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Life Is a Blessing: A Biography of Jerome Lejeune-Geneticist, Doctor, Father
English (translation)Original French
160 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 22, 2019
A wonderful account of the devoted man, father, and doctor who discovered the extra chromosome 21 responsible for the condition known as Down syndrome. Dr. Lejune is an inspiration to Catholics, pro-lifers, fathers, and anyone who dedicated themselves wholeheartedly to a cause. He dedicated his whole life to serving and defending his “dear little ones.” He worked tirelessly for them and the dignity of all human life. He understood the inseparable tie of the divine with science. Do you want to read a short and inspiring account of an exceptional man? Read “Life is a Blessing.”
August 22, 2015
Libro trovato per caso frugando nella libreria di mia mamma......
che dire, la storia di una vita speciale.... l'uomo che scoprì il difetto genetico che noi conosciamo come sindrome di down.....l'amore piu' grande e' quello per questi bambini, queste piccole vite che non sono figlie di un Dio sadico e cattivo, ma accolte per il loro nome, nonostante il mistero della fragilità biologica dell'uomo.....
consiglio a tutti questo libro!! commovente e toccante... mi ha lasciata così scossa questa lettura, ho avuto il magone per un giorno intero...
che dire, la storia di una vita speciale.... l'uomo che scoprì il difetto genetico che noi conosciamo come sindrome di down.....l'amore piu' grande e' quello per questi bambini, queste piccole vite che non sono figlie di un Dio sadico e cattivo, ma accolte per il loro nome, nonostante il mistero della fragilità biologica dell'uomo.....
consiglio a tutti questo libro!! commovente e toccante... mi ha lasciata così scossa questa lettura, ho avuto il magone per un giorno intero...
January 8, 2008
beautiful. enjoyed this point of view. not pushy in getting beliefs across.
December 17, 2020
A devoted, courageous, brilliant man. The world-renowned geneticist physician who discovered Trisomy 21 with the intent to find a cure, lost his reputation and funding because he stood for life. He desired to defend the smallest members of our species when others wanted to use his discovery to eliminate them.
“At the age of one month a human being measures four millimeters and a half. Its tiny heart is already beating from one week onwards, its arms, its legs, its head, its brain are already sketched out.
At two months old, he measures some three centimetres from his head to the tip of his buttocks. Folded up he would fit inside a nutshell.
Inside a clenched fist he would be invisible, and the clenched fist would crush him without anyone noticing. But open your hand, and there he is, complete, hands, feet, head, organs, brain, everything in place and only to grow bigger. Look closer, and you could already discern the lines on the hand and tell his fortune. Look closer still, with an ordinary microscope, and you can make out his fingerprints. From now on everything is ready there to make up his passport..
The incredible Tom Thumb, a man smaller than my thumb, he really exists; not the one in the fairy tale, but the one which each of us was, once.
But the brain, someone will say, is only going to be completed in five or six months’ time. But no, it will be entirely complete merely at birth; but its innumerable links will be forged only at six or seven years old and its chemical and electrical machinery will be fully established only at fourteen or fifteen!
The period as embryo is finally ended two months after its having been fertilized. At this point the little one is as big as my thumb. And that is why all mothers tell fairy tales to their children about Tom Thumb, for that one is a true story. Every one of us was once Tom Thumb inside his mother and women have always known that there is a sort of underground country, a sort of vaulted shelter with a reddish light and a rhythmic sound in which small human beings lead a strange and marvelous life. And that is the real story of Tom Thumb.”
“At the age of one month a human being measures four millimeters and a half. Its tiny heart is already beating from one week onwards, its arms, its legs, its head, its brain are already sketched out.
At two months old, he measures some three centimetres from his head to the tip of his buttocks. Folded up he would fit inside a nutshell.
Inside a clenched fist he would be invisible, and the clenched fist would crush him without anyone noticing. But open your hand, and there he is, complete, hands, feet, head, organs, brain, everything in place and only to grow bigger. Look closer, and you could already discern the lines on the hand and tell his fortune. Look closer still, with an ordinary microscope, and you can make out his fingerprints. From now on everything is ready there to make up his passport..
The incredible Tom Thumb, a man smaller than my thumb, he really exists; not the one in the fairy tale, but the one which each of us was, once.
But the brain, someone will say, is only going to be completed in five or six months’ time. But no, it will be entirely complete merely at birth; but its innumerable links will be forged only at six or seven years old and its chemical and electrical machinery will be fully established only at fourteen or fifteen!
The period as embryo is finally ended two months after its having been fertilized. At this point the little one is as big as my thumb. And that is why all mothers tell fairy tales to their children about Tom Thumb, for that one is a true story. Every one of us was once Tom Thumb inside his mother and women have always known that there is a sort of underground country, a sort of vaulted shelter with a reddish light and a rhythmic sound in which small human beings lead a strange and marvelous life. And that is the real story of Tom Thumb.”
March 21, 2018
Such a beautiful and fast read. I was happy to learn about the life of Dr. Jerome Lejeune, a brilliant scientist and unwavering pro-life advocate. This short read will introduce you to a brilliant Christian for our times, through the eyes of his biographer and daughter, Clara Lejeune.
April 1, 2022
wow
I just finished this wonderful book about a holy family man, a man who suffered such injustice and all with joy and love for his work. I wish everyone would read it.
I just finished this wonderful book about a holy family man, a man who suffered such injustice and all with joy and love for his work. I wish everyone would read it.
September 5, 2008
A daughter's beautiful tribute to her wise and loving father.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews