All That Moves Us by Jay Wellins is a beautiful, well written tribute to his profession and the children he has helped. The heart breaking stories of his cases are tempered with stories of his family, especially his beloved father.

I'm really glad that I had the opportunity to read "All That Moves Us" by Dr. Jay Wellons. I have a newfound appreciation for the vast knowledge and dedication of pediatric neurosurgeons and the many years of training it takes to be as skilled as Dr. Wellons appears to be. I would hope that all physicians have the same dedication to being leaders in their field and to training others to be excellent doctors. Aside from being wowed by the author's medical abilities, I found Wellons' writing style to be of a more academic nature than the engaging, beautiful writing that I have found in other memoirs. There were places in the book that were overly detailed in ways that didn't add anything to the book and the chapter endings fell flat. Still, I'm glad I read this book.

All That Moves Us is Dr Jay Wellons’ account of some of his more memorable brain surgeries. I found it both heartbreaking and heartwarming. I was fascinated by the stories, often dramatic, and by the courage as well as fortitude of his young patients and their parents. This isn’t only about medical procedures, but a candid, holistic account of what it’s like to be a pediatric neurosurgeon with its life-saving responsibilities. Apart from medical procedures, for example, we learn of the author’s relationship with his father who was taken too soon by a horrific disease. Partly scientific, partly philosophical, this is a fascinating, insightful look into what is for me another world.

After spending a semester studying the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system in detail it was an absolute pleasure to read Dr Jay Wellons’ memoir, and understand nearly all of the technical terms and descriptions that he uses! Dr Jay Wellons is a pediatric neurosurgeon and All That Moves Us is his story of how he got there, and some of the stories that continue to stick with him. While there is a lot of medical language in the book, Wellons does a great job of explaining it in layman’s terms. That said, you may benefit from having a anatomical picture of the brain and spinal cord on hand to picture some of the operations.

Neurology and neurosurgery in general are fascinating to me, and I really enjoyed reading about the different experiences a neurosurgeon may have, how one has to become a little “cold” at times in order to protect oneself, and just how crazy difficult it actually is to understand the brain, and to make sure a patient is saved in time. Although Wellons mentions that he may sometimes appear detached, as you make your way through the book he comes across as super caring, and involved in his patient’s lives post-surgery.

Some of the stories could have been pulled from a medical drama (an accident that shows Wellons just how difficult the job of a paramedic is, and how every life-saving decision must be made in split seconds). Others are just terribly sad, especially the story of how Wellons could not save his father from the grips of ALS. And others are just amazing, a little girl saved at the last minute, who then goes on to live a happy and fulfilling life, for example.

All That Moves Us is a gripping, interesting, and very much heartwarming story of one man’s life studying the brain, and fixing it in any way he can. If I ever find myself in the need of a pediatric neurosurgeon for one of my kids (I hope not), then I hope to meet someone like Dr Wellons. He really is amazing.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book.

Fascinating, insightful and reader-friendly writing on a complex topic. Thank goodness there are doctors like Jay Wellons, pediatric neurosurgeon. He is not only at the top of his game professionally making lightening quick decisions on intricate surgeries to save his young patients but appears to be a highly compassionate human being, wholeheartedly committed to his critically ill patients and their families. His stories are heart-breaking, others miraculous.

I found All That Moves Us to be well written and engaging. I was able to understand (at least the gist) of what each medical procedure entailed and the authors relationships with the patient and their families. But it left me wanting more...more emotion, more depth on particular stories, maybe even more perspectives from his students. I enjoyed reading about his father and how that relationship helped form him and set him on his path. I think if you like reading about the medical field and are interested in neurology, you will enjoy this book.

Do you like medical memoirs?
Do you find people’s journeys inspiring?
Do you find the brain fascinating?
Did you love the book Still Alice by Lisa Genova?

Then you will love this. Dr Wellons is inspiring and open within these pages as he shares how he got into the field, his relationship with his father and debunks the theory that surgeons are standoffish.

Fascinating to me how far we have come in medicine. And how limiting and unknown it can still be. Highly recommend this one

This was a fascinating story and I was instantly absorbed into the stories and even though the stories were of extremely complex procedures, it was laid out in a way that made it understandable. This story reminded me so much of Exhale by David Weill because with both books, I felt like I knew the patients. Very engaging book.

Incredibly well written. You feel like you’re right there with him as he’s doing these surgeries and interacting with families. While Neurosurgery and the brain are incredibly complex, the book is written in a manner that is easy to understand. There is no jargon or medical terminology used that isn’t defined and explained which I really appreciated. The authors life is amazing and so interesting. I strongly recommend this book and enjoyed reading it so much. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy!

