The Tenth Nerve
A Brain Surgeon's Stories of the Patients Who Changed Him
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $30.30
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Dr. Chris Honey
-
Written by:
-
Dr. Chris Honey
About this listen
Riveting and dramatic, The Tenth Nerve offers a rare window into the world of a pre-eminent neurosurgeon and the seven exceptional patients that made him a better person.
“The scalpel can only go so deep, and technical skill can only take one so far.”
In this absorbing narrative, Dr. Chris Honey, an accomplished neurosurgeon at Vancouver General Hospital, weaves his personal journey together with case studies that reflect the thrill of scientific discovery and the limitations of medicine. Operating on a terminally ill child amid an Ebola outbreak in Liberia, he questions his preconceptions about what it means to "win" against a disease. Reflecting on his own path into neurosurgery, he brings to life a relatively new, high stakes field of medicine—one that historically demanded emotional detachment and often attracts extreme personalities. With a compassionate eye, he traces the courage and determination of several patients suffering from mysterious, unrecognized illnesses, two of whom led Dr. Honey and his team to discover an entirely new disease and its cure. In clear, engaging prose, he invites us into the operating room to witness this extraordinary discovery—involving the tenth cranial nerve—alongside him. And, outside the OR, an unusual friendship with a former patient alters his perspective on clinical detachment, and what "quality of life" really means.
Combining a humane perspective, lively anecdotes, and a deep curiosity about the uncharted territories of the human brain, The Tenth Nerve is a richly fascinating memoir that will fill you with wonder.
©2022 Dr. Chris Honey (P)2022 Random House CanadaYou may also enjoy...
-
Do No Harm
- Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery
- Written by: Henry Marsh
- Narrated by: Jim Barclay
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With compassion and candor, leading neurosurgeon Henry Marsh reveals the fierce joy of operating, the profoundly moving triumphs, the harrowing disasters, the haunting regrets, and the moments of black humor that characterize a brain surgeon's life. If you believe that brain surgery is a precise and exquisite craft, practiced by calm and detached surgeons, this gripping, brutally honest account will make you think again.
-
-
Awesome book
- By Talitali on 2023-04-02
Written by: Henry Marsh
-
Life on the Ground Floor
- Letters from the Edge of Emergency Medicine
- Written by: Dr. James Maskalyk
- Narrated by: Dr. James Maskalyk
- Length: 5 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this deeply personal audiobook, winner of the 2017 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction, humanitarian doctor and activist James Maskalyk reflects upon his extensive experience in emergency medicine. Splitting his time between a trauma centre in Toronto's inner city and the largest teaching hospital in Addis Ababa, he discovers that though the cultures, resources and medical challenges of the hospitals may differ, they are linked indelibly by the ground floor: the location of their emergency rooms.
-
-
An incredible read 10/10
- By Kenneth Williams on 2021-03-27
Written by: Dr. James Maskalyk
-
Every Patient Tells a Story
- Medical Mysteries and the Art of Diagnosis
- Written by: Lisa Sanders
- Narrated by: Lisa Sanders
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A riveting exploration of the most difficult and important part of what doctors do, by Yale School of Medicine physician Dr. Lisa Sanders, author of the monthly New York Times Magazine column "Diagnosis", the inspiration for the hit Fox TV series House, M.D. In Every Patient Tells a Story, Dr. Lisa Sanders takes us bedside to witness the process of solving diagnostic dilemmas, providing a firsthand account of the expertise and intuition that lead a doctor to make the right diagnosis.
Written by: Lisa Sanders
-
Complications
- A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science
- Written by: Atul Gawande
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sometimes in medicine the only way to know what is truly going on in a patient is to operate, to look inside with one's own eyes. This audio is exploratory surgery on medicine itself, laying bare a science not in its idealized form, but as it actually is - complicated, perplexing, and profoundly human. Atul Gawande offers an unflinching view from the scalpel's edge, where science is ambiguous, information is limited, the stakes are high. In dramatic and revealing stories of patients and doctors, he explores how deadly mistakes occur and why good surgeons go bad.
