The Kidney Sellers
Contact:
Sigrid Fry-Revere
(540) 882-4158
Sigrid@ethical-solutions.org
Review Copy Requests:
Carolina Academic Press
Beth Hall
(919) 489-7486 Ex. 121
bhall@cap-press.com
Book Specs
TITLE: The Kidney Sellers: A Journey
of Discovery in Iran
AUTHOR: Sigrid Fry-Revere
PUBLISHER: Carolina Academic Press
COVER DESIGN: Christina Liljenberg
& Jae Aoh
PUBLICATION: March 1, 2014
RETAIL PRICE: $35.00 US (jacketed
hardcover)
ISBN: 978-1-61163-512-6
PAGES: 246
Back cover description (Shortform copy for blurbs)
Rarely does an adventure story carry such social significance as in this groundbreaking
ethnographic research book. Dr. Fry-Revere’s exploration of the medical ethics of
compensating organ donors takes us deep inside Iranian culture to provide insight and
understanding into how Iran has solved its kidney shortage. The Kidney Sellers: A
Journey of Discovery in Iran addresses the question: How it is possible that in Iran there
is a waiting list to be a donor, while in the United States hundreds of thousands of people
have died for lack of a kidney?
Dr. Fry-Revere is the first Westerner ever to witness firsthand Iran’s organ procurement
system. She shares what she discovered in this fascinating book: part-diary living in a
dangerous county, part-ethnographic essay, and part-tale of people working together to
overcome death and financial ruin. The Kidney Sellers is a shocking, thought-provoking,
true story.
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Alternate copy for newsletters, email campaigns, blog posts, etc.
Sigrid Fry-Revere, a bioethicist, lawyer, and world traveler has just released an intriguing nonfiction adventure story. She is the first Westerner to give an account of kidney selling in Iran, the
only country in the world claiming not to have a kidney shortage. Starting from before Sigrid
visits Iran, she chronicles her quest to find answers to the organ shortage. On that journey, we are
introduced to the origins and causes of the U.S. kidney shortage, the suffering of Americans, and
Sigrid’s personal story of a son with kidney cancer. Once in Iran, Sigrid explores a country not
known by many Americans. She provides cultural insights and a first-ever look at Iran’s system
of compensated kidney donation. Readers will be moved by the touching personal stories, both
from America and Iran, and impelled to reexamine their preconceptions about organ donation.
Early Praise
“The Kidney Sellers is a testament of universality of health disparities that spans distance and
culture. To Dr. Fry-Revere’s credit, she has taken the often generally ignored issue of living
organ donation and uncovered it with compassion and tact. This book reaffirms that living
organ controversies in far-flung regions must be shown as a call to action to improve global
health. It is recommend reading.”
— Michele Battle-Fisher, Founder of Orgcomplexity, a policy think-tank that looks at
health and larger issues using system theory. http://orgcomplexity.wordpress.com
“Sigrid Fry-Revere has given us an amazing, courageous, provocative, even dangerous look at
the complex and generally successful system of selling/donation that has solved the kidney
supply problem in Iran. Eloquently, humorously written, it is one of my best reads in years. The
book will be fascinating to anyone who loves a good travel adventure story, but essential for
anyone interested in overcoming the organ transplant problem that costs thousands of lives each
year.”
— Robert Veatch, Ph.D., Professor of Medical Ethics at the Kennedy Institute of
Ethics and Fellow of the Hastings Center (In 1983 Dr. Veatch testified before
Congress in favor of outlawing kidney sales.)
“THE KIDNEY SELLERS is exciting, well written, and insightful. This book is going to revolutionize
the way we think about living kidney donation.
— Harvey Mysel, Founder, Living Kidney Donors Network.
“THE KIDNEY SELLERS offers an invaluable and hopeful contribution to a
long-standing controversy. This book is a must read for anyone who wants
to take improving donation rates seriously.”
— Jim Gleason, UNOS board member, TRIO (Transplant Recipients
International Organization) president.
