Reviews for Enduring What Cannot Be Endured: Memoir of a Woman Medical Aide in the Philippines in World War II

The average rating for Enduring What Cannot Be Endured: Memoir of a Woman Medical Aide in the Philippines in World War II based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-09-01 00:00:00 Roderick Hyde This is truly an amazing book. I found it very interesting right through. The story of Charles Lindbergh in particular is almost 3 separate lives, or maybe even 4, and we are taken through each part with the same thoroughness and attention to detail. Dr. Carrel as well lead a very fascinating life, ahead of his time by about 70 years, but the two men's lives mesh in an almost fantastical way. Beginning with Lindbergh's flight as almost an aside, it was mostly used to set the theme of the effect the notoriety had on his life. The death of his infant son also is not a major part of the story but more of a background. What is amazing and exciting is how these two men, an engineer and a scientist produced the forerunners of so many medical practices today. To read what they were able to produce with their "misguided" attempts at immortality is completely worthwhile. The "middle" portion takes us through the days leading up to WWII and the results. The final portion brings us back to exoneration, hope, prestige and Lindberg's re-entry into flight. One is made to feel we come full circle by the end of the book. To be honest, I had no idea as to the depth of these personalities and the book was a real eye-opener. I am so glad I was able to read this fantastic story and heartily recommend it.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-01-27 00:00:00 Thomas Goodman As I don't get out much, I knew exactly four things about Lindbergh (and nothing whatsoever about Carrel). I knew about his solo flight, I knew he solicited much of the funding for this from members of St Louis's Noonsday Club, I had some fleeting knowledge about the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, and I was told that his wife donated his library to Yale, not through any altruistic, scholarly motives but as a vehicle to get all of his crap out of the house to eliminate all physical reminders of "that crazy son-of-a-bitch" (presumably a paraphrase). Thus my interest in The Immortalists was piqued (especially as I discovered it lying near to the open slot that supposedly housed the book I intended to check out - thanks again 3rd largest library in the US!). It's a pretty amazing story. Whenever I'm presented someone of "Renaissance Man" stature I always raise an eyebrow as these types typically don't have "day jobs" and can dabble in this, that, and the other armed with unlimited funds, inexaustable connections, and no need to deal with those pesky licensure issues that we have today (any given Jefferson, Da Vinci, or Ibn Rusd would no doubt have to languish in university classrooms for seven or eight decades before plying their trades today). In a sense, Lindbergh is no different. As an aviator, he becomes the "most famous man in the world" at 25. This opens the door for his subsequent careers as an inventor/developer of medical research devices, primatologist, eugenics enthusiast, author, isolationist, WWII flying ace, environmentalist, philanderer and, finally, cancer victim. It's an amazing story. At the least, perhaps he's the last Renaissance Man? Maybe he's actually more interesting than that hirsute Dos Equis guy? (though hard to imagine the "humorless" teetotaler selling lousy Mexican beer, but I digress…). Of course, the Nobel Laureate Frenchman, Alexis Carrel - with his perfused chick-heart and his pendulum-toting wife - is a fascinating component of this story. If one can get past his disdainful social theories, he's a fairly likable guy. But ultimately the importance of this book revolves around Lindbergh's personal journey from a belief system that only advanced white people should procreate and benefit from immortality (not the "wrong" kind of white people such as journalists and, presumably, those who wear Ed Hardy shirts un-ironically) to the notion that all humans are inherently evil to, finally, the concept that only naked primitives and Monkey-eating Eagles are worthy of this earth… a fairly predictable transformation certainly.