful for, the passionate fight for survival. Do-overs are indeed an engineering feature of our bodies. As a weekly radio/podcast show host, I get to read fifty-two books a yearsome 830 since I started. Bob Mitchells Time for a Heart-to-Heart is clearly at the top, among many great ones. Mike Roizen, PhD, chief wellness officer at the Cleveland Clinic and New York Times bestselling author

Im always impressed by the bravery of patients, especially when risks are highhow do they find their courage, patience, and optimism Bob Mitchell brings that conjuring to life from a rare perspective, grounded in several thousand years of literature, philosophy . . . and sports! Mitchells sweeping chronicle of life and heart transplantation is Odyssean, Dantean, Talmudic, and reminiscent of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. It is a Truth Well Told. Craig R. Smith, PhD, chairman of the Department of Surgery, College of Physicians & Surgeons of Columbia University; surgeon-in-chief at Columbia University Medical Center of New York Presbyterian Hospital

Few individuals have traveled on the remarkable journey detailed in this memoir; fewer still have the capacity to make it come alive in the context of art, literature, and Everymans experience. Bob Mitchell draws upon an unparalleled depth of knowledge and erudition to craft a must-read work for patients, providers, and all those whose lives are personally touched by the intersection of heart disease and high technology. Dr. Stuart F. Seides, physician executive director of MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute, Washington, D.C.

I believe that Bobs story will provide hope to other patients with severe medical diseases, promote faith in modern medicine, and, above all, underscore the importance of support from family and friends to healing and recovery. This book is about real life and a great and hard-fought outcome, as told by a true novelist. Jon A. Kobashigawa, PhD, director of the Heart Transplant Program, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, LA (from the afterword)
There are lots of memoirs out there about heart disease, but Time for a Heart-to-Heart is unique . . . thought-provoking and challenging, with lots of insight and wisdom, inviting any reader with a beating heart to contemplate nothing less than the meaning of life. Plus, its a fun read filled with entertaining anecdotes from Bobs colorful past. As we used to say in Brooklyn, Whats not to like This is a must-read. Larry King, founder of the Larry King Cardiac Foundation (from the foreword)

Bob Mitchell has great insights into medicine, and much more brilliant insights into life. His memoir is wonderfully funny, uplifting, and a true celebration of what we all should be thankful for, the passionate fight for survival. Do-overs are indeed an engineering feature of our bodies. As a weekly radio/podcast show host, I get to read fifty-two books a yearsome 830 since I started. Bob Mitchells Time for a Heart-to-Heart is clearly at the top, among many great ones. Mike Roizen, PhD, chief wellness officer at the Cleveland Clinic and New York Times bestselling author

Im always impressed by the bravery of patients, especially when risks are highhow do they find their courage, patience, and optimism Bob Mitchell brings that conjuring to life from a rare perspective, grounded in several thousand years of literature, philosophy . . . and sports! Mitchells sweeping chronicle of life and heart transplantation is Odyssean, Dantean, Talmudic, and reminiscent of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. It is a Truth Well Told. Craig R. Smith, PhD, chairman of the Department of Surgery, College of Physicians & Surgeons of Columbia University; surgeon-in-chief at Columbia University Medical Center of New York Presbyterian Hospital

Few individuals have traveled on the remarkable journey detailed in this memoir; fewer still have the capacity to make it come alive in the context of art, literature, and Everymans experience. Bob Mitchell draws upon an unparalleled depth of knowledge and erudition to craft a must-read work for patients, providers, and all those whose lives are personally touched by the intersection of heart disease and high technology. Dr. Stuart F. Seides, physician executive director of MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute, Washington, D.C.

I believe that Bobs story will provide hope to other patients with severe medical diseases, promote faith in modern medicine, and, above all, underscore the importance of support from family and friends to healing and recovery. This book is about real life and a great and hard-fought outcome, as told by a true novelist. Jon A. Kobashigawa, PhD, director of the Heart Transplant Program, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, LA (from the afterword)

Author Bio

Bob Mitchell studied at Williams, Columbia, and Harvard, where he earned a PhD. in French and Comparative Literature. He has had careers as a French professor, a professional athlete, an advertising Creative Director, and a novelist. He is the author of eleven books, including the acclaimed sport novels Match Made in Heaven and Once Upon a Fastball. He lives in Carlsbad, California.

Larry King is an award-winning broadcaster who has interviewed the world's newsmakers for more than 60 years - first on radio, then on CNN for 25 years, and most recently online, hosting Larry King Now on ora.tv. He is the author of many books, including Taking on Heart Disease which traces his own battle with heart disease and successful surgery.