The Sky Was Falling: A Young Surgeon's Story of Bravery, Survival, and Hope -- Cornelia Griggs, Hardcover

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

The dramatic, unforgettable, and ultimately cathartic diary of a young pediatric surgeon and mother working on the front lines as the COVID-19 pandemic hit one of New York City's busiest hospitals.

In the spring of 2020, many of us were sequestered in our homes, attempting to teach our children and learn to bake while the pings of news alerts and wails of sirens reminded us of the devastation outside. Dr. Cornelia Griggs's experience was nothing like ours.

A pediatric surgery fellow in New York City, Griggs was entering the final victory lap at the end of nine grueling years of training. She was set for a big graduation celebration and looking forward to spending some real time with her husband and two toddlers.

When COVID-19 arrived, Griggs initially encouraged her friends and family not to panic. But as mysterious cases began showing up in the hospital, and then hospital supplies started disappearing from shelves, she couldn't hold back the feeling that this was going to be worse than she had thought. Out of frustration and fear, she penned a startling op-ed in The New York Times that went, for lack of a better word, viral. The piece was read by over a million people, and Griggs appeared on CNN.

Now, she is completing her story. The Sky Was Falling is her day-by-day account of the staggering case numbers, dwindling respirator supply, and lack of clarity on how to treat this new disease. Harrowing and deeply personal, it reads like an all-too-real white-knuckle thriller and describes how healthcare professionals went beyond what they thought they were capable of to heal their patients, and themselves.

Author: Cornelia Griggs
Publisher: Gallery Books
Published: 03/12/2024
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.40w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9781982168483

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 01/15/2024
Kirkus Reviews 02/01/2024
Library Journal 02/01/2024 pg. 79

About the Author
Dr. Cornelia Griggs is a triple board-certified pediatric surgeon. She completed medical school at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, where she graduated with Alpha Omega Alpha honors. She completed her adult general surgery residency and surgical critical care fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she currently practices. She is a graduate of Harvard College and earned a certificate in health policy from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. Her writing has been published in The New York Times and many top medical journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine.