Freezing People Is (Not) Easy: My Adventures In Cryonics

by Bob Nelson, Kenneth Bly, Sally Magana

Bob Nelson was no ordinary T.V. repairman. One day he discovered a book that ultimately changed his entire life trajectory --The Prospect of Immortality by Professor Robert Ettinger. From it, he learned about cryonics: a process in which the body temperature is lowered during the beginning of the dying process to keep the brain intact, so that those frozen could potentially be reanimated in the future.

               A world of possibilities unfolded for Nelson, as he relentlessly pursued cryonics and became the founder and President of the Cryonics Society of California. Working in coalition with a biophysicist, in 1967 Nelson orchestrated the freezing of Dr. James Bedford, the first human to be placed in cryonic suspension. Soon thereafter he began freezing others who sought his help, obtaining special capsules and an underground vault. Underfunded, Nelson struggled desperately, often dipping into his own savings, and taking extraordinary measures to maintain his patients in a frozen state. His fascinating memoir reveals his irrepressible passion for life and chronicles the complicated circumstances that comprised his adventures in cryonics.


 

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Biography Memoir, History, Memoir, Research, Unfinished

256 pages, Hardcover

First published March 4, 2014

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a crazy read. Very few nonfiction books I grab randomly at the library end up grabbing me back. But this one blew my mind. It's so poorly written. It's filled with so many exclamation points and misguided logic. But ... CRYONICS! Hello‽ To see such passion lead down so many shaky slopes. To learn a bit about something I didn't know. Remember the saying about how some people get so caught up thinking about whether they COULD do something that that never stopped to think about whether they SHOULD? That is the life of Bob Nelson. I couldn't put this down ...

[Michael Burnam-Fink · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always had mixed feeling about cryonics: on the one hand they're the oldest and most established Transhumanist branch; on the other, I can't believe that the unfreezing process will ever work, and that if it does the post-Singularity 25th century (or whenever) will be a friendly place for 21st century primates. That said, Nelson's book gave me a lot more sympathy for the movement.

It was not science, it was bunch of 1960s lunatics and optimists who had read a book (The Prespect of Immortality-Robert Ettinger) and thought that they might stave off death. Nelson, a 30 year old TV repairman without even a high-school education, but with plenty of charisma, was elected President of the California Society for Cryonics. It was his optimism that lead to disaster, as his ramshackle organization froze several people that they could not keep on ice. Nelson ran himself ragged filling jury-rigged capsuls with dry ice and liquid nitrogen, depleting his bank account and destroying his marriage. Finally, in the early 70s the capsules failed entirely and Nelson abandoned the business, only to be dragged through a torturous lawsuit by the children of some of his former clients.

Nelson's book is obviously favorable to his side of the lawsuit, and much of the 'he-said-she' back and forth has been documented elsewhere, particularly on a recent episode of This American Life. Personally, I don't judge Nelson too harshly: he was operating at the frontiers of knowledge (and financial organization), and I believe his claim that his participants signed over their bodies under medical donation laws which should've protected him from liability with a competent lawyer. That said, terrible mistakes were made.

[James Crabtree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bob Nelson was there at the very beginnings of Cryonics, the science of freezing people in the hope of returning them to life at a future date, free of the disease that killed them and ready to resume life. However, as Nelson noted, this is not a simple task. Aside from the technical issues with properly freezing a body you have to deal with grieving family members and money. All three of these became a headache for Mr. Nelson as time went by, from the need for cryo-capsules (never acquire one from a wigmaker), to family members emphatically against the freezing of their loved one (despite his or her wishes) to deadbeats who fail to pay for upkeep on the materials needed to maintain capsules at a proper temperature or even to pay costs agreed upon in advance. Some of these issues are the same as those funeral directors have to deal with. In any case, it is an interesting read and Nelson, who was part of the team who froze the first human to be cryogenically preserved, is the just the person to tell it.

[uosɯɐS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bob Nelson had a fairly sad life, IMHO. And, if he were just a little less sentimental, maybe it wouldn't have been so. But at least the book ended on a good note:

“...we should not dampen our optimism about the great benefits that future
discoveries can deliver. Two hundred years ago, flying the clouds would have been among miraculous, an astonishing gift of the gods. Now it is ordinary, even boring. With each new invention and discovery, our perception shifts. If you could talk to a caveman today, do you think he would be convinced that airplanes, skydiving parachutes, and submarines are now commonplace?”