-
-
A very interesting insight into medicine
- By YNM Toronto on 2024-07-20
Written by: Atul Gawande
-
One Doctor
- Close Calls, Cold Cases, and the Mysteries of Medicine
- Written by: Brendan Reilly
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An epic story told by a unique voice in American medicine, One Doctor describes life-changing experiences in the career of a distinguished physician. In riveting first-person prose, Dr. Brendan Reilly takes us to the front lines of medicine today.
-
-
Loved this book, highly recommend it!
- By Amazon Customer on 2018-09-10
Written by: Brendan Reilly
-
Diagnosis
- Solving the Most Baffling Medical Mysteries
- Written by: Lisa Sanders
- Narrated by: Lisa Sanders
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a Yale School of Medicine physician, the New York Times best-selling author of Every Patient Tells a Story, and an inspiration and adviser for the hit Fox TV drama, House, M.D., Lisa Sanders has seen it all. And yet, she is often confounded by the cases she describes in her column: unexpected collections of symptoms that she and other physicians struggle to diagnose. Dr. Sanders shows how making the right diagnosis requires expertise, painstaking procedure, and sometimes a little luck.
-
-
Diagnosis
- By Joanie B on 2023-08-04
Written by: Lisa Sanders
-
Do No Harm
- Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery
- Written by: Henry Marsh
- Narrated by: Jim Barclay
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With compassion and candor, leading neurosurgeon Henry Marsh reveals the fierce joy of operating, the profoundly moving triumphs, the harrowing disasters, the haunting regrets, and the moments of black humor that characterize a brain surgeon's life. If you believe that brain surgery is a precise and exquisite craft, practiced by calm and detached surgeons, this gripping, brutally honest account will make you think again.
-
-
Awesome book
- By Talitali on 2023-04-02
Written by: Henry Marsh
-
Life on the Ground Floor
- Letters from the Edge of Emergency Medicine
- Written by: Dr. James Maskalyk
- Narrated by: Dr. James Maskalyk
- Length: 5 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this deeply personal audiobook, winner of the 2017 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction, humanitarian doctor and activist James Maskalyk reflects upon his extensive experience in emergency medicine. Splitting his time between a trauma centre in Toronto's inner city and the largest teaching hospital in Addis Ababa, he discovers that though the cultures, resources and medical challenges of the hospitals may differ, they are linked indelibly by the ground floor: the location of their emergency rooms.
-
-
An incredible read 10/10
- By Kenneth Williams on 2021-03-27
Written by: Dr. James Maskalyk
-
Every Patient Tells a Story
- Medical Mysteries and the Art of Diagnosis
- Written by: Lisa Sanders
- Narrated by: Lisa Sanders
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A riveting exploration of the most difficult and important part of what doctors do, by Yale School of Medicine physician Dr. Lisa Sanders, author of the monthly New York Times Magazine column "Diagnosis", the inspiration for the hit Fox TV series House, M.D. In Every Patient Tells a Story, Dr. Lisa Sanders takes us bedside to witness the process of solving diagnostic dilemmas, providing a firsthand account of the expertise and intuition that lead a doctor to make the right diagnosis.
Written by: Lisa Sanders
-
Complications
- A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science
- Written by: Atul Gawande
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sometimes in medicine the only way to know what is truly going on in a patient is to operate, to look inside with one's own eyes. This audio is exploratory surgery on medicine itself, laying bare a science not in its idealized form, but as it actually is - complicated, perplexing, and profoundly human. Atul Gawande offers an unflinching view from the scalpel's edge, where science is ambiguous, information is limited, the stakes are high. In dramatic and revealing stories of patients and doctors, he explores how deadly mistakes occur and why good surgeons go bad.
-
-
A very interesting insight into medicine
- By YNM Toronto on 2024-07-20
Written by: Atul Gawande
-
One Doctor
- Close Calls, Cold Cases, and the Mysteries of Medicine
- Written by: Brendan Reilly
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An epic story told by a unique voice in American medicine, One Doctor describes life-changing experiences in the career of a distinguished physician. In riveting first-person prose, Dr. Brendan Reilly takes us to the front lines of medicine today.
-
-
Loved this book, highly recommend it!
