Second Suns
Two Doctors and Their Amazing Quest to Restore Sight and Save Lives
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Narrated by:
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Rob Shapiro
About this listen
From the co-author of Three Cups of Tea comes the inspiring story of two very different doctors - one from the United States, the other from Nepal - united in a common mission: to rid the world of preventable blindness.
In this transporting book, David Oliver Relin shines a light on the work of Geoffrey Tabin and Sanduk Ruit, gifted ophthalmologists who have dedicated their lives to restoring sight to some of the world’s most isolated, impoverished people through the Himalayan Cataract Project, an organization they founded in 1995. Tabin was the high-achieving bad boy of Harvard Medical School, an accomplished mountain climber and adrenaline junkie as brilliant as he was unconventional. Ruit grew up in a remote Nepalese village, where he became intimately acquainted with the human costs of inadequate access to health care. Together they found their life’s calling: tending to the afflicted people of the Himalayas, a vast mountainous region with an alarmingly high incidence of cataract blindness.
Second Suns takes us from improvised plywood operating tables in villages without electricity or plumbing to state-of-the-art surgical centers at major American universities where these two driven men are restoring sight - and hope - to patients from around the world. With their revolutionary, inexpensive style of surgery, Tabin and Ruit have been able to cure tens of thousands - all for about twenty dollars per operation. David Oliver Relin brings the doctors’ work to vivid life through poignant portraits of patients helped by the surgery, from old men who cannot walk treacherous mountain trails unaided to cataract-stricken children who have not seen their mothers’ faces for years. With the dexterity of a master storyteller, Relin shows the profound emotional and practical impact that these operations have had on patients’ lives.
Second Suns is the moving, unforgettable story of how two men with a shared dream are changing the world, one pair of eyes at a time.
©2013 David Oliver Relin (P)2013 Random HouseListeners also enjoyed...
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Story
Set in Burma during the British invasion of 1885, this masterly novel by Amitav Ghosh tells the story of Rajkumar, a poor boy lifted on the tides of political and social chaos, who goes on to create an empire in the Burmese teak forest. When soldiers force the royal family out of the Glass Palace and into exile, Rajkumar befriends Dolly, a young woman in the court of the Burmese Queen, whose love will shape his life. He cannot forget her, and years later, as a rich man, he goes in search of her.
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I struggled to finish... enough said.
- By Ty on 05-02-10
By: Amitav Ghosh
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The Boy Who Runs
- The Odyssey of Julius Achon
- By: John Brant
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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In the tradition of Uzodinma Iweala's Beasts of No Nation by way of Christopher McDougall's Born to Run, this is the inspirational true story of the Ugandan boy soldier who became a world-renowned runner, then found his calling as director of a world-renowned African children's charity.
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Determination of an individual
- By James J Martin on 10-07-24
By: John Brant
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I'll Push You
- A Journey of 500 Miles, Two Best Friends, and One Wheelchair
- By: Patrick Gray, Justin Skeesuck
- Narrated by: Patrick Gray, Justin Skeesuck
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Meet Justin and Patrick. Born in the same hospital two days apart, they grew up together, faced life shoulder to shoulder, and were best man in each other's weddings. It was the way things had always been. It was the way things were always going to be. But then the unexpected struck - Justin was diagnosed with a progressive neuromuscular disease that robbed him of the use of his arms and legs. As Justin transitioned to life lived in a wheelchair, Patrick stayed by his side, and together they refused to give in to despair or physical limitations.
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Mixed Feelings!
- By Sharpie on 02-13-20
By: Patrick Gray, and others
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In the Shadow of the Mountain
- A Memoir of Courage
- By: Silvia Vasquez-Lavado
- Narrated by: Silvia Vasquez-Lavado
- Length: 15 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Endless ice. Thin air. The threat of dropping into nothingness thousands of feet below. This is the climb Silvia Vasquez-Lavado braves in her pulse-raising memoir. A Latina hero in the elite macho tech world of Silicon Valley, privately, she was hanging by a thread. Deep in the throes of alcoholism, hiding her sexuality from her family, and repressing the abuse she’d suffered as a child, she started climbing. She then took her biggest pain as a survivor to the biggest mountain: Everest.
