Transplant: A Memoir

by Bernardine Watson

A Memoir, is a page-turning, personal journey into one Black woman's battle with kidney disease and the American medical system. Bernardine Watson's book is at once a truth-telling and an affirmation of the life force propelling us all toward love and hope. A vibrant, powerful portrait of what it means to be Black, female, and confronting a deadly disease in today's America. Winner of the first annual Washington Writers' Publishing House Creative Nonfiction Award, 2023. Named one of the '5 over 50' debuts in 2023 by Poets & Writers magazine.

Genres: Memoir

340 pages, Paperback

Published October 3, 2023

Reviews

[Laura Sturza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bernardine Watson has written a beautiful book about the extraordinary health challenge she faced for years. Hers is a story of facing a deadly disease, at first, trying to use her strength to "go it alone," then coming to rely not only on trusted doctors and medical professionals for support but also on family and friends. Watson richly paints each person in her story, from family members to doctors to fellow dialysis patients. I felt as if she brought me right into the dialysis room with her and introduced me to the people who came to be her friends. We also meet the man who becomes her primary support person, Joe, whom she marries and who supports her on the dramatic, heartwrenching ride of trying to get a donor organ, finding potential donors, and having them decide later not to move forward. This book gave me a window into the all-consuming world of those seeking transplants, those on dialysis, and also into racial health disparities that mean a much higher number of Blacks do not get treatment that could prolong their lives. I have a much deeper understanding of the extremely hard fight faced by people with organ failure and found myself crying for folks in this situation. The courage and fortitude that Watson brings to this book are extremely uplifting. While this is her first book, her years as a professional writer show in a book that was so engaging, I couldn't wait to see what was coming next.

[Elizabeth Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bernadine “Dine” Watson’s newly-release memoir, TRANSPLANT (Washington Writers’ Publishing House, 2023), rivets the reader with its page-turning urgency and delicately woven personal narrative. Spanning decades of health and human drama, Watson envelopes the reader in the challenges and triumphs of her long journey toward a successful kidney transplant. Told with profound candor about life and love, Watson’s TRANSPLANT is also an extraordinary love story between her and her beloved husband, Joe Davidson.

You will not be able to put this book down, and the care and affection for the author that Dine Watson’s memoir engenders will have you jumping up and down in celebration of her endurance, resilience, and eloquence.

A must read for anyone facing daunting challenges of the body or the soul.

[Madalene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really good. It'd be so easy for a book on this subject to be preachy and shaming, or for it to be solely religiously uplifting, but it is neither. Watson's healthcare journey through a rare disease of the kidneys doesn't beat you over the head with anything other than describing what life with failing kidneys *is* and what is going reasonably well and what is not. I definitely better understand the restrictions that come with dialysis, the importance of the advocacy Watson did on her own behalf and via friends and family in the medical system, and the importance of fixing the transplant system's biases. A great book club read too.

[Martha Anne Toll]

Here's my review for the Washington Independent Review of Books: https://www.washingtonindependentrevi...

And for NPR's Books We Love: https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#year...

[Judy Eaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding book!

This is the autobiography of what it's like to live with- and almost die from severe kidney disease. Truly inspirational!

[Caroline Bock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bernardine Watson gives insight and perspective in this searing and lyrical memoir on what it means to be Black and ill with a deadly kidney disease in America today -- winner of the 2023 Nonfiction Award from the Washington Writers' Publishing House.

Full disclosure -- I am the co-president of the Washington Writers' Publishing House. It's on sale on October 3. Read it! Caroline