Shaman, Noah Gordon (Cole Family #2)

Synopsis:

Robert Jeremy Cole, the legendary doctor and hero of The Physician,left an enduring legacy. From the 11th century on, the eldest son in each generation of the Cole family has had the same first name and middle initial and many of these men have followed the medical profession. A few have been blessed with their ancestor's diagnostic skill and the "sixth sense" they call The Gift, the ability to know instinctively when death is impending. The tragedy of Rob J.'s life is the deafness of his son, Robert Jefferson Cole, who is called Shaman by everyone who knows him. Shaman's life is difficult. First, he must learn to speak so that he can take his place in the hearing world, and then he must fight against the prejudices of a society where physical differences matter. As Shaman struggles to achieve his identity, the Coles, along with the rest of America, are drawn into the conflict between the North and the South.

I adore Noah Gordon. Completely. This is the second book I've read by him, and the two have been incredibly amazing. He just writes in this awesome way, beautifully but also cruel when necessary. Both The Physician and Shaman are incredible books about the life of being a doctor. They show the good and bad things of following the medical profession, and they tell the story of a life. 

Shaman is the story of this boy, Rob J. Cole Jr. (called Shaman by everyone), who is deaf. But that does not stop him from living his life. With the help from his family and from Rachel, he can learn to live with his deafness and to stop it from being a huge problem in his life. 

The book begins with Rob J. Cole's arrival to the US, and how he starts a family while being a good physician. Then he has his son, and his indian friends and he starts developing a life in a zone where that was nothing before. 

I love how Noah Gordon tells his story with realistic writing. There isn't the girl who falls in love with the boy that loves her and the live happily ever after. The girl can get married with someone else, you know? And this is only an example of how Gordon tells the unfairnesses of life, because bad things also happen. People die, people go to war and maybe they don't come back like they left, people leave... But people also fall in love, keep a life-lasting friendship, have a loving family, save lives...

This awesome book, as well as the rest of the series following the Cole family, have to be read at least once in a lifetime. It's just something that has to be read.