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Content snapshot
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Violence
Some
Medieval violence including plagues, amputations, and some battle; the realities of historical surgery
Language
Barely any
Literary prose; minimal profanity
Sexual Content
Some
Adult romantic relationships across multiple cultures; some content, period-appropriate
Substance Use
Barely any
None
Emotional Intensity
Some
The weight of deception sustained across a lifetime; the moral cost of trading your identity for knowledge
What this book is about
Rob Cole, orphaned in 11th-century England, becomes an apprentice to a traveling barber-surgeon and eventually makes a perilous journey to Isfahan to study at the world's greatest medical school—disguising himself as a Jew to gain entry. Noah Gordon's sweeping historical epic follows Rob across decades as he transforms himself into a physician in a world that doesn't have that concept yet.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
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