Running head: Cutting For Stone Book Review 1
Cutting For Stone Book Review
Ransford Akuffo
Ohio University
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https://www.coursehero.com/file/38773152/Cutting-for-stone-book-reviewdocx/
, Cutting For Stone Book Review 2
Introduction
Cutting for stone is a fictional novel published in 2009 by Abraham Verghese. The story
carried by the novel span across continents, moving from India to Ethiopia and later to a hospital
in New York City. The story was dated over five decades back beginning with Sister Mary
Joseph Praise‘s missionary post to Yemen from India. During her journey on the ship, she saved
the life of a young English doctor, Thomas Stone, who later had a great impact on her destiny.
Sister Mary Joseph Praise changed her destination to follow Dr. Thomas Stone to Ethiopia after
she lost her missionary partner Sister Anjali due a typhoid fever outbreak on the ship. Seven
years later, Sister Praise died during the birth of her twin boys Shiva and Marion. Following
Sister Mary’s death while giving birth to the twins, which was a very traumatic scene on the
operating table, Dr. Thomas Stone vanished. Marion and Shiva grew up not knowing who their
father was. The novel further narrates how the twin were separated, how they grew up and
betrayed each other, and finally how they came back together. The purpose of this paper is to
write a review on the book cutting for stone.
Purpose of the book
The book conveys important issue about life in the Ethiopia, it also deals with issues of
race and immigration, talking about how International doctors keeps the United States alive
because they get offered to undergo residency program in the United State and later stay after
their residency without going back to their country. The book also throws more light on medical
problems that affect the African continent and women in particular.
Author’s qualifications and viewpoint
Abraham Verghese is an Ethiopian-American infectious disease physician and a writer,
Professor of the Theory and Practice of Medicine in the Department of Medicine at Stanford
University and Senior Associate Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine. Dr. Verghese
started his medical career in Ethiopia but completed in India at the University of Madras due to
civil war in Ethiopia. He completed his residency at East Tennessee State University, College of
Medicine, and later pursuit a Fellowship in Infectious Disease at Boston University School of
Medicine. After years of practicing medicine at the bedside, Dr. Verghese decided to take a break
and a new direction in his career. He therefore went to the University of Iowa where he earned a
Master of Fine Arts degree at the Iowa Writers Workshop. Dr. Verghese first book, My Own
Country, published in 1994 after caring for terminal AIDS patients in small town Tennessee,
witnessing the suffering these patient went through before they die. Dr. Verghese second book,
The Tennis Partner, which is a story of friendship and loss published in 1999. His first novel,
cutting for Stone published in 2009 was on the bestseller list of the New York Times for more
than two years after selling over 1 million copies. Dr. Verghese is a member of the National
Academy of Sciences and On September 22, 2016 Abraham Verghese received a National
Humanities Medal, at the White House from President Barack Obama. As a doctor, his viewpoint
of writing cutting for stone was to inform the public on some major health issues faced with
Africa, Ethiopia to be specific. The novel was also focused on major health issues faced with
women in Ethiopia. Verghese also used this opportunity of compare the practice of medicine in
Ethiopia and the United States, providing scenarios where women developed childbirth
complications due the lack of access to advance medical care.
This study source was downloaded by 100000806758261 from CourseHero.com on 04-20-2022 11:51:12 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/38773152/Cutting-for-stone-book-reviewdocx/
Cutting For Stone Book Review
Ransford Akuffo
Ohio University
This study source was downloaded by 100000806758261 from CourseHero.com on 04-20-2022 11:51:12 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/38773152/Cutting-for-stone-book-reviewdocx/
, Cutting For Stone Book Review 2
Introduction
Cutting for stone is a fictional novel published in 2009 by Abraham Verghese. The story
carried by the novel span across continents, moving from India to Ethiopia and later to a hospital
in New York City. The story was dated over five decades back beginning with Sister Mary
Joseph Praise‘s missionary post to Yemen from India. During her journey on the ship, she saved
the life of a young English doctor, Thomas Stone, who later had a great impact on her destiny.
Sister Mary Joseph Praise changed her destination to follow Dr. Thomas Stone to Ethiopia after
she lost her missionary partner Sister Anjali due a typhoid fever outbreak on the ship. Seven
years later, Sister Praise died during the birth of her twin boys Shiva and Marion. Following
Sister Mary’s death while giving birth to the twins, which was a very traumatic scene on the
operating table, Dr. Thomas Stone vanished. Marion and Shiva grew up not knowing who their
father was. The novel further narrates how the twin were separated, how they grew up and
betrayed each other, and finally how they came back together. The purpose of this paper is to
write a review on the book cutting for stone.
Purpose of the book
The book conveys important issue about life in the Ethiopia, it also deals with issues of
race and immigration, talking about how International doctors keeps the United States alive
because they get offered to undergo residency program in the United State and later stay after
their residency without going back to their country. The book also throws more light on medical
problems that affect the African continent and women in particular.
Author’s qualifications and viewpoint
Abraham Verghese is an Ethiopian-American infectious disease physician and a writer,
Professor of the Theory and Practice of Medicine in the Department of Medicine at Stanford
University and Senior Associate Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine. Dr. Verghese
started his medical career in Ethiopia but completed in India at the University of Madras due to
civil war in Ethiopia. He completed his residency at East Tennessee State University, College of
Medicine, and later pursuit a Fellowship in Infectious Disease at Boston University School of
Medicine. After years of practicing medicine at the bedside, Dr. Verghese decided to take a break
and a new direction in his career. He therefore went to the University of Iowa where he earned a
Master of Fine Arts degree at the Iowa Writers Workshop. Dr. Verghese first book, My Own
Country, published in 1994 after caring for terminal AIDS patients in small town Tennessee,
witnessing the suffering these patient went through before they die. Dr. Verghese second book,
The Tennis Partner, which is a story of friendship and loss published in 1999. His first novel,
cutting for Stone published in 2009 was on the bestseller list of the New York Times for more
than two years after selling over 1 million copies. Dr. Verghese is a member of the National
Academy of Sciences and On September 22, 2016 Abraham Verghese received a National
Humanities Medal, at the White House from President Barack Obama. As a doctor, his viewpoint
of writing cutting for stone was to inform the public on some major health issues faced with
Africa, Ethiopia to be specific. The novel was also focused on major health issues faced with
women in Ethiopia. Verghese also used this opportunity of compare the practice of medicine in
Ethiopia and the United States, providing scenarios where women developed childbirth
complications due the lack of access to advance medical care.
This study source was downloaded by 100000806758261 from CourseHero.com on 04-20-2022 11:51:12 GMT -05:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/38773152/Cutting-for-stone-book-reviewdocx/
