Grief of My Heart: Memoirs of a Chechen Surgeon | Khassan, M.D. Baiev

Grief of My Heart: Memoirs of a Chechen Surgeon | Khassan, M.D. Baiev | disappointed

books:

Grief of My Heart:...

	Grief of My Heart: Memoirs of a Chechen Surgeon Khassan, M.D. Baiev Walker & Company, 2005 - 216 pages average customer review:based on 3 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

A Booklist Editor?s Choice for 2003
In this riveting memoir, Khassan Baiev relates his harrowing experiences as a surgeon in one of the worst war zones of the last decade.
When the hospital where Baiev worked in Grozny, the Chechen capital, was destroyed by Russian shelling, he returned to his nearby hometown of Alkhan Kala and restored an abandoned clinic with help from villagers. Soon he was the only doctor for tens of thousands of residents and refugees in the surrounding area. During six years of war and intermittent ceasefire, he often worked without gas, electricity, or running water, with only local anesthetics and homemade medical supplies.
Although he treated mainly civilians, Baiev upheld the Hippocratic Oath by also caring for Russian soldiers and Chechen fighters alike--a practice that branded him a traitor by both sides. Kidnapped and nearly killed on several occasions, Baiev finally fled Chechnya in 2000 and won political asylum in the United States.
An important eyewitness account of the reality of the Chechen-Russian conflict, which has killed 20 percent of the Chechen population, made homeless another 350,000, and seen the deaths of thousands of Russian soldiers. Grief of My Heart is a searing memoir that is certain to become a classic in the literature of war.

for more information click here

A Great Book

I am a firm beliebver that all things happen for a reason and some things are extremely difficult to understand. I picked up this book on my way out of Barnes & Nobles and did not expect much from it. I have read it and I am still in shock. The scenes that this book has in it are terrifying and it is a shame that the American public does not see the images of Chechnya like they do of Iraq.I pray that the death toll and damage that has been done to these Chechneyans will soon come to an end. I know there will be colateral damage and this book tells you why.

I felt anger as I read in chapter 10 where he describes going to a city called Grozny where Khassan has to dodge and hide from Russian helicopters that are firing missles into homes and at groups of women and children. I could not believe that all Chechen males from 6-65 are thrown into concentration camps. There are 15 million land mines in this small country. I was humbled when the doctor asked a man,who had just stepped on a land mine, that he had to amputate his leg and the poor fellow said: do what you must, but if there are other people worse than me, take care of them first. This was during the time he had to operate on people for 36 hours straight. May Allah reward this man for his help in those grimm times. These are just some of the Unbelievable things you will read in this book. Pick it up and just read a few pages and you will be locked into it. I can't recommend this book enough for doctors or those interested in what makes a terrorist. Please check this book out, you wont be dissapointed.

for more information click here

disappointed

I have to say that when I saw that there was another book by Chechen surgeon, Khassan Baiev, I was anxious to get my hands on a copy. After reading and enjoying The Oath, I thought there was more to come. I was more than disappointed when I received my copy only to find out that it is the same exact book with a new title. It is disheartening to me that Amazon is still selling a combo package for both of these books on their website even after I wrote to them to let them know of the mistake.

products you might be interested in