The life and loves of Norman Bethune - Canadian doctor and activist and battlefield surgeon in China during the Japanese invasion of the 1930s.
Restless, dynamic, conflicted, a surgeon, an artist, and a writer, Norman Bethune was an extraordinary Canadian. Brilliant, yet erratic, Bethune's life was characterized by cycles of achievement and self-destruction and his adventurous spirit led him from the operating rooms of Montreal to the battlegrounds of Spain and China.
In Phoenix: The Life of Norman Bethune Roderick and Sharon Stewart provide the intriguing details of Bethune's controversial career as a surgeon, his turbulent personal life, his passionate crusade to eradicate tuberculosis, and his pioneering commitment to the establishment of medicare in Canada. They also examine the reasoning that led Bethune to embrace Marxism and show the depth of his faith in the triumph of communism over fascism - a commitment that drove him to take risk after risk and ultimately led to his death from an infection caught while performing battlefield surgery in remote northern China.
Based on extensive research in Canada, Spain, and China, and in-depth interviews with Bethune's family, friends, colleagues, and patients, Phoenix: The Life of Norman Bethune is the definitive Bethune biography for our time.
Details
496 Pages, 6.25 x 9.75
77 photos
ISBN 9780773538191
May 2011
Formats: Paperback, Cloth, eBook
"[Roderick Stewart and Sharon Stewart's] well-written, exhaustive and highly readable Phoenix: The Life of Norman Bethune should become the definitive basis for all serious discussion of Bethune. Because the book is so thorough and so objective, it will spark a more informed debate about the meaning of his career." Michael Bliss, The Globe & Mail
"Phoenix is a finely balanced biography - likely to stand as the definitive account of Bethune's life - painting a complex portrait of a man equal parts narcissist and humanitarian." Tod Hoffman, The Montreal Gazette
"Phoenix leaves no stone unturned in the quest to lay bare the life of a man whose legacy is still being decided. Ultimately, what this book makes clear is that you don't have to like Bethune to appreciate his significance." Quill & Quire
"Phoenix is an outstanding biography that establishes Norman Bethune, once and for all, as an extraordinary healer and humanitarian, a Canadian who wanted to change the world and who willfully walked on the hot coals of despair and rejection in order to accomplish that." Canada's History
"An exquisitely written and impressively researched work." Geoff Lambert, Winnipeg Free Press
"Phoenix is a much enriched version of Bethune's life - eminently readable and riveting." Andrée Lévesque, McGill University
"The authors have taken great care to review all the new information that has come to light and present their findings in a balanced, and effective manner." Larry W. Stephenson, professor and chief of cardiothoracic surgery, Wayne State University
"Phoenix will enable Canadians to understand how a son of the manse evolved into a grandfather of medical humanitarianism and how an outspoken and mercurial pariah became the most famous Canadian in history. Through their meticulous and unbiased research, Roderick and Sharon Stewart have developed a profound acquaintance with Norman Bethune, providing a detailed portrait of one of Canada's most complex and least understood characters, and showing that Bethune's flaws may have been guideposts that he needed on his road to greatness." Scott Davidson, Bethune Memorial House National Historic Site
"At long last, the whole Bethune - flaws and contradictions intact, making the extraordinary accomplishments of this troubled and near tragic figure all the more remarkable to unravel. I was riveted, from beginning to end." Ken Gass, Artistic Director, Factory Theatre
"Exhaustively researched and cogently written with a measured and balanced tone ... Phoenix is the culmination of four decades of fascination with an extraordinary character and dedicated research into his life and death." Xu, Xinhua News Agency
"If Norman Bethune makes for a fascinating biographical subject, then Roderick and Sharon Stewart prove to be ideal biographers." Surgeon's News, Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh
"Masterful biography (...) engaging-at times, enthralling-page turner." Canadian Literature
"With Phoenix, [Roderick Stewart] and Sharon Stewart have produced the magnum opus, a definitive, detailed and thoroughly research study." Stephen MacKinnon, Arizona State University
"Phoenix is a well-written and well-documented book dealing with the enormously difficult task of finding clues to describe Doctor Norman Bethune... Roderick and Sharon Stewart are to be congratulated for researching in depth the medical and non medical life of Dr. Bethune and presenting the many facets of his personality and achievements in a concise fashion. The book reads like a novel and provides insight into Bethune's controversial career as a man and thoracic surgeon." Annals of Thoracic Surgery
"Phoenix is an outstanding biography that establishes Norman Bethune, once and for all, as an extraordinary healer and humanitarian, a Canadian who wanted to change the world and who willfully walked on the hot coals of despair and rejections in order to accomplish that...[a] rock-solid and riveting book." Anne Cimon, Canada's History
"Their well-written, exhaustive and highly readable Phoenix: The Life of Norman Bethune should become the definitive basis for all serious discussion of Bethune. Because the book is so thorough and so objective, it will spark a more informed debate about the meaning of his career." Michael Bliss, The Globe and Mail
"Exhaustively researched and cogently written with a measured and balanced tone ... Phoenix is the culmination of four decades of fascination with an extraordinary character and dedicated research into his life and death." Christine Xu, Xinhua News Agency
"All in all, this biography is a fascinating account of the life of an eccentric, highly driven, colorful individual and champion of the underprivileged and downtrodden, interwoven through some of the major events of the first half of the 20th century. " Transfusion Medicine News
Roderick Stewart (1934-2018) was a writer and teacher of history. He was the co-author of several biographies on Norman Bethune, including Bethune in Spain.
Sharon Stewart has over twenty-five years of experience as a writer and as a freelance editor in educational publishing.
Maps
Spain, October 1937-February 1938 / 156
Bethune’s Journey from Hankou to Wutai, February-June 1935 / 253
Detail of Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region / 156
Acknowledgments / vii
Preface: The Bethune Trail / xi
1 A Pain in the Neck: Childhood and Early Youth, 1890-1907 / 3
2 Tempering: Work and War, September 1907-February 1919 / 20
3 Vanity Fair: London, 1919-1924 / 32
4 Slough of Despond: Detroit and Saranac Lake, 1924-1927 / 46
5 Born Again: Ray Brook and Montreal, 1928-1931 / 73
6 The Hill of Difficulty: Travels, Montreal, September 1931-November 1933 / 88
7 Awakenings: Montreal, Autumn 1933-November 1935 / 104
8 True Believer: Montreal, December 1935-October 1936 / 127
9 Blood: Madrid, November 1936-January 1937 / 155
10 The Path with Lions: Madrid, Valencia, Almería, January-February 1937 / 177
11 Clipped Wings: Madrid, Valencia, March-June 1937 / 196
12 Preaching the Faith: The Speaking Tour, June-October 1937 / 212
13 Entr’acte: Montreal, New York City, October-December 1937 / 240
14 Into the Fray: Hankou to Xi’an, 7 February-29 March 1938 / 252
15 Mission: Yan’an, Jin-Cha-Ji, 30 March-19 July 1938 / 274
16 Kingly Comrade: Jin-Cha-Ji, July, 1938-January 1939 / 297
17 The Narrow Gate: Jin-Cha-Ji, December 1938-June 1939 / 338
18 The Celestial City: Jin-Cha-Ji, July-November 1939 / 353
Epilogue / 369
Note on Sources / 379
Notes / 381
Bibliography / 455
Index / 465
9780773543836
$34.95 CAD
Cloth
Shortlisted
Canada Prize in the Humanities
Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences (2012)