The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons

I've been a fan of Sam Kean's writing since I first picked up The Disappearing Spoon, and though I'm late to the game when it comes to Dueling Neurosurgeons, I'm still very glad I picked it up. It's pretty clear that Kean's got a good grasp of his writing style, and it shines in this book the same way it does in The Violinist's Thumb. There's a playfulness and lightness to his writing that doesn't sacrifice the heavier, more important stuff, and I think that's a good quality to have in a writer who's dealing with some very weighty topics - weighty not necessarily because the ideas are complex (though they are), but because they touch upon some very sensitive and likely controversial topics. That's especially true when you're talking about the brain and what goes on in it, and the implications for, well, everything makes us who we are.

As always, great new book from Kean, and here's hoping that his latest, Caesar's Last Breath, will be just as good - though given how he's something on a roll right now, I'm sure it will be.