Includes a New Afterword
A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice
When hard-living, middle-aged American writer James McManus gets a three-day executive checkup at the Mayo Clinic, he is immediately forced to confront his mortality. Will he survive his own cardiovascular system and genetic inheritance long enough to see his young daughters grow up? With great candor and wit, McManus explores not only his own health but also that of the health care system itself and the political realities that have hamstrung stem cell research--which could help his eldest daughter's diabetes. Physical is an unabashed, wrenching, and often hilarious portrait of unwellness in America.
James received, the author of Positively Fifth Street and four novels including Going to the Sun, for which he recieved the Carl Sandburg prize. The portion of Physical serialized in Esquire was chosen for The Best American Science and Nature Writing, The Best American Magazine Writing, and The Best American Political Writing. Currently at work on a history of Poker, McManus teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.