Jacob M. Appel

http://www.jacobmappel.com

Jacob M. Appel is the author of the novels, The Man Who Wouldn’t Stand Up, which won the 2012 Dundee International Book Award, and The Biology of Luck (2013), Mask of Sanity,(2016) and Millard Salter’s Last Day (2017). His story collection, Scouting for the Reaper (2014), won the Hudson Prize. 

Other collections include The Magic Laundry (2015) and Phoning Home: Essays (2014). His stories have been short-listed for the O. Henry Award, Best American Short Stories, Best American Nonrequired Reading, and the Pushcart Prize anthology on numerous occasions, while his nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times, New York Post, New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, and numerous other regional newspapers. 

He taught for many years at Brown University and currently practices medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. 

Books by Jacob M. Appel

Image of The Amazing Mr. Morality: Stories
Image of Millard Salter's Last Day
Image of The Liar's Asylum
Image of The Mask of Sanity
Image of The Topless Widow of Herkimer Street
Image of Coulrophobia & Fata Morgana
Image of Miracles and Conundrums of the Secondary Planets
Image of Phoning Home: Essays
Image of Einstein's Beach House
Image of The Magic Laundry
Image of Scouting for the Reaper
Image of The Biology of Luck
Image of The Man Who Wouldn't Stand Up

Book Reviews by Jacob M. Appel

Image of The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race
Author(s):
Walter Isaacson
Genre(s):
Biography, Autobiography & Memoir, Medical, Scientists & Inventors, Health Care & Medicine, Public Policy, Medical Writing, Political & Social Science, Technology

The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race

March 8, 2021
Reviewed by: 
Jacob M. Appel

“[I]n a world beset by scientific illiteracy and misinformation, Isaacson is the gene whisperer we so desperately need.”

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Image of American Dirt (Oprah's Book Club): A Novel
Author(s):
Jeanine Cummins
Genre(s):
Hispanic, Literary Fiction, Families

American Dirt: A Novel

January 13, 2020
Reviewed by: 
Jacob M. Appel

“As literature, American Dirt is modern realism at its finest: a tale of moral challenge in the spirit Theodore Dreiser wrapped inside a big-hearted social epic lik

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Image of The Great Pretender: The Undercover Mission That Changed Our Understanding of Madness
Author(s):
Susannah Cahalan
Genre(s):
Political & Social Science, Psychology, Mental Illness

The Great Pretender: The Undercover Mission That Changed Our Understanding of Madness

November 29, 2019
Reviewed by: 
Jacob M. Appel

“Cahalan’s research is dogged and her narrative riveting, leading us from red herring to clue and back with the dexterity of the best mystery novelists.

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Image of Summerlings: A Novel
Author(s):
Lisa Howorth
Genre(s):
Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, General Fiction, Genre Fiction, Historical Fiction

Summerlings: A Novel

August 5, 2019
Reviewed by: 
Jacob M. Appel

“heart is . . . what this endearing and enchanting novel exudes.

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Image of Mostly Dead Things
Author(s):
Kristen Arnett
Genre(s):
Humor, LGBTQ+, Literary Fiction, Families, Genre Fiction

Mostly Dead Things

June 3, 2019
Reviewed by: 
Jacob M. Appel

“What is most remarkable about Mostly Dead Things is that, despite the mishaps and travails of the Morton family, the novel is ultimately both highly entertaining and inspiring, as

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Image of When Death Becomes Life: Notes from a Transplant Surgeon
Author(s):
Joshua D Mezrich
Genre(s):
Biology & Life Sciences, Medical Writing, History

When Death Becomes Life: Notes from a Transplant Surgeon

January 14, 2019
Reviewed by: 
Jacob M. Appel

“Although When Death Becomes Life is about courage and innovation and dedication, it is foremost a book about hope.”

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Image of Influenza: The Hundred Year Hunt to Cure the Deadliest Disease in History
Author(s):
Dr. Jeremy Brown
Genre(s):
Medical Writing, Health, Wellness & Medical, Political & Social Science

Influenza: The Hundred Year Hunt to Cure the Deadliest Disease in History

December 17, 2018
Reviewed by: 
Jacob M. Appel

“Influenza: The Hundred Year Hunt to Cure the Deadliest Disease in History is a highly engaging read.

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Image of PTSD: A Short History (Johns Hopkins Biographies of Disease)
Author(s):
Allan V. Horwitz
Genre(s):
Medical Writing, Violence in Society

PTSD: A Short History (Johns Hopkins Biographies of Disease)

September 15, 2018
Reviewed by: 
Jacob M. Appel

“In today’s trauma-focused society, PTSD: A Short History is a volume as brave as it is wise.”

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Image of The Wrong Heaven
Author(s):
Amy Bonnaffons
Genre(s):
Debut Fiction, Anthologies, Humor

The Wrong Heaven

July 16, 2018
Reviewed by: 
Jacob M. Appel

“These stories are indeed strange, but no stranger than the political and moral universe we now inhabit, although infinitely more pleasurable and enticing.”

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Image of Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, the Certainty of Dying, and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer
Author(s):
Barbara Ehrenreich
Genre(s):
Health, Wellness & Medical, Medical Writing, Political & Social Science

Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, the Certainty of Dying, and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer

April 9, 2018
Reviewed by: 
Jacob M. Appel

Over the past five decades, leftist muckraker Barbara Ehrenreich has carved out a niche for herself as one of the nation’s most acidic and trenchant social critics.  Fortunately, she is also among

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