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How much was not said in so many words
- By Emma Pavich on 10-25-24
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Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden
- Two Sisters Separated by China’s Civil War
- By: Zhuqing Li
- Narrated by: Nancy Wu
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Scions of a once-great southern Chinese family that produced the tutor of the last emperor, Jun and Hong were each other’s best friends until, in their twenties, they were separated at the end of the Chinese Civil War. One became a model Communist, the other a model capitalist. On Taiwan, Jun married a Nationalist general, established a trading company, and emigrated to the United States. On the Communist mainland, Hong built her medical career under a cloud of suspicion about her family and survived two waves of “re-education” before she was acclaimed for her achievements.
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Wonderful Story of a Family’s Survival Through Political Change…
- By Marie G. on 04-12-23
By: Zhuqing Li
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Buried in the Sky
- The Extraordinary Story of the Sherpa Climbers on K2's Deadliest Day
- By: Peter Zuckerman, Amanda Padoan
- Narrated by: David Doersch
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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When Edmund Hillary first conquered Mt. Everest, Sherpa Tenzing Norgay was at his side. Indeed, for as long as Westerners have been climbing the Himalaya, Sherpas have been the unsung heroes in the background. In August 2008, when eleven climbers lost their lives on K2, the world’s most dangerous peak, two Sherpas survived. They had emerged from poverty and political turmoil to become two of the most skillful mountaineers on earth. Based on unprecedented access and interviews, Buried in the Sky reveals their astonishing story for the first time.
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Sherpas, The True Unsung Heroes
- By Kathy in CA on 07-26-15
By: Peter Zuckerman, and others
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Elephant Company
- The Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Hero and the Animals Who Helped Him Save Lives in World War II
- By: Vicki Constantine Croke
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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At the onset of World War II, Williams formed Elephant Company and was instrumental in defeating the Japanese in Burma and saving refugees, including on his own "Hannibal Trek." Billy Williams became a media sensation during the war, telling reporters that the elephants did more for him than he was ever able to do for them, but his story has since been forgotten.
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Story of Friendship, Loyalty, and Bravery
- By Patrick on 04-15-15
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Kidnapped by the Taliban
- A Story of Terror, Hope, and Rescue by SEAL Team Six
- By: Dilip Joseph
- Narrated by: Vikas Adam
- Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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An American physician in rural Afghanistan faces the unimaginable. Dilip Joseph dreams of life as a medical humanitarian. In 2009 his dream comes true as he joins the staff of Colorado-based Morning Star Development, a nonprofit community and economic development organization. On December 5, 2012, Dr. Joseph and two native colleagues, en route from a medical clinic in an Afghan village to Kabul, find themselves face-to-face with four men carrying AK-47s.
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Very Good Story
- By The Paramedic on 04-27-15
By: Dilip Joseph
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The Fifth Vial
- By: Michael Palmer
- Narrated by: J. Charles
- Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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From Boston, a disgraced medical student travels to South America to deliver a research paper that could save her career and becomes a victim of an unspeakable crime...Thousands of miles away, a brilliant, reclusive scientist, dying from an incurable disease that threatens to make each tortured breath his last, is on the verge of perfecting a serum that could save millions of lives.
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Cheesy
- By PSinger on 07-01-08
By: Michael Palmer
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The Hundred-Year Walk
- An Armenian Odyssey
- By: Dawn Anahid MacKeen
- Narrated by: Neil Shah, Emily Woo Zeller
- Length: 11 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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In the heart of the Ottoman Empire as World War I rages, Stepan Miskjian's world becomes undone. He is separated from his family as they are swept up in the government's mass deportation of Armenians into internment camps. Gradually realizing the unthinkable - that they are all being driven to their deaths - he fights, through starvation and thirst, not to lose hope.
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Everything a memoir should be. You will enjoy it!