I have enjoyed all of the Oliver Sacks books and so when I saw this in upcoming nonfiction in NetGalley, I knew it was the book for me. It’s a collection of case histories and while I understand very little of the technical parts, I sure can understand anxiety, hope and fear. He like all medical personal have been stung by the hateful attacks on their profession in the throes of Covid-19. He said the reason he decided to write his book was to reach out to one another with an open hand, and share stories from the depths of our lives, of our joys as well as our pain “and to tell something of the story of how in this life we are all both the healers and the healed.” Amen to that.

All That Moves Us by Jay Wellons is a heartfelt and often humorous (yes humorous) book that gives the reader a look into the world of a pediatric neurosurgeon. Wellons writing is exquisite and uplifting. I really loved his writing about his Dad and how his Dad's influence not only helped him decide on a career but his approach to life. In particular I loved the story about naval aviators making good landings. Read his book and you'll find out why Wellons was writing about naval aviation.

I highly recommend reading All That Moves Us.

Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley.

All That Moves Us // by Jay Wellons

There aren't many books lately in my inbox that I jump at quickly but as soon as I saw this one, I just knew I had to read it. I'm a sucker for medical memoirs and this one promised a lot of emotions, analyzing of experiences, and medical explanations -- all things that I really enjoy reading about. I like how Wellons pulled together the different strands of his life: growing up with a military pilot as his father, his medical training, his hobbies, coping with his father's illness and death, and the triumphs and failures at his job. It was fascinating to see how many things can be taken from one part of your life and either applied to another or used to understand other experiences better. Many people say that doctors, and especially specialists such as neurosurgeons, are aloof, disconnected, or unemotional. This book will show you both that this isn't actually always true as well as why these doctors might act the way they do in those situations, which I can be much more understanding of after reading this book. If you like learning about new perspectives, especially while on an emotional rollercoaster, then you should definitely pick this book up!

Thank you for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The author, a pediatric neurosurgeon dives into the more emotional aspects of his job...clearly being in a position where you could improve or end a person's life must cause a profound impact on one's life. Dr. Jay Wellons is not only an incredibly talented surgeon, but he also happens to be a wonderful writer. His stories about the many cases he was involved in led me to appreciate the amazing organ the brain is, and even more so, thankful there are doctors such as Dr. Wellons who can make such a difference in saving and improving human lives.

This author does a good job of making very complex medical concepts understandable. I still won’t remember any of them but at least I understood them when reading it! The writing is good and parts are heartwarming but for some reason it just didn’t keep me engaged. I found myself starting to skim part way through and wanting to finish reading it already. When I began reading this memoir I expected to read about medical cases, the evolution of pediatric neurosurgery and the author’s role in both. Instead I found this memoir to be mostly about the author’s feelings of success and regret and the emotions involved with being a neurosurgeon. I have no doubt this book will do well it just didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an early release in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Mention "Pediatric Neurosurgeon", and the first thing that came to my mind (before reading this book) is Dr. Ben Carson, who performed the first pediatric hemispherectomy, and was famously involved in the separation of conjoined twins. I have read about and watched a movie about the now-retired Dr. Carson.

Thankfully, I didn't have any children in need of a pediatric neurosurgeon. If I had, I'm sure I would have learned about Dr. Jay Wellons, who practices at Vanderbilt. Wellons, an inveterate southerner, is a talented writer, having also published op-ed pieces in the New York Times.

Wellons advanced progress of pediatric neurosurgery beyond what it was in Dr. Carson's time. Significantly, Wellons is part of a team which corrects spina bifida in utero. Dr. Wellons relates stories about this as well as brain surgeries, nerve repair, and ironically, coming to terms with his father's ALS.

This book is very medically specific and heartwarming at the same time. At times I had to wade through the medical / scientific info. The stories that accompanied the medical knowledge were definitely the high points and sometimes low points of the book. I found the stories about the author’s family and particularly his father inspiring. Definitely worth the read!!

“All that Moves Us”- Life Lessons from a Pediatric Neurosurgeon” certainly moved me. Some parts of the book terrified me. The number of ways that our brains can be damaged, in an instant, are terrifying. And to think of these serious and life-threatening injuries happening to your own child, horrifying. And after reading this fascinating book, I sense that author Dr. Jay Wellons agrees with me.

Dr. Wellons’ well-written memoir allows readers to be with him during his arduous residency, and then his career as a pediatric neurosurgeon. We follow him from the emergency room to the operating room, to his clinic. He also shares the story of his father- truly a commendable man. Most of all, Dr. Wellons opens his heart to us. He doesn’t just repair damaged brain arteries or remove brain tumors from impossible places, he gives his patients and their families, hope, love, and a new path for them to achieve a purposeful life.

One of the most fascinating chapters in the book shows us the surgery that now enables babies with spina bifida to have their spine repaired in the uterus. Truly amazing.

I highly recommend this book and I thank Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group-Random House for an advance digital review copy. This is my honest review.