Trauma Red: The Making of a Surgeon in War and in America’s Cities

This fast-paced memoir details former Navy captain and trauma surgeon Rhee’s service to humanity, from the battlefields of Iraq to streets of L.A. The child of refugee parents who escaped the horror of North Korea, Rhee found himself drawn as a young doctor to the adrenaline rush of trauma surgery. Rhee’s navy commission led him around the world, including stints in Afghanistan and Iraq, where he volunteered for frontline posts and was forced to make split-second decisions over life and death. In Arizona, Rhee treated Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and other victims of Jared Lee Loughner’s shooting spree; he also has worked to develop programs and advance technologies to ensure that more people survive devastating injuries. With journalist Gordon Dillon, Rhee has constructed an engaging narrative that smoothly relays a high volume of information from a fascinating life. Rhee’s detailed-oriented, understated prose further highlights his accomplishments, which include spearheading the development of the science-fictionesque treatment of therapeutic hypothermia. Rhee has certainly demonstrated his devotion to his adopted homeland, and his common-sense stances on gun control and immigration deserve our attention. (June)