One Blood - 2nd Edition by Spencie Love (Paperback)

About the Book

On April 1, 1950, famous black surgeon and blood plasma pioneer Dr. Charles Drew bled to death after an auto accident, when he was refused treatment at a whites-only hospital. Although Drew was in fact treated in the emergency room in a small, segregated hospital, Love shows that in a generic sense, the claims surrounding his death are true. This book traces the life and well-known legend of Drew, revealing how truth becomes myth in a segregated society. 36 illustrations. Map.

Book Synopsis

One Blood traces both the life of the famous black surgeon and blood plasma pioneer Dr. Charles Drew and the well-known legend about his death. On April 1, 1950, Drew died after an auto accident in rural North Carolina. Within hours, rumors spread: the man who helped create the first American Red Cross blood bank had bled to death because a whites-only hospital refused to treat him. Drew was in fact treated in the emergency room of the small, segregated Alamance General Hospital. Two white surgeons worked hard to save him, but he died after about an hour. In her compelling chronicle of Drew's life and death, Spencie Love shows that in a generic sense, the Drew legend is true: throughout the segregated era, African Americans were turned away at hospital doors, either because the hospitals were whites-only or because the 'black beds' were full. Love describes the fate of a young black World War II veteran who died after being turned away from Duke Hospital following an auto accident that occurred in the same year and the same county as Drew's. African Americans are shown to have figuratively 'bled to death' at white hands from the time they were first brought to this country as slaves. By preserving their own stories, Love says, they have proven the enduring value of oral history. General Interest/Race Relations

Review Quotes

[T]his work is the most thorough, penetrating, and revealing to date [of the Drew case].

"Journal of the American Medical Association"

ÝLove¨ lets the facts spoil a good story in order to tell a much better one.

"Washington Post"

ÝT¨his work is the most thorough, penetrating, and revealing to date Ýof the Drew case¨.

"Journal of the American Medical Association"

A well-written and extensively researched book, "One Blood" is replete with new and exciting insights.

"Journal of Southwest Georgia History"

Spencie Love has written a moving and important book on race relations in America.

Charles B. Dew, "New York Times Book Review"

"[T]his work is the most thorough, penetrating, and revealing to date [of the Drew case].

"Journal of the American Medical Association""

"A well-written and extensively researched book, "One Blood" is replete with new and exciting insights.

"Journal of Southwest Georgia History""

"Spencie Love has written a moving and important book on race relations in America.

Charles B. Dew, "New York Times Book Review""

[Love] lets the facts spoil a good story in order to tell a much better one.

"Washington Post"

Provocative and humbling social history.

"Atlanta Journal-Constitution"

About the Author

A former journalist, Spencie Love received her Ph.D. in American history from Duke University and has taught at Duke and at the University of Oregon.