The Story of a Heart
By Rachel Clarke

The Story of a Heartand is an extraordinary, compelling account of life-giving medicine. Rachel Clarke follows the journey of a human heart - and narrates one of the most miraculous developments in 20th century medicine - as she describes the saving of a nine-year-old boy.SHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2024LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2025BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THEand SPECTATOR,and NEW STATESMAN,and NEW SCIENTIST, ANDand PROSPECTand FROM THE AUTHOR OF THEand SUNDAY TIMESand BESTSELLERand DEAR LIFE ANDand BREATHTAKING, A MAJOR TV DRAMA'What a book . . . The perfect book'and Chris Evans on Virgin Radio'Profoundly moving and at the same time wildly inspiring' Rob Delaney'Rachel Clarke's finest book yet'and Financial Times'Remarkable'and Cosmopolitan'The best narrative non-fiction I've read in years. Rachel Clarke has written a profound piece of investigative journalism and wrapped it up in poetry' Christie Watson'This is THE MOST BEAUTIFUL and riveting book: written with such humanity, empathy and knowledge, such tact and drama and eloquence. Vital reading, lifelong revelation'and Laura CummingThe first of our organs to form, the last to die, the heart is both a simple pump and the symbol of all that makes us human: as long as it continues to beat, we hope.One summer day, nine-year-old Keira suffered catastrophic injuries in a car accident. Though her brain and the rest of her body began to shut down, her heart continued to beat. In an act of extraordinary generosity, Keira's parents and siblings agreed that she would have wanted to be an organ donor. Meanwhile nine-year-old Max had been hospitalised for nearly a year with a virus that was causing his young heart to fail. When Max's parents received the call they had been hoping for, they knew it came at a terrible cost to another family.This is the unforgettable story of how one family's grief transformed into a lifesaving gift. With tremendous compassion and clarity, Dr Rachel Clarke relates the urgent journey of Keira's heart and explores the history of the remarkable medical innovations that made it possible, stretching back over a century and involving the knowledge and dedication not just of surgeons but of countless physicians, immunologists, nurses and scientists.The Story of a Heartand is a testament to compassion for the dying, the many ways we honour our loved ones, and the tenacity of love.