Dr. Koop
The Many Lives of the Surgeon General
Nigel M. de S. Cameron’s biography of Ronald Reagan’s larger-than-life surgeon general, Charles Everett Koop, reveals a complex figure caught between public health policies, religious convictions, and family struggles.
Born in Brooklyn in 1916, Koop rose to prominence in several fields. He was a revered doctor and a pioneer of pediatric surgery; he was a tireless advocate for the downtrodden, spending weekends caring for homeless people, away from his children; and, when he was appointed United States surgeon general on the back of his outspoken antiabortion stance, he surprised and frustrated political leaders by turning his attention to the ills of smoking and the tobacco industry.
Rich anecdotes spanning the whole of Koop’s life are integrated with literary finesse, imparting humor, kinetic energy, and a sense of the man behind the words. As a boy, Koop pulled the emergency brake before his mother hit a drunk person crossing the street, saving the man. At the age of ninety-three, Koop threw himself into a second marriage and retained a habit of dropping in on Hillary Clinton at a moment’s notice.
While accounting for Koop’s many achievements and mercurial changes, the book nonetheless shows that the recitation of facts only scratches the surface of the formidable doctor. Koop’s imposing, congenial presence is attested to by dozens of friends, students, colleagues, and family members interviewed herein; his religious beliefs are placed in the context of the deep emotional turmoil of losing a child; and his ability to change regardless of countervailing pressures is revealed again and again. With its efficient structure, the book is assiduous in portraying the many sides of Dr. Charles Everett Koop.
An intimate biography of a force in modern public health, Dr. Koop tracks the colorful life of “America’s family doctor.”
Reviewed by
Willem Marx
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
