Robin Cook (American novelist) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Robin Cook
Robin Cook in Warsaw (2008)
Born	Robert Brian Cook (1940-05-04) May 4, 1940 (age 85) Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States
Occupation	Author surgeon ophthalmologist aquanaut
Education	Wesleyan University (BS) Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (MD) Ophthalmology at Harvard Public policy at Harvard Kennedy School
Genre	Thriller
Relatives	Edgar Lee Cook (father) Audrey Cook (mother)

Robert Brian "Robin" Cook (born May 4, 1940) is an American doctor and writer. He writes mostly about medicine and health topics.

He is famous for mixing medical facts with exciting thriller stories. Many of his books have been bestsellers on The New York Times Best Seller List. His books have sold nearly 400 million copies around the world.

Robin Cook's Early Life and Career

Robin Cook was born in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in Woodside, Queens. When he was eight, he moved to Leonia, New Jersey. He finished high school in Leonia in 1958.

Later, Cook went to Wesleyan University and then to Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons to study medicine. He also did special medical training at Harvard.

Cook worked in France for the Cousteau Society. He helped with their blood-gas lab. In 1969, he joined the U.S. Navy's SEALAB program. He became an aquanaut, which is like a submarine doctor. Cook served in the Navy from 1969 to 1971. He wrote his first book, Year of the Intern, while serving on a submarine.

Becoming a Novelist

His first book, The Year of the Intern, was not very successful. So, Cook decided to study how popular books were written. He learned how writers keep readers interested. He used these ideas when he wrote his next book, Coma.

He got the idea for Coma in 1975. The story is about creating organs for transplant illegally. In 1977, the rights to the paperback version of Coma sold for $800,000. After that, he wrote Sphinx in 1979 and another medical thriller, Brain, in 1981. Cook then decided he liked writing more than being a doctor full-time.

Cook's books mix real medical facts with exciting made-up stories. His medical thrillers help people learn about new medical technologies. They also make people think about the ethical problems that can come with them. Cook says he writes thrillers to get people interested in medical topics they might not know about. He believes his books teach people.

He never thought he would have so many interesting things to write about