Norman Bethune The stormy and inspirational life of a Canadian doctor who is a hero in China. Honoured as a hero in China, Ontario-born Norman Bethune was a surgeon, medical innovator, and charismatic political activist who deployed his skills on the battlefields of Spain and China in the 1930s. His prodigious energy included inventing surgical instruments, mobile blood-transfusion units, teaching, and advocating for social justice at home and abroad. Adrienne Clarkson, a Chinese Canadian, has always been fascinated by the dynamic man who married his social conscience to his medical mission. Reviled as a Communist by some, revered as a humanitarian by others, Bethune was a complicated, inspirational figure who lived and loved on a large canvas. from product description
Norman Bethune, by former Canadian Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, provides a detailed examination of the life of this trailblazing physician, from his childhood in Ontario to his death in China in 1939. The biography, part of the Penguin “Extraordinary Canadians” series, seeks to connect Bethune’s early experiences as the son of small town pastor, as a soldier, and as a teacher in remote lumber camps to his later development as a doctor serving in the cause of the communist party in China. It tells the story of a man, celebrated in China as a hero, but nearly forgotten in his home country, who was an innovator and an activist. The book provides in-depth accounts of Bethune’s life as a stretcher-bearer in World War One, of his struggles as a medic in the Spanish Civil War, and of his development as a deeply political figure. The book pays tribute to Bethune’s achievements, like the development of mobile medical units and the exploration of new therapies for patients with lung disease, and it celebrates his resolute and indomitable spirit; however, it is not a eulogy. It provides a look at a very “human” individual, an irascible, cantankerous and stubborn character. Clarkson’s boo seeks to establish two ideas: first, that Bethune’s later accomplishments were a natural expression of his character and his experiences, and, second, that there was something quintessentially Canadian about the doctor.
ReplyDeleteClarkson primarily utilizes a “cause and effect” structure to explore the elements of Bethune’s character and experience which have an influence on his later behavior. Each section of the book focuses on an aspect of Bethune’s personality in the context of some specific sequence of events in his life. The sequence is logical, and the links between what happens and what he does are clearly articulated. The breaking down of “cause and effect” into more thematic chapters is also helpful. For example, it is easy for us to imagine how Bethune became such a hard working, “hands-on” man when we learn about his experiences as a stretcher-bearer in World War I and as a teacher in remote Canadian lumber camps. If there were a shortcoming, however, it would be that the reader does not have a clear picture of the destination before the cause and effect process begins. The reader, therefore, has a sort-of piecemeal picture of the development of the man. It may have been a little easier for the reader to have a brief initial portrait of the man, and then to look at the formative events in his life. If there is a second weakness, it lies in the book’s skimming over of Bethune’s relational experiences, as both a reflection and formative element of his character. Nevertheless, the book does cover a lot of material in a short time. It is succinct and engaging, easily accessible to a high school reader. In the end, Clarkson succeeds in drawing attention to an important Canadian figure, without elevating him to some mythological status.
BY MIN SOO HAN