[Bronwyn C Rideout · Rating 3 out of 5]

Focuses more on the business side of cryonics and what happens when you don't get people to pay up front.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhere between 3* and 4* for me. Minus points for sexism and poor writing/editing. Plus points for a fascinating story I had known nothing about and sympathy for this rather foolish do-gooder who got himself in over his head.

The book is about the early days of cryonics, when a bunch of enthusiasts in California read a book (The Prospect of Immortality), got together and formed a society, and then when people started dying, just...started freezing them, without paying too much attention to the engineering or the finances that would be required to sustain corpses at the necessary temperatures. (Not entirely sure about the biology either.) This involved constantly changing out the dry ice, and later liquid nitrogen, paying for it without any money coming from the families of the dead people, and wound up mostly being Bob Nelson's operation. Which is why he was on the hook when the first capsule failed, due to lack of finances for its upkeep, and the second capsule failed, due to lack of planning while he was on vacation across the country. Which leads to a trial that is almost comical in its ineptitude in terms of conduct.

Obviously, this is all told from Nelson's point of view and is very much framed in his favour, but based on his telling, his problems stemmed from impulsiveness and an inability to say no, rather than him being a charlatan who scammed grieving families, as was alleged at the trial. (The fact that he ended up bankrupt and divorced points towards the former being correct.) And regardless of how accurate his side of the story is, or frankly the poor writing, it was an interesting account of a fascinating life and subculture.

[Valerie Barchefska · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Cryonics was beyond Moeurth’s ability to understand. She was confused and I dare say frightened by the concept. She had seen so much death in her life and couldn't comprehend how a person might possibly come back. She often said, ‘Honey, me no want freeze, OK?' I always chuckled under my breath and replied, ‘Okay, darling, don't worry; I won't freeze you.'

Almost two decades later, I decided to write my story. Word had gotten to Sam Shaw, a producer for ‘This American Life,’ and I agreed to an interview. Shortly afterward, Moeurth came to me and said, ‘Honey I have something to say. Please listen clearly. After many years of consideration and learning, now I want freeze. Now I understand.’”

An invaluable primary source on the early culture of cryogenic suspension. Provides a compelling look into the psychology of an earnest “true believer” on the fringes of scientific optimism. Parts, however, are at times hard to read due to the exact nature of the book, and Nelson's perspective as someone deep within the cryonics community and often unchecked can come across as single-minded to the point of delusion. Recommended for those deeply interested in the subject who can read it with a critical eye.

[Allie Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be educationally thrilling. I learned so much about the early process of cryogenically freezing a body. I am certain to stay apprised of this technology now that I know we just need to figure out how to reanimate a body once suspended. I truly found Bob Nelson’s story to be heart wrenching and humbling and my level of respect only grew after hearing his constant dedication to cryogenics and then experiencing the legal issues that then followed. I think the issues with Bob Nelson’s mission to preserve bodies are unfounded. I have always been a sci fi fan, interested in space travel, futurism, technological advancements and so on. I would recommend this if you want an entertaining and inspiring nonfiction story.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

A non-fiction book that reads like a novel.

I went in to this book expecting an overview of freezing people but instead was amazed to find a story of how someone went from high school dropout to one of the biggest people in the cryonics movement. Bob Nelson is a dreamer and in this book we see how his dream of cryonics destroys himself, his finances, and his family. I highly recommend this read. The only thing preventing this from 5 stars is how single-point of view it is, especially with regards to the trial. I have a feeling there's a lot of information that was left out to keep Bob as the hero.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a fascinating and bizarre story that I found well worth reading. At the same time, I had difficulty believing certain aspects which tended to cast doubt on Nelson’s ability to be a relatively objective storyteller. I’m left wishing that another author would have set out to recount the story instead of Nelson himself.

[Nome Nenhum]

bem parcial e frequentemente frustante (às vezes em conta disso). a narração também é mediana. não obstante, é um assunto interessante, e as tragédias que o envolvem (múltiplas) fazem uma leitura engajada.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story about something I had no clue about before.

[Aseel Murad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Optimism or delusion?
Another life between the life after death?
Bob Nelson misses the point!

[Kyla Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Haha just remembered I read this book. This book was a fever dream. Poorly written but so wild. I love nonfiction that seems like fiction.

[Kimberlee Bach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting history lesson

This book is an interesting first person account of the sacrifices made when you believe truly in something and have the intention to help people. I enjoyed learning the historical aspects of cryogenic and about how the first man was frozen as well as the struggles and losses. It really was and can still be a science experiment that is being worked out. Who knows, someday they may really make it happen.

[Colette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give this 3 1/2 stars. Fascinating.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really interesting story that you rarely hear about. Definitely worth reading to get the back story on an important part of LA history.