HEALING HEARTS A Memoir of a Female Heart Surgeon

Dr. Magliato’s memoir allows listeners to meet a woman working in a man’s world—the specialty of cardiac surgery. A memorable scene has Magliato massaging an open heart while riding a patient to the OR on a speeding gurney. She tells of her training, her romances, her experience of sexual harassment, and the effects of such a demanding profession on her family. The author’s juxtaposition of medical jargon with condescending phrases like “little soldiers in the blood” sometimes seems oxymoronic. Maybe narrator Renée Raudman is taking the author’s occasionally patronizing lead as she sounds like an an elementary school teacher talking to children. Her portrayal makes the Type A doctor sound like she is lacking in assertiveness. In her praise, Raudman pronounces most of the medical vocabulary with aplomb. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2010]