Vivien Thomas's greatest dream was to attend college to study medicine. But after the stock market crashed in 1929, Vivien lost all his savings. Then he heard about a job opening at the Vanderbilt University medical school under the supervision of Dr. Alfred Blalock. Vivien knew that the all-white school would never admit him as a student, but he hoped working there meant he was getting closer to his dream.
As Dr. Blalock’s research assistant, Vivien learned surgical techniques. In 1943, Vivien was asked to help Dr. Helen Taussig find a cure for children with a specific heart defect. After months of experimenting, Vivien developed a procedure that was used for the first successful open-heart surgery on a child. Afterward, Dr. Blalock and Dr. Taussig announced their innovative new surgical technique, the Blalock-Taussig shunt. Vivien’s name did not appear in the report.
Overcoming racism and resistance from his colleagues, Vivien ushered in a new era of medicine—children’s heart surgery. Tiny Stitches is the compelling story of this incredible pioneer in medicine.
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Publishers Weekly
04/25/2016
Vivien Thomas had long strived to become a doctor, but after losing his college savings in the stock market crash of 1929, he instead took a job as a research technician at Vanderbilt University. As an African-American, Thomas’s title was officially “janitor.” Despite persistent racial prejudice, Thomas devised a means to perform open-heart surgery on “blue babies” who were not getting enough oxygen, a procedure that would save the lives of many infants. Hooks writes with vivid detail and immediacy, describing Thomas’s anxiety as he coaches Dr. Blalock, the doctor who originally hired him, on performing the first surgery. Bootman’s subdued watercolors channel the sobering climate of Depression-era America in a sensitive portrayal of a little-recognized medical pioneer. Ages 7–12. Author’s agent: Karen Grencik, Red Fox Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Christine LeBlond, Susan Schulman Literary. (May)
Children's Literature - Barbara L. Talcroft
Vivien Thomas (1910-1985) wanted to be a doctor. In early twentieth-century Nashville, that seemed possible. The city had a medical school for African-Americans, and Vivien could save money for the fees. Trained in measurement and exactitude by his carpenter father, Thomas began to work toward his dream. Unfortunately, the Depression intervened, and his savings disappeared. When a job as a medical researcher at Vanderbilt University opened, Thomas applied and met the unorthodox Dr. Klalock, with whom he would work for many years. Telling the story succinctly in this picture book biography for older readers, Hooks traces Thomas's growing medical expertise to the high point of his career, when he invented a process for operating on "blue babies" with heart defects. Having designed miniature instruments for tiny hearts, he coached Dr. Blalock in the operating room at segregated Johns Hopkins Hospital. (Thomas, not a doctor, could not perform the procedure himself.) When its success became a sensation, Dr. Blalock and Dr. Taussig, a specialist in treating "blue babies" claimed it as their own. Even when they were nominated for a Nobel Prize, they never mentioned Thomas' work but left him out of the worldwide publicity that followed. Although the experience was heartbreaking, Thomas persevered and went on to train a multitude of grateful surgeons and medical students. Bootman's expansive watercolors illuminate every page, showing details of medical labs and operations, as well as Thomas's emotions, patience, and professionalism despite racism and lack of recognition for his significant achievements. Not until 1976 was Thomas awarded an honorary doctorate by Johns Hopkins and appointed Instructor of Surgery. Endnotes offer explanatory details; Hooks also includes a glossary and a list of author's sources. Be sure to examine the 1930 photo on the back cover for a look at young Vivien in Vanderbilt's lab. Reviewer: Barbara L. Talcroft; Ages 7 to 12.
School Library Journal
05/01/2016
Gr 2–5—A picture book biography about the genius and research of Vivien Thomas, who pioneered open-heart surgery for infants, specifically to treat newborns afflicted with tetralogy of Fallot, or blue baby syndrome, a previously fatal condition. Trained as a carpenter and working alongside his father by age 13, Thomas dreamed of going to college. After losing his savings in the October 1929 stock market crash, Thomas accepted a job at Vanderbilt University as a research technician under Dr. Alfred Blalock. Expressive watercolor illustrations depict Thomas's dedication. He is shown practicing techniques, working in the lab, and researching in the library. The narrative covers many examples of the racism that Thomas faced, including less pay, housing discrimination, and the press's failure to acknowledge his development of what was later named the Blalock-Taussig shunt. By focusing on the enormous talent and skill of Thomas and depicting instances in which he was dismissed by white coworkers and by the media, the text is an insight into not only this innovator's life but the social and institutional conditions that allow for African American contributions in medicine and science to go largely unrecognized. Extensive author's notes provide more information about tetralogy of Fallot and about Thomas himself. VERDICT An important addition for STEM or biography collections for its exceptional coverage.—Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA
Kirkus Reviews
2016-03-02
Hooks (The Noisy Night, 2014, etc.) and Bootman (Hey, Charleston!, 2013, etc.) illuminate the trials and triumphs of Vivien Thomas and his vital role in the development of children's open-heart surgery. Unable to attend medical school due to the Great Depression, Vivien (as Hooks styles him) takes a job as a research assistant at Vanderbilt University under Dr. Alfred Blalock, who is so impressed with Vivien's surgical skill that he insists Vivien accompany him when he accepts a new position at Johns Hopkins in 1941. Despite the constant prejudice of the segregated hospital, Vivien researches and designs an operation to correct the fatal child heart defect known as "blue babies" syndrome—an operation that would come to save thousands of children's lives and for which Vivien himself can only serve as a coach because only white staff may perform surgery. After more than 26 years without public recognition for his revolutionary contributions, Vivien receives an honorary doctorate in 1976, realizing his dream at last. Told candidly with a touch of gravitas, Vivien's story deftly presents complex social and medical issues along with the gently insistent message of perseverance. Bootman's full-page watercolors and muted palette gracefully bring emotional life to Vivien's personal and clinical scenes alike—never has hospital green been so poignant. Though a substantial bibliography closes the book, there is no specific sourcing for dialogue cited in the text. A good alternative to dense chapter biographies and a rousing tribute to a man unjustly forgotten. (notes, glossary, references) (Picture book. 7-12)
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