Becoming Dr. Q : my journey from migrant farm worker to brain surgeon / Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa ; with Mim Eichler Rivas

Starry Nights -- Faraway -- The Kaliman Maneuver -- Lessons from the fields -- Where the road doesn't lead -- Green eyes -- From harvest to Harvard -- In the land of giants -- Question the rules, when possible make your own -- Brainstorm -- Hopkins -- Gray matter -- Seeing the light -- Finding the steel in your soul.

Today he is known as Dr. Q, an internationally renowned neurosurgeon and neuroscientist who leads cutting-edge research to cure brain cancer. But not too long ago, he was Freddy, a nineteen-year-old undocumented migrant worker toiling in the tomato fields of central California. In this gripping memoir, Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa tells his amazing life story--from his impoverished childhood in the tiny village of Palaco, Mexico, to his harrowing border crossing and his transformation from illegal immigrant to American citizen and gifted student at the University of California at Berkeley and at Harvard Medical School. Packed with adventure and adversity--including a few terrifying brushes with death-- Becoming Dr. Q is a testament to persistence, hard work, the power of hope and imagination, and the pursuit of excellence. It's also a story about the importance of family, of mentors, and of giving people a chance.

English