- By Amazon Customer on 2018-09-10
Written by: Brendan Reilly
-
Diagnosis
- Solving the Most Baffling Medical Mysteries
- Written by: Lisa Sanders
- Narrated by: Lisa Sanders
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As a Yale School of Medicine physician, the New York Times best-selling author of Every Patient Tells a Story, and an inspiration and adviser for the hit Fox TV drama, House, M.D., Lisa Sanders has seen it all. And yet, she is often confounded by the cases she describes in her column: unexpected collections of symptoms that she and other physicians struggle to diagnose. Dr. Sanders shows how making the right diagnosis requires expertise, painstaking procedure, and sometimes a little luck.
-
-
Diagnosis
- By Joanie B on 2023-08-04
Written by: Lisa Sanders
-
Unnatural Causes
- Written by: Dr Richard Shepherd
- Narrated by: Dr Richard Shepherd
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As the country's top forensic pathologist, Dr Richard Shepherd has spent a lifetime uncovering the secrets of the dead. When death is sudden or unexplained, it falls to Shepherd to establish the cause. Each post-mortem is a detective story in its own right - and Shepherd has performed over 23,000 of them. Through his skill, dedication and insight, Dr Shepherd solves the puzzle to answer our most pressing question: how did this person die?
-
-
Exceptional
- By Emma on 2019-11-10
Written by: Dr Richard Shepherd
-
The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind
- My Tale of Madness and Recovery
- Written by: Barbara K. Lipska, Elaine McArdle - contributor
- Narrated by: Emma Powell
- Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2015, Barbara Lipska - a leading expert on the neuroscience of mental illness - was diagnosed with melanoma that had spread to her brain. Within months, her frontal lobe, the seat of cognition, began shutting down. She descended into madness, exhibiting dementia- and schizophrenia-like symptoms that terrified her family and coworkers. But miraculously, the immunotherapy her doctors had prescribed worked quickly. Just eight weeks after her nightmare began, Lipska returned to normal. With one difference: she remembered her brush with madness with exquisite clarity.
-
-
It takes time to get to it.
- By Amazon Customer on 2024-12-19
Written by: Barbara K. Lipska, and others
-
This Is Going to Hurt
- Secret Diaries of a Young Doctor
- Written by: Adam Kay
- Narrated by: Adam Kay
- Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Welcome to 97-hour weeks. Welcome to life and death decisions. Welcome to a constant tsunami of bodily fluids. Welcome to earning less than the hospital parking meter. Wave goodbye to your friends and relationships. Welcome to the life of a first-year doctor. Scribbled in secret after endless days, sleepless nights, and missed weekends, comedian and former medical resident Adam Kay’s This Is Going to Hurt provides a no-holds-barred account of his time on the front lines of medicine.
-
-
Must read
- By Amazon Customer on 2022-11-08
Written by: Adam Kay
-
Better
- A Surgeon's Notes on Performance
- Written by: Atul Gawande
- Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The struggle to perform well is universal: each one of us faces fatigue, limited resources, and imperfect abilities in whatever we do. But nowhere is this drive to do better more important than in medicine, where lives are on the line with every decision. In this book, Atul Gawande explores how doctors strive to close the gap between best intentions and best performance in the face of obstacles that sometimes seem insurmountable.
-
-
love it
- By Amazon Customer on 2018-07-18
Written by: Atul Gawande
-
Cook County ICU
- 30 Years of Unforgettable Patients and Odd Cases
- Written by: Cory Franklin MD
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Author Cory Franklin, MD, who headed the hospital's intensive care unit from the 1970s through the 1990s, shares his most unique and bizarre experiences, including the deadly Chicago heatwave of 1995, treating the first AIDS patients in the country before the disease was diagnosed, the nurse with rare Munchausen syndrome, the only surviving ricin victim, and the professor with Alzheimer's hiding the effects of the wrong medication.
-
-
interesting perspective
- By allie on 2024-10-17
Written by: Cory Franklin MD
-
Miracles & Mayhem in the ER
- Unbelievable True Stories from an Emergency Room Doctor
- Written by: Dr. Brent Rock Russell
- Narrated by: Al Kessel
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Miracles and Mayhem in the ER, Dr. Brent Russell shares true-life stories of his early days as an emergency room doctor. Contemplative and oftentimes hilarious, Dr. Russell leads the listener through the glass doors and down the narrow halls of the ER where desperate patients, young and old, come to get well. Occasionally heart wrenching and always fast-paced, Miracles and Mayhem in the ER will have listeners holding their breath one second and celebrating the next.
