About the Book

A Heart Afire is the story of Helen Brooke Taussig, a children’s doctor who defied personal and professional obstacles to save dying children, paving the way for heart surgery, and who used her fame to become one of the 20th century’s leading advocates for patients. In this biography, Helen’s closest surviving fellow recalls her mentor’s stunning breakthrough and helps narrate her life and times.

General Press

WYPR 88.1 Baltimore Midday with Tom Hall

BBC 4 Woman’s Hour with Emma Barnett. The radio show has shared inspiring women’s lives and voices since 1946. Skip ahead 40m 30s to hear our chat.

Biographers International Organization

About Helen

A gracious, but willful children’s doctor in a man’s world, Helen was first to diagnose heart defects in dying infants and in 1944 convinced a surgeon to try her idea to fix the most common problem, setting off heart surgery. She never stopped overseeing her patients, establishing the collaborative patient care model still used today, and in the 2nd half of the 20th century played a leading role in protecting Americans from unnecessary treatments and unsafe drugs.

About the Author

Patricia Meisol is an award-winning non-fiction writer and former investigative journalist.