Author Bio Sketch
Sigrid Fry-Revere, J.D., Ph.D., is the founder and president of the Center for
Ethical Solutions, a nonpartisan, non-profit, 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to
educating the public on issues in patient care ethics. Sigrid is also the medical
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Sigrid Fry-Revere
ethics consultant to the Washington D.C. Regional Transplant Community’s Organ and Tissue Advisory
Committee. She has taught bioethics and law at the University of Virginia and George Mason University;
been a consultant to hospitals, hospices, and home health agencies; and practiced health and FDA law.
Sigrid’s more than a hundred articles have appeared in newspapers, journals, and trade publications such
as The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Cambridge Quarterly of
Healthcare Ethics, The Journal of Clinical Ethics, and Pediatric Nursing. She is the author of one book
(The Accountability of Bioethics Committees and Consultants) and has edited another (Ethics & Answers
in Home Health Care). Sigrid holds a Ph.D. in philosophy and a law degree, both from Georgetown
University. This is her first non-fiction adventure book. She lives with her husband Bob Corn-Revere on a
farm in Northern Virginia where they raised their four children.
Author Live Appearances scheduled for THE KIDNEY SELLERS
*October 31, 2013 —Fox Business Network’s STOSSEL Show (taping Oct. 24).
*February 10, 2014 — Center for Ethical Solutions book launch party.
*February 12-22, 2014 — Reserved for as yet undisclosed event.
*March 1, 2014 — Bridge Street Books. Washington, DC.
*April 5, 2014 — Meet the Author Forum. Carderock Clubhouse, Bethesda, MD (host Ron
Collins, book review editor for SCOTUSblog).
*April 8-11 — Reserved for as yet undisclosed event.
*April 26 – Mount Airy and Westminster Libraries in Maryland.
*Chai Times (Date to be determined.)
*Dave Congalton Show (Date to be determined.)
*The Reason Foundation (Date to be determined.)
*Freakonomics show on NPR (Date to be determined.)
*The Penn Jillette Show (Date to be determined.)
Confirmation Pending
*March 7-9 — University of Chicago 3rd Annual Conference on Medicine and Religion.
*March 19-23, 2014 — Virginia Festival for the Book. UVA, Charlottesville, VA.
*April 20-21, 2014 — LA Times Book Festival. USC, Los Angeles, CA.
*Sept. 26-28, 2014 — Library of Congress National Book Festival. Washington, DC.
*October 16-19, 2014 — American Society for Bioethics and Humanities annual conference.
San Diego, CA.
*Yale Medical School
*The Cato Institute book forum
*St. Louis Medical School
*University of Missouri
*Kennedy Institute of Ethics
*D.C. Martin Luther King Library
Promotion Info
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
When promoting the book, please link to http://www.TheKidneySellers.com.

When you post a review or promotion, please let us know at info@ethicalsolutions.org so that we can add / link to your promotion from
http://www.TheKidneySellers.com.

All author’s royalties go to support the SOS (Solving the Organ Shortage)
project. www.http://ethical-solutions.org/projects/sos/
Sample Interview Questions
Groundbreaking Research
 What motivated you to write this book?
 Why would you want to go to Iran?
The Organ Shortage
 How bad is the organ shortage?
 Why aren’t there enough cadaver kidneys?
 What other options are there if there aren’t enough cadaver kidneys?
 Isn’t it dangerous to do a living donation?
The Black Market in Kidneys
 What is the black market in kidneys?
 Why is there a black market?
Iran
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Wasn’t it dangerous?
How did you manage being a woman who didn’t speak the language?
How long were you in Iran? Where did you go, and whom did you interview?
Research Findings
 Is it true that Iran has solved its kidney shortage?
 Are people being forced to give up their kidneys?
 What about women--were they being exploited for their kidneys?
 Do they also use cadaver organs in Iran?
The U.S. Organ Shortage
 How does what you found in Iran relate to the U.S.?
 Are you advocating that the United States repeal the National Organ Transplant
Act?
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Personal Stories
 Did I hear that your son lost a kidney to cancer when he was only 10 months old?
 How did you meet Steve Lessin? What is his story?
 What stories from the people you met in Iran touched you the most?
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