-
-
Not good, not bad either
- By ShoppingGirl on 2021-03-13
Written by: Dr. Brent Rock Russell
What the critics say
“[Honey is] a caring and compassionate physician and an impressive prose stylist. Writing well for a general audience about the complexities of the brain and the challenges of neurosurgery can be a daunting task. . . . Honey takes on the challenge in this compelling human document and tells his stories in polished, engaging prose that moves smoothly from vivid descriptions of brain surgery to profiles of his patients and colleagues, to good-humoured wit, often at his own expense. . . . If The Tenth Nerve confined itself to a mere display of the author’s impressive erudition and clinical experience it would be a perfectly adequate addition to the world of popular science, but it would be a lesser book than the one that Honey has crafted here. . . . This is a terrific book. Highly recommended.” —The Vancouver Sun
“A new book by the Head of Neurosurgery [at the University of British Columbia] offers a fresh perspective about medicine and a riveting look into neurosurgical operating rooms…. Honey’s new book brings the reader into the operating room and reveals the impact that patient and surgeon have on each other's lives.” —The Ubyssey
“In The Tenth Nerve, Chris Honey shows us more than the neurosurgeon’s hidden world—the chaos of the emergency, the ache of the hopeless patient, the subtly pulsing moonscape of the brain under an operating microscope. His is a heartfelt and informed story about crafting a working wisdom, an acumen, about his patients, his profession and, ultimately, himself.” —Dr. Liam Durcan, author of The Measure of Darkness and Garcia's Heart
What listeners say about The Tenth Nerve
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Robert E McDormand
- 2023-12-10
Interesting Stories & Very well read by Dr. Honey
I listened to the audio book and have gone back and re-listened to many chapters over and over again. His kind heart and interest in his profession shine throughout. I was also lucky enough to have him as my surgeon several years ago and he is just as he sounds on the audio book. We are lucky to have his skill in our part of the world.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 2022-07-19
My Amazing Journey into the World of Neurology
I have a very curious mind and am always exploring topics of which I have very little knowledge. Thank you, Dr. Honey, for this fascinating foray. I eagerly await your next book and thank you for your insights into the science of the brain. I recommend this treasure to the intellectually curious.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- J9 Bell
- 2022-10-12
Fantastic!
What a fabulous book. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Dr. Honey's narration. His stories are fascinating and some heartwarming. It was technical in places but it was still understandable. Having been a patient of Dr. Honey's for one of the surgeries he mentions... it was especially interesting. I thoroughly recommend this book to look into a window in the life of a brain surgeon. And I would like to say thank you to Dr. Honey once again, for his expertise that cured my condition in 2005. I was very fortunate to be under his care.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Robyn
- 2022-03-05
An Exceptional Story
Hearing the author read his words and have them come to life in this audiobook was a an exceptional experience as the listener. This book really shows you the humanity, and passion Dr. Honey has for his profession and for the patients he treats on a daily basis. I think all too often in the healthcare industry we see only one side of the profession: the very poised, very task focused physician, nurse, or care provider. It’s refreshing to hear about how these patients impacted the author’s life and helped shape him into the person he is present day. Overall, this book is very inspiring, with many emotional ups and downs, sure to make you laugh and tear up at times.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Geoff Woodfied
- 2022-05-12
Fascinating dive into the World of Neurosurgery
Surprisingly gripping and emotional read. Recommended reading. it also provides some history all the way back to pre-biblical times.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lori Pakulak
- 2023-11-07
Loved this!
What a wonderful storyteller of real humans and their medical journeys.
I enjoyed the excellent explanations of medical conditions in layman’s terms. I would recommend this to everyone. I will be looking for more books from Dr. Honey.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- gemstone
- 2023-03-05
Fascinating!
I loved this listen. The stories were engaging, the science is fascinating, and my happy little heart is filled with wonder.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- MB
- 2023-05-16
Very detailed medical stories & history
If you are interested in detailed neuroscience as it applies to people with very specific pathology and don’t mind a little medical gore, you will live this book as I did. The history section was a little dry but the personal clinical stories made up for it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful