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The Immortalists: Charles Lindbergh, Dr. Alexis Carrel, and Their Daring Quest to Live Forever Audiobook
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(3.58) - 24 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The Immortalists is the fascinating story of the friendship and extraordinary scientific collaboration of two prodigious men: Charles Lindbergh, once the most famous person in the world, and Dr. Alexis Carrel, the Nobel Prize winner regarded by many as the most brilliant surgeon who ever lived.
Lindbergh and Carrel met not long after Lindbergh's "victory lap" around the world, which followed his historic solo flight from New York to Paris in 1927. Fueled by their shared goal to find a scientific path to life without death, they spent five years in Carrel's laboratory at the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research in New York, where they secretly built a machine that could keep organs alive outside the bodies that created them. This device was the forerunner of today's artificial heart and heart-lung machine.
Although they obviously failed in their ultimate quest, Lindbergh and Carrel's experiments established them as two of the most ambitious thinkers in modern history, as well as unacknowledged pioneers of biotechnology.
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"When someone says Charles Lindbergh, you probably don't think of one of the men who helped pioneer mechanical organs, but he did. Also interesting is how close Carrel and Lindbergh came to endorsing some of the practices of Nazi Germany. "
— Darren (4 out of 5 stars)
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“Friedman, who has written for GQ and Esquire, makes complex science accessible and serves as an absorbing cautionary tale on how two heroic reputations were marred by fascism and anti-Semitism.”
— Publishers Weekly -
Outstanding history, superbly told
— Kevin Baker, author of Strivers Row
The Immortalists Listener Reviews
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" An interesting insight into the life of Charles Lindbergh that I never knew. The book protrays a very different man from the one we learn about in history. "
— Sheila, 6/20/2013 -
" This book was highly recommended by a good friend; she was amazed. While the story does upend some of the preconceived notions I had of Charles Lindberg (who knew he believed in eugenics?) I didn't find it very riveting and am having a terrible time finishing the darn thing! "
— Caroline, 2/3/2013 -
" I need somebody else to read this book so that I can discuss things! Like how much of a crazy em effer Charles Lindbergh was. "
— Tracie, 8/14/2012 -
" Good insight into more than just Lindbergh but the world during the 1930s to post WWII. A bit long but it's also easy to skim as the author is repetitious in details. "
— BeerDiablo, 8/6/2011 -
" When someone says Charles Lindbergh, you probably don't think of one of the men who helped pioneer mechanical organs, but he did. Also interesting is how close Carrel and Lindbergh came to endorsing some of the practices of Nazi Germany. "
— Darren, 3/15/2011 -
" The subject matter is fascinating! But I don't much care for the way it's written. "
— Porsche, 6/3/2010 -
" A chillingly delightful warning of the dangerously seductive appeal of science without morality. "
— Mike, 1/26/2010 -
" A chillingly delightful warning of the dangerously seductive appeal of science without morality. "
— Mike, 5/29/2008 -
" This book was highly recommended by a good friend; she was amazed. While the story does upend some of the preconceived notions I had of Charles Lindberg (who knew he believed in eugenics?) I didn't find it very riveting and am having a terrible time finishing the darn thing! "
— Caroline, 5/15/2008 -
" Good insight into more than just Lindbergh but the world during the 1930s to post WWII. A bit long but it's also easy to skim as the author is repetitious in details. "
— BeerDiablo, 12/3/2007 -
" I need somebody else to read this book so that I can discuss things! Like how much of a crazy em effer Charles Lindbergh was. "
— Tracie, 10/25/2007
About David M. Friedman
David M. Friedman has written for Esquire, GQ, Rolling Stone, Vogue, The Village Voice, and many other publications. He has also been a reporter for Newsday and the Philadelphia Daily News.
About Todd McLaren
Todd McLaren, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, was involved in radio for more than twenty years in cities on both coasts, including Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. He left broadcasting for a full-time career in voice acting, where he has been heard on more than five thousand television and radio commercials, as well as television promos; narrations for documentaries on such networks as A&E, Discovery, and the History Channel; and films, including Who Framed Roger Rabbit?