Becoming Dr. Q

September 1, 2011

Renowned neurosurgeon and neuroscientist Quiñones-Hinojosa's life story is as unlikely as it is inspiring.

Born into a Mexican family perpetually teetering on the edge of poverty, the author's origins were anything but auspicious. Intelligence, imagination and a grandfather who believed that "hard work, honesty, and a good heart"—along with a healthy dose of charm and charisma—allowed Quiñones-Hinojosa to see beyond the difficult realities that defined his life. Economic circumstances forced his family to become migrant farmworkers for one summer in California; but for the author, going north "had a feeling of destiny" about it. Risking "injury, incarceration and even death," he eventually returned to the U.S. on his own by jumping the border fence between Mexicali and Calexico. To survive, Quiñones-Hinojosa held a variety of menial jobs from tomato picker to fish-lard scraper to stockyard welder. Education saved him and illuminated his path: After earning his associate's degree, he won a scholarship to UC-Berkeley, where he decided on a career in medicine. A fellowship to Harvard Medical School allowed him to pursue his dream and define himself still further as a brain surgeon and researcher. "From my earliest childhood, I had used my hands for everything from pumping gas to fixing car engines," he writes. "[N]ow I could use [them]...to help patients heal." The personal sacrifices that the author has been forced to make along the way prevents this story of professional success from reading like a fairy tale.

A passionate hymn to the power of the American Dream.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

Starred review from October 1, 2011
When the callow Quiones-Hinojosa, or Dr. Q, made up his mind to pursue a better life and, especially, an education in the U.S., no border or barrier could have kept him from his destiny: a fate that led eventually to his becoming a Johns Hopkins University neurosurgeon, professor, and brain-cancer research scientist. Indeed, the brash teenager left all that was familiar in his native Mexico and, with less than $70 in his pocket, climbed the fence. In fact, he scaled it twice because he was caught the first time and sent back. Undeterred, he turned right around and made a successful, if still illegal, second attempt. His dreams were not big: getting a job in the California fields, owning a tricked-out pickup, and learning English were top priorities. And helping out his family, who had been hit hard by the 1980s recession. Upon receiving his associate degree, the young man thought he'd achieved the highest education he could. It wasn't until a classmate clued him in to the world of university education that both he and his future blossomed as he went from the University of California, Berkeley, to Harvard Medical School. Quiones-Hinojosa's story is gripping, inspiring, and just plain awesome.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)