Charles Drew: Pioneer of Blood Plasma

My science club read this last week. I was surprised at how primitive medicine was just a few short years ago.Reading about Dr. Drew and all the challenges he had to face made me more determined than ever to become a doctor.

This is the kind of book that should be in the hands of every young man in America. Drew overcame the odds and didn't complain. He just did it and lives were saved.My wife bought several copies of this book and gave it to all the boys in our son's scout troop.

Charles Drew watched his baby sister get sick. He wanted to save her life but most schools would not let him attend because he was black. He said he "Dreamed High" and found a way. He became a surgeon and helped others become surgeons. He was a great man. I'm glad I read this book.

My daughter brought this book home from school and suggested I read it. I'm glad I did. I had no idea that medicine was so primitive only a few years ago.I'm so happy that she had a chance to know that such a dynamic man like Dr. Drew existed. Now when things get hard we remember his famous words,"Excellence of performance will overcome!"

Thousands of lives were saved on World War II battlefields thanks to Dr. Charles Drew, but he is barely remembered outside the African-American community. Charles Drew: Pioneer of Blood Plasma by Linda Trice will make him unforgettable.By 1940, the situation in Europe was critical. Holland and Belgium had surrendered to Nazi Germany. France would soon fall. Wounded soldiers were dying because the Allies couldn't keep the battlefields supplied with enough fresh blood for transfusions. Using dialog and dramatic recreation, Trice, a former elementary school teacher and Black Studies professor, shows actual events leading to Drew's determination that the answer lay in blood plasma.Drew subsequently served as medical supervisor of the "Blood for Britain" program providing American blood to British soldiers and guided the American Red Cross in establishing blood banks throughout the U.S. to support American armed forces.Student athlete, doctor, medical school professor and scientist, Charles Drew's motto was "Dream High." He never lost sight of his dream to save lives, despite the poverty and racial discrimination which hampered his efforts to obtain a medical education. Although the book was written for children, adults, too, will not only be inspired by Drew's life, but will learn about early twentieth century America from the many sidebars which provide context without interrupting the narrative flow.