Life on a Knife's Edge

A Brain Surgeon's Reflections on Life, Loss and Survival

Rahul Jandial

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Acclaimed neuroscientist and bestselling author, Rahul Jandial, provides an honest account of the valuable lessons we can learn from humanity at it's most vulnerable - patients confronted with their own mortality.

Rahul has spent the last 20 years treating patients whose lives hang in the balance, from keeping a gun victim's heart pumping with his own hand, to saving a woman from paralysis and performing brain surgery while time is running out on a haemorrhaging patient. Rules for Survival distils the resilience, courage and belief he has witnessed from patients and explains how he has harnessed them into 10 practical rules for living a better, more fulfilled life.

Part memoir, part practical guide, this book will equip you with rules to help you cope with the difficulties in life, be it stress, failure, trauma, loss, addiction or identity. Jandial will help you find purpose in the face of futility, strength during times of loss and how to live life to the fullest.

Published: 16 June 2021
ISBN: 9780241461839
Imprint: Penguin Life
Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 224
RRP: $37.00

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Praise for Life on a Knife's Edge

A beautifully written and fearless depiction of both brain surgery and the mind of a surgeon. Riveting.
Jim Down, author of Life Support

A reminder that what makes us stellar physicians and surgeons are not our skills with our hands and/our knowledge but rather our empathy and ability to connect with our patients.
Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa

Is this a memoir or a science book? An exposé of the shortcoming of our healthcare system or a paean to the wonders of modern medicine? The answer is YES, to all those things and more. Jandial takes us deep into the day-to-day life of his profession as a brain surgeon while simultaneously taking us even deeper into the inner-workings of our own biology. It's an unconventional approach, and a bit disarming at first blush, but pays off in spades. I loved this book.
James Nestor, New York Times bestselling author of Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art

Most of us say 'it's not brain surgery' when we talk about our work. But Rahul Jandial's work - and life - is just that. And he loves both enough to fight for every moment of every life. A searingly honest, fascinating account of lives and minds entwined.
Stevie Spring CBE, Chairman of the British Council and the charity Mind

A powerful testimony to the skill of a world-class surgeon, and a soul-searching exploration of the vulnerability that makes him human.
Leah Hazard, author of the Sunday Times bestseller Hard Pushed