The Girl Who Died Twice Author:Natalie Robins From the book cover: — Who killed Libby Zion? — At 11:43 PM on March 4, 1984, 18-yr-old Libby Zion entered the emergency room of New York Hospital. It was just a precaution. The pretty college freshman and daughter of two prominent New Yorkers was exhibiting flu-like symptoms and running a fever. — At 3 AM, Libby's parents left the hospital, assure... more »d that their daughter was in good hands.
By 7:30 AM, Libby was dead.
What went wrong?
In riveting detail, The Girl Who Died Twice reveals what really happened to Libby Zion during her hours at the hospital as it chronicles the fateful series of events that led up to her death. At once a gripping human drama and a cautionary tale, this masterly work reveals for the first time the truth about Libby Zion's life and death, as well as the hidden risks every patient takes when entering a hospital. It re-creates a father's passionate campaign for justice. It explores the jury's startling verdict. And it exposes the inner workings of modern medicine--and the complex dynamics of an American family--in a searing drama that no one can afford to miss.
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At 11:43 P.M. on Sunday, March 4, 1984, 18-year-old Libby Zion was admitted to New York Hospital with a fever and minor flu symptoms. Eight hours later she was dead and her father, New York writer and luminary Sidney Zion, embarked on a fiery quest for answers and retribution that has rocked the foundations of medical education and practice in America and has precipitated sweeping reforms in the laws governing hospitals and residency programs. The Girl Who Died Twice, written with the participation of both the Zion family and New York Hospital, is the first in-depth examination of this landmark case, which recently inspired a new round of headlines as the bitter legal battle between the family and the hospital came to a head in court--and on Court TV.
But last February's stunning jury verdict also raised troubling issues of patient responsibility in the case, and it left unresolved life and death issues about medical care in this country that have yet to be fully addressed.
Here, from acclaimed investigative writer Natalie Robins, is the impeccably researched inside story of this compelling modern tragedy, based on interviews with many of the principals, their friends and associates, and hundreds of medical experts and educators. Robins delivers the disturbing truth about Libby Zion's life and death and about how our hospitals really work. At once gripping personal drama and fascinating medical mystery, her report is vitally important reading for anyone interested in a true understanding of who's in charge of our health.« less