Captivating, often cinematic ... The most powerful aspect of In the Blood is its deeply empathetic sketches of the key figures, typically men who grew up with limited resources, who endured hard times, and who somehow forged a life for themselves and persisted in the face of adversity.
Treats a consequential topic, and contains moments of real insight, drama and humor. Trouble is, Barber opens with several omissions and slights that left me on edge for the balance of the book ... Yet I wanted to trust this book, because it tells an important story in vivid, engrossing terms ... Barber is at his best when he describes the sinister hive-mind of the Pentagon ... His devotion to his characters is obvious throughout. He cares deeply about these people, and soon we do, too. Yet his portraits often seem constrained within narrow, shopworn categories ... Barber seems so fond of certain figures that, at the close of his tale, he stops being critical of them.
Barber’s book details why, somewhat tediously, which makes the narrative a lengthy one. But the outcome of a long and complicated effort to revolutionize trauma treatment is inspiring.
Astonishing and often disturbing ... Barber draws on extensive interviews with Hursey, Gullong, and veterans who lives were saved by QuikClot, and briskly explains medical, legal, and military matters. This story of innovation and persistence merits a wide audience.
The author’s prose is readable by anyone, background in medical technologies or not, including explanations and common terms whenever technical phrasing arises. This fits well with the biographical content but contrasts with the explorations of the mechanics of various technologies. Specialist readers may be interested in these sections, though Barber doesn’t delve deeply enough and includes redundancies to keep general audiences up to speed ... While often interesting in their own rights, these character-specific historical asides are presented formulaically and have little bearing on the primary narrative. The core story lacks sufficient development, requiring numerous digressions, some of them intriguing and at least tangentially related, to fill out the text.
