Sign-In
Cart
Off the Top of My Head: Stories from the Operating Room That Will Make You Laugh (or Cry)
Paperback
Publisher Price: $18.99
ISBN13: 9781464266874
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: Sep 22 2026
Pages: 256
Weight: 0.60
Height: 0.80 Width: 5.50 Depth: 8.20
Language: English
Inside every skull is a story of heart, humanity--and the occasional hairball.
You might think brain surgery is all cool precision and high-stakes drama. Sometimes it is. But more often, it's a gritty, smelly, surprisingly absurd job--one that involves titanium screws, tumors the size of grapefruits, and moments so human they'll break your heart or make you snort with laughter behind your surgical mask. In Off the Top of My Head, Dr. Barbara Lazio peels back the sterile curtain of the operating room and shares the unexpected stories that come with a life spent elbows-deep in the human brain.
With warmth, wit, and a scalpel-sharp eye for detail, Dr. Lazio invites readers into her world--where mortality is never far away, but neither is meaning, connection, or the occasional gallows-humored joke.
Inside, you'll find:
- Gripping behind-the-scenes moments from the OR--equal parts miraculous and messy
- Memorable patients facing the unimaginable with courage, humor, and grace
- A rare glimpse into the emotional life of a neurosurgeon
- Unexpected levity in the face of death, grief, and the unknown
Whether she's rebuilding a shattered skull or laughing through tears with a family on the edge of loss, Dr. Lazio reminds us that behind every dramatic headline or surgical success is something deeply, beautifully human.
Off the Top of My Head is a book for anyone who wonders what really happens when the brain--and life--hangs in the balance.
Also in
Humor
I Can't Believe I Did That: The Game That Gives You Points for Sharing Awkward, Awesome, and Unforgettable Memories: Card Games
Nadelberg, David
Katcher, Neil
Other
The Science Magpie: Fascinating Facts, Stories, Poems, Diagrams and Jokes Plucked from Science
Flynn, Simon
Paperback
How to Be a Cat: (Cat Books for Kids, Cat Gifts for Kids, Cat Picture Book)
Swerling, Lisa
Lazar, Ralph
Hardcover
The Chapo Guide to Revolution: A Manifesto Against Logic, Facts, and Reason
Chapo Trap House
Hardcover
Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers: A Little Book of Whimsy and Wisdom from the Files of the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
Hardcover
Wtf America?!: The Way Out of This Hell and Back to Democracy
Meiselas, Brett
Meiselas, Jordy
Meiselas, Ben
Hardcover
How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay: Tips and Tricks That Kept Me Alive, Happy, and Creative in Spite of Myself
Lawson, Jenny
Hardcover
Not Today, Fascists: The Lies That Got Us Here, and the Truths That Will Reunite Us
Welch, Jennifer
Hardcover
Pardon My Book: Ten Years of the Best (and Worst) in Sports from Pardon My Take
Big Cat
Commenter, Pft
Hardcover
Big Fan: Two Friends, 82,490 Miles, and the Wild, Wonderful Sports We Love
Posnanski, Joe
Schur, Michael
Hardcover
How to Grow Up Without Becoming a Grown-Up: Big Lessons from Little Kids
Shapiro-Barnum, Julian
Hardcover
We've Been Here the Whole Time!: A Not So Sacred Guide to All Things Native America
Clift, Joey
Paperback
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Five Novels in One Outrageous Volume
Adams, Douglas
Paperback
Black Out Loud: The Revolutionary History of Black Comedy from Vaudeville to '90s Sitcoms
Bennett, Geoff
Hardcover
The New Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Expert Advice for Extreme Situations
Borgenicht, David
Piven, Joshua
Hardcover
We Are the World (Cup): A Personal History of the World's Greatest Sporting Event
Bennett, Roger
Hardcover
There Are Moms Way Worse Than You: Irrefutable Proof That You Are Indeed a Fantastic Parent
Boozan, Glenn
Hardcover
Bake It Off: An Unofficial Taylor Swift-Inspired Cookbook for Every Era, from Breakfast to Midnights
Smith, Lindsey
Hardcover
Nobody Wants Your Sh*t: The Art of Decluttering Before You Die (New York Times Bestseller)
Condo, Messie
Hardcover
How to Talk to Your Cat about Gun Safety: And Abstinence, Drugs, Satanism, and Other Dangers That Threaten Their Nine Lives
Auburn, Zachary
Paperback