Phineas Gage

A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science

By: John Fleischman

Narrated by: Kevin Orton

In 1848 Vermont, railroad foreman Phineas Gage sat above a hole, preparing to blast through some granite. A 13-pound iron rod fell from his hands into the hole, triggering the explosion and sending the rod straight through Phineas' head. Thirty minutes after this terrible accident, Phineas sat on the steps of a hotel, patiently waiting for the town doctor to arrive. He chatted with his amazed coworkers as if nothing had happened. But something terrible had happened. The rod that shot through Phineas' head like a rocket had caused great damage. Yet - incredibly - Phineas survived another 11 years.

This extraordinary book tells the true story of one of the most remarkable accidents in human history. Listeners will not only be fascinated by all the gruesome details, but will also learn riveting information about how Phineas helped change the history of brain science.

©2002 John Fleischman (P)2008 Recorded Books, LLC

Interested in all the gory details?

Would you listen to Phineas Gage again? Why?

I will listen to Phineas Gage again and again! In fact, I used this audio version with my 7th grade book group and the audio added so much to the story! We followed along using the print version to get all of the wonderful photos and diagrams that accompany the story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Phineas Gage?

The most memorable moment was when the students heard the account of the accident. The build up to the actual moment of the accident was great! The students were impressed by the detail, especially how far the tamping iron flew through the air!

Have you listened to any of Kevin Orton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I haven't, but I'd listen to another of his performances.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, we listened over a three week period.

Interesting and Educational

This book was very good and spoken very well. One hundred percent recommend it for anyone who likes reading.

Interesting.

What did you love best about Phineas Gage?

What was learned over the years from the injury helped many people.

Have you listened to any of Kevin Orton???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. I won't mind listening to him again.

Just enough to tell the story completely.

Phineas Gage is the perfect length to give the backstory, the story, and to fill-in some gaps required of the layperson about general neuroscience. It doesn’t‘s add words for the sole purpose of adding words. I enjoyed the narration and I’m happy to know the full story of Phineas Gage.

Compact &view of the roots of brain science

Phineas Gage was a famous "medical figure" in the mid-19th century who played a role in the discovery of the makeup of the brain. This compact retelling of his history is a nice relief from the heavier & longer history books, and novels, I am accustomed to downloading. It is well told and well narrated, and it just the thing to whet your pallet for the next big book.

Great read!!

I learned a lot from this book! It was a very gruesome story that had so many interesting facts that I never knew about! I would recommend reading this amazing book!

The reader! As fine as Michael Kramer, Richard Poe, Frank Muller, Scott Brick, a few more stars

Well written, very well researched, you can not go wrong listening to this. The Reader, new to me, was as welcome as the best.

Neat story!

It's not very long but well worth a listen. The fact that it's true is pretty cool too.