<i>Chronicles of a Stomach Stapler </i>details Dr. John Alverdy's career, devoted to replumbing his patients' insides to defeat the natural purpose of their digestive systems. Each case is an adventure, a unique encounter between a desperate patient and a dedicated but fallible expert wielding the tools of an imperfect science. His patients come to him suffering not only discomfort and immobility, high blood pressure, diabetes, sexual impotence, and a heightened overall risk of mortality, but one of the most visible and disreputable of afflictions. They endure degradation, insult, and judgment, and recently have been accused of being the single biggest factor in the unmanageable cost of American health care.<br> <br>Tacking between the immediacy of individual cases and a more reflective consideration of the obesity phenomenon as a whole, <i>Chronicles of a Stomach Stapler </i>argues provocatively that the prejudice, worse than misguided, operates as a convenient distraction from an uncomfortable truth. The painful fact is that modern obesity is a disease of human progress. At the center of the crisis, Alverdy grapples with his own moral conundrum: yes he frequently saves lives, but he's also contributing to a cycle wherein human behavior and sociological circumstances can be mitigated only by drastic surgical intervention.  Drawing on extensive experience, a prominent physician reflects on life, death, and the state of the art in an area of specialized medical practice that is quickly becoming a national obsession.