The Washington Post had an excellent review in its Sept. 26  “Health and Science” section. Though The Organ Thieves “was written before the disparities of covid-19 and George Floyd’s death,” Erin Blakemore writes, “the abuses it records are decades old.” She also said that “the gruesome disregard for Black lives it documents makes it an urgently modern warning.”
Click here for my recent essay in the History News Network, an online publication of The George Washington University’s Columbian College of Arts & Science.

Finally, here's an insightful letter to the editor in the October 10 Richmond Times-Dispatch, “VCU should honor Tucker for role in medical history.” Reader Robert Morrison of Midlothian, Virginia urges the university to embrace Bruce Tucker in its ongoing efforts to apologize for past wrongs and to correct mistakes in its official narrative.
"Editor, Times-Dispatch:
In their recent op-ed, University of Richmond School of Arts & Sciences Dean Patrice D. Rankine and anthropology professor Rania Kassab Sweis speak of 'universal sacrifice,' the need for yet unproven, sometimes harmful clinical medical trials. Participants 'have often come from Black and/or underserved communities, and their bodies have been used in the name of science, sometimes without their full and informed consent,' say the authors.
Lack of informed consent happened at now-VCU Medical Center, according to Chip Jones in his recently published book 'The Organ Thieves: The Shocking Story of the First Heart Transplant in America's Segregated South.' For the transplant, neither Black 'donor' Bruce Tucker nor his family gave consent. In his well-researched history, Jones’ page-turner chronicles the wrongful death and negligence suit against then-Medical College of Virginia (MCV), lost in large part on a controversial change of heart in a crucial judicial ruling.
Jones also explores MCV’s complicity in earlier 20th-century grave robbing, mostly of Black bodies, for cadavers for medical research, and of a 1990s hasty decision to stop archaeological research and cover up an old cadaver 'bone pit.' Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has turned the page on many of its former practices that suggested Black lives didn't matter, and a VCU-formed descendant community group has begun advocating for studying and memorializing of exploited people, 'to restore and bring them the dignity they deserve,' writes Jones. But 'to date, no one has reached out to Bruce Tucker’s descendants.'
Moving forward in racial reconciliation, trust is crucial. With Virginia’s long history of race-based privilege and discrimination, building trust requires no stone left unturned in honestly facing and publicly acknowledging regretted history. VCU should reach out to the Tuckers. It should honor Bruce Tucker, who helped make medical history. We should expect it."
I look forward to seeing more letters from insightful readers like Robert Morrison. Stay tuned for more reader comments about the book along with breaking news about The Organ Thieves! Autographed copies are still available from Chop Suey Books in Richmond.

Award-winning actor J.D. Jackson provides a moving narration of The Organ Thieves on Audible. Click here for a free sample or to place an order.
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Jackson’s impressive audiobook credits include Stride Toward Freedom by Martin Luther King Jr., The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, and Forever Free by historian Eric Foner. 

Great commentary, reviews and interviews keep rolling in, including a column by Michael Paul Williams of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “Black lives won’t truly matter until this nation has a change of heart,” he writes of The Organ Thieves.
 
Another recent addition is an interview by NPR veteran Julie Rose on her “Top of Mind” podcast and national broadcast from Brigham Young University.

Richmond magazine’s September issue featured the book in “The Color of Medicine.”

Autographed copies are still available at Chop Suey Books in Richmond. More news coming!

Thank you, 
Chip

Thanks SO MUCH to everyone who came out last week safely masked and distanced at our sidewalk launch party at Chop Suey Books in Richmond!
 
It was heartening to hear so much interest and support for The Organ Thieves from schoolchildren, undergraduates, medical students, physicians and other health care providers, along with so many good friends and neighbors.
 
A special thanks to those of you who traveled far to offer your congratulations. It was especially touching to chat with children who joined their parents to learn more about the untold story of Bruce Tucker.
 
Check out recent national media coverage, including my essay in TIME.

Signed copies are still available from Chop Suey at 804-422-8066 or by email. The Organ Thieves is also sold by the usual online vendors.
 
Thanks again and I’ll keep you posted about any more news about the book!
 
Chip

Chip Invites You to an Informative Livestream Chat about Race, Unequal Health Care and Social Justice
​
Please join me on Instagram Live to discuss systemic racism then and now in American health care. We’ll be talking with a nationally-known expert, Dr. Shawn Utsey, a psychology professor and interim chair of African American Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.

Dr. Utsey and I will start at 2 p.m. Sunday, August 16 on this livesteam event sponsored by CHOP SUEY BOOKS.

Your posted comments will help guide our conversation. Not an Instagrammer? No worries! Just download the app (App Store | Google Play), then follow CHOP SUEY BOOKS. Before we begin, watch the stories bar (top of the screen) for an icon saying “Chop Suey is LIVE!”

And remember it’s not too late to get a discounted price on pre-orders of The Organ Thieves before my only local book signing August 18. Even if you can’t come by, you CAN preorder for me to CUSTOM SIGN your book for later pickup or mailing.

Hi Everyone & Welcome to my book & author website! I hope you enjoy learning more about The Organ Thieves and the back story of how I came to write it. Check out early rave reviews and comments from amazing authors and leaders from across the U.S.! And a special bonus for anyone who wants a personally signed copy — here’s a SAVE the DATE for publication day in Richmond, Virginia. I look forward to seeing you there – outside, safely masked and behind a plastic shield for everyone’s safety. Stay well and safe – and please know I sincerely appreciate your interest and support! 

Chip

When Tuesday, August 18 4-6 p.m.
Where CHOP SUEY BOOKS 2913 W. Cary St. Richmond, VA 23221
What Chip Jones' OUTDOOR book signing with proper distancing and health procedures.
Pre-order The Organ Thieves at a special sale price, now!
This is BEST DEAL and a great way to keep business local to RVA!
For more information info@chopsueybooks.com or (804) 422-8066.

Hi Everyone & Welcome to my book & author website! I hope you enjoy learning more about The Organ Thieves and the back story of how I came to write it. Check out early rave reviews and comments from amazing authors and leaders from across the U.S.! And a special bonus for anyone who wants a personally signed copy — here’s a SAVE the DATE for publication day in Richmond, Virginia. I look forward to seeing you there – outside, safely masked and behind a plastic shield for everyone’s safety. Stay well and safe – and please know I sincerely appreciate your interest and support! 

Chip


When Tuesday, August 18 4-6 p.m.
Where CHOP SUEY BOOKS 2913 W. Cary St. Richmond, VA 23221
What Chip Jones' OUTDOOR book signing with proper distancing and health procedures.
To pre-order The Organ Thieves at a special sale price, click here! http://www.chopsueybooks.com/products/theorganthieves
This is BEST DEAL and a great way to keep business local to RVA!
For more information info@chopsueybooks.com or (804) 422-8066.
We'll be posting updates here.