- By Jakk on 02-19-18
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The Masked Rider
- Cycling in West Africa
- By: Neil Peart
- Narrated by: Brian Sutherland
- Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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The prolific drummer for the rock band Rush travels through African villages, both large and small, and relates his story through journal entries and tales of adventure, while simultaneously addressing issues such as differences in culture, psychology, and labels. Literary and artistic sidekicks such as Aristotle, Dante, and Van Gogh join Peart and his cycling companions, reminding the listener that this is not just another travel book - it is a story of both external and introspective discovery and adventure.
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Fascinating Trip Across Cameroon
- By Diann Sedam on 11-26-19
By: Neil Peart
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Across Many Mountains
- A Tibetan Family's Epic Journey from Oppression to Freedom
- By: Yangzom Brauen
- Narrated by: Yangzom Brauen
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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A powerful, emotional memoir and an extraordinary portrait of three generations of Tibetan women whose lives are forever changed when Chairman Mao’s Red Army crushes Tibetan independence, sending a young mother and her six-year-old daughter on a treacherous journey across the snowy Himalayas toward freedom.
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Excellent all around!
- By Lynn on 09-06-12
By: Yangzom Brauen
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The Secret Letters of the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
- By: Robin Sharma
- Narrated by: Adam Verner
- Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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After a bizarre encounter with his lost cousin, Jonathan Landry is compelled to travel across the planet to retrieve letters and mementos that carry the extraordinary secrets that Julian discovered throughout his life. On a remarkable journey that includes visits to the sensual tango halls of Buenos Aires, the haunting catacombs of Paris, the gleaming towers of Shanghai and the mystical deserts of Sedona, The Secret Letters of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari reveals astounding insights on reclaiming your personal power, being true to yourself, and fearlessly living your dreams.
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Very Enlightening
- By Jocelyne Ramos on 04-23-19
By: Robin Sharma
What listeners say about Second Suns
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Kaiya Kramer
- 06-22-17
Inspirational
Narration is excellent, super inspirational as a pre-med student. I recommend this to everyone who is looking for an easy listen that tells a powerful story of what is possible to accomplish in the world.
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- Heidi A.
- 06-06-23
Inspiring!
This is the most well written and inspiring book I’ve read in a very long time. I highly recommend this.
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- Anon E Mouse
- 05-17-15
This guy should be madea Saint
One of the most inspirational stories ever. This guy is making a larger positive impact on the world today than ANYONE! A top recommendation, you will be not be disappointed.
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2 people found this helpful
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- sayNOtoMOMjeans
- 02-10-18
inspiring story
this story inspires me to pursue a lifelong dream if international medicine mission work. it is a template for what i want my future as an ophthalmologist.
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1 person found this helpful
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- busy lady
- 07-14-18
Great book
I enjoyed hearing this story and was amazed at these two men and all they accomplished for the blind. Very well told and touching.
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- Hobbs
- 03-13-23
Inspiring
It gives you an education, hope in mankind and that seeing and helping the truly less fortunate is a grounding and gratifying experience.
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- Candace Loftus
- 04-15-17
Almost unbelievable
What these two men from different worlds accomplished thus far in their lives makes me feel inadequate by comparison. This book will not fail to inspire you whoever you are and wherever you live. I am sad that it is finished.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Ruth
- 09-13-13
Amazing Story
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes, it is a heartwarming story of returning sight to so many who would otherwise be blind. Unreal to think of all they had to go thru to make this happen...
What did you like best about this story?
The beauty of the wonderful deeds done thru hardship and determination...
What about Rob Shapiro’s performance did you like?
Easy to listen to...
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Made me cry but also had some light moments too!!!
Any additional comments?
Beautiful true story that restores your faith in doctors who are true to themselves and their profession...
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1 person found this helpful
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- Florence Nightingale
- 12-07-16
Heartwarming!
Heartwarming and encouraging social change by hard work and example. This book shows there are still good people in this world who truest love and want to help people, those who have no voice for change.
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1 person found this helpful