Crusade to Heal America, Judith L. Pearson
Crusade to Heal America, Judith L. Pearson
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Crusade to Heal America
The Remarkable Life of Mary Lasker

Author: Judith L. Pearson

Narrator: Maria McCann

Unabridged: 12 hr 37 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/19/2023

Synopsis

“I am opposed to heart disease and cancer the way one is opposed to sin.” With that as her battle cry, health activist and philanthropist Mary Woodard Lasker had a singular goal: saving lives by increasing medical research. Together with her husband, advertising genius Albert, they created the Lasker Foundation, bestowing the Lasker Awards. Known as the “American Nobels,” these became the most prestigious research awards in America. The Laskers’ next step was transforming the sleepy and ineffectual American Society for the Control of Cancer, reinventing it as the American Cancer Society in 1944. But the real increase in medical research funding occurred when Mary discovered a revolutionary source: the federal government. “I’m just a catalytic agent,” she would insist, while she tirelessly lobbied Congress and presidents alike. She played a major role in expanding the National Institutes of Health from a single entity to the largest research facility in the world. A feminist who used her femininity wisely, Mary’s ultimate victory was bringing together two political adversaries to help launch the original cancer moonshot: the 1971 National Cancer Act. This deeply researched biography paints the portrait of a woman who was savvy, steely, and deliberate. Mary Lasker courageously positioned herself at the crossroads of politics, science, and medicine. At a time when women in research laboratories and the halls of Congress were anomalies, she smashed stereotypes.

About Judith L. Pearson

Judith L. Pearson is the award-winning author of three previous books: The Wolves at the Door, Belly of the Beast, and From Shadows to Life, which won the 2022 Nautilus Gold Award. A graduate of Michigan State University, Pearson and her husband divide their days between mountains and beaches.

About Maria McCann

Maria McCann is an audiobook narrator who graduated from the UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television. She has appeared in over forty films and television shows, including Lucifer, Shameless, and Grey’s Anatomy, and works as an acting coach. A Los Angeles native who is proud of her Mexican heritage, she is a busy wife and mother who serves on the board of directors for Colorado’s Wild Animal Sanctuary.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Brendan on January 18, 2024

I really do not feel good about this review. I am struggling. I have many thoughts running through my head and I know what I felt as I read this book but I'm not happy about it. Here's the thing. Judith Pearson is a very good writer. I can see it on the page. She has taken a monumental life and writ......more

Goodreads review by Steve on August 19, 2023

I loved this book. I had heard of the Lasker Prize but I had no idea of the story behind it. Author Judith L. Pearson does a masterful job of telling that story and so much more. The biographical information was excellent with the perfect level of detail. The language was conversational and handled......more

Goodreads review by Christopher on November 03, 2023

This is an excellent book about a necessary woman from modern American history. Mary Lasker did more for America's health and research infrastructure than any other American. The system we take for granted today was built bit by bit in large part through the efforts of Lasker. Judy Pearson's new boo......more

Goodreads review by Desirae on December 27, 2023

3.5 Judy Pearson finds the most fascinating, unknown stories to tell, and she tells them so well. This story of Mary Lasker is fascinating. Mary Lasker was a woman of the Roaring Twenties. She embraced social change, women’s voting rights and reveled in the relative freedom of the times. She was also......more

Goodreads review by AnnieM on November 12, 2023

I had heard of the Lasker Foundation but knew nothing of the story of Mary Lasker until reading this book. What an incredible unsung hero! Thanks to her efforts, we now have federal funding for cancer as well as other diseases. For a long time, the stigma was so strong about cancer, that doctors wer......more

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