Breath and Mercy
Life was supposed to get better for Phineas Mann in 1983. After the rigors of medical school, residency, and fellowship training, he lands himself a promising position directing a New Orleans hospital's intensive care unit. His mental and physical limits are soon tested by the soaring demand for his expertise and an exploding AIDS epidemic.
Then Hurricane Jezebel floods the city and knocks out power, plumbing, and telephones. Temperatures soar. Supplies run low. As day follows miserable day, fatalities fill a make-shift morgue. Through the sweltering, fetid gloom Phineas employs his training to alleviate patient suffering...until he faces one terrible threat that will put his entire future in jeopardy.
Breath and Mercy is the prequel to Mark Anthony Powers' bestselling debut novel, A Swarm in May, and the first book of a trilogy. Through the character of Dr. Phineas Mann, the author explores the ethical dilemmas of providing supportive care for dying patients.
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"In Breath and Mercy, we watch the emergence of the HIV epidemic and witness a health care system buckle under the destructive power of a hurricane. Compelling from start to finish, Breath and Mercy quickly draws the reader into a richly layered series of action-packed medical adventures."
- Kim Talikoff, MD, Pediatrician, Educator, and Documentarian
"Through the character of Dr. Phineas Mann, Dr. Powers explores the complex responsibilities of the medical profession - to speak the truth, to improve health, and to relieve suffering, even in the face of extreme hardship and imminent death. The story is riveting and kept me guessing until the last page."
- John A. Bartlett, MD, Professor of Medicine and Global Health, Duke University, and Co-Director, The Center for AIDS Research
"Dr. Powers sets Dr. Phineas Mann in a cauldron of ethical dilemmas brewed in a raging New Orleans hurricane. Mark Powers writes as one familiar with facing the challenges of life and death issues. As a former co-chair of a hospital ethics committee, I recognize a similar compassion in Phineas for patients and families as the author has. I already want Phineas in a third novel."
- The Rev. Dr. Ralph Bright, Retired Director of Chaplaincy, Durham Regional Hospital
"Dr. Mann's role as a physician in a New Orleans community hospital during a Category 5 hurricane is a harrowing account of doctors and nurses and other hospital personnel trying to provide humane care under inhumane circumstances. Readers interested in the humanity of health care, health education, and the human condition will find this novel interesting and compelling."
- Nancy Chescheir, MD, Professor of Maternal and Fetal Medicine, University of North Carolina
"For readers who have not read A Swarm in May, I suggest that they read Breath and Mercy first, as it will add to its suspense and set the stage for Phineas' subsequent adventures and exploits. Dr. Powers had a long and successful career as an outstanding and widely respected physician. He is now well into a second career as a skilled and successful novelist."
- Daniel J. Sexton, MD, Professor Emeritus of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University
"Mark Powers' new book Breath and Mercy left me breathless while reading the hospital scenes during the storm. He captured the emotion and exhaustion that I would feel in such a desperate situation. I applaud his courage in addressing a quandary well-known to health care providers who must navigate the intersection between religious faith, hope, and medical futility with each patient and family."
- Carol Dukes Hamilton, MD, Professor Emeritus of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Duke University
"Powers' fast-paced novel begins with a medical journey through the early days of the HIV epidemic. Powers beautifully captures the uncertainties and challenges of doctoring in that difficult time by weaving together carefully crafted vignettes of individual patients living with HIV. Power's protagonist, Phineas Mann, is skillfully imbued with great passion for service and humanistic care, still core qualities in health care during our current challenging times."
- Peter Kussin, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine
