Physical An American Checkup [Paperback]

Includes a New Afterword

ANew York Times Book ReviewEditors' 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.Physicalis an unabashed, wrenching, and often hilarious portrait of unwellness in America.

James received, the author ofPositively Fifth Streetand four novels includingGoing to the Sun,for which he recieved the Carl Sandburg prize. The portion ofPhysicalserialized inEsquirewas chosen forTheBest American Science and Nature Writing, TheBest American Magazine Writing,andTheBest American Political Writing. Currently at work on a history of Poker, McManus teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

This is fascinating material, ripe for exploration, and McManus is a terrific writer--sharp-eyed and sharp-tongued, and lots of fun to read--even when dwelling on grisly topics like colonoscopies and eye-trauma surgery. The New York Times Book Review

An entertaining and often insightful look at one man's experience with the health care system. San Francisco Chronicle

Powerful . . . McManus is a serious gambler, and in his new book,Physical,he proves that he is no less serious about God's roll of the dice, particularly when the roll's outcome might involve McManus himself, or his children, or his country. . . . Like Thomas Lynch'sThe Undertaking,Physicalis a lively examination of mol&