I don’t quite remember when I first became aware of Ten Fingers for God on our bookshelf, but I know I’ve been wanting to read it for many years. My Mom assured me that it was an interesting read, but our cover was a solid red cloth-bound cover—very uninspiring to someone who is often first drawn into a book by a good cover. I finally picked it up this past month, though, and wow—what a fascinating story!

Several years ago, we read the Benge’s biography of Paul Brand as a family. As I started reading this book, I got many flashbacks to that story, but this book is more in-depth, and, in my opinion, even more interesting (if that is possible—I found Benge’s biography fascinating too!). This book was published in 1965, the year Paul Brand moved to the US to continue his research and help with a leprosarium there, so while it covers all of Brand’s formative years and much of his research, it doesn’t cover the entirety of his life.

Personally, I love Wilson’s writing style. It’s engaging, and though she is a biographer, you could almost forget that you’re reading a non-fiction story. She breathes life and breadth into the people in the story, so I almost felt like I was sitting with Paul Brand as a young surgeon on firewatch during the Blitz, or watching him perform his first surgery or autopsy on leprosy victims. I loved the descriptions of his parents and the area he grew up in; the way he doted on his children, and the way he blessed and encouraged those he came in contact with. And the stories he told his family while they were on vacation? Hilarious!

This is a well-written biography, one that I’m sure I’ll want to reread someday. If you’re at all interested in learning about Paul Brand’s life, I highly recommend you pick this up. I’m hoping to find other Dorothy Clarke Wilson books and read them, too—she’s a good author! ( )

Biography of Paul Brand's life from birth up to the late 1980s when he retired. It's very thorough, with plenty of family background and some interesting incidents and anecdotes

I found the book mostly interesting, but a bit heavy-going in places. A huge number of people are mentioned by name - relatives, colleagues, patients - and I found it impossible to keep track of them all. However, since biographies deal in real life and factual incidents, this is perhaps inevitable.

I didn't feel myself drawn to the people as I do in some novels - perhaps this isn't possible in a biography, or perhaps the problem is that the author wasn't herself a fiction writer who specialised in characterisation.

Nonetheless, it's a very readable account of the life, work and ministry of this incredible man, and well worth having. Recommended to anyone who wants to know more about Paul Brand, or about the development of leprosy medicine in the latter part of the 20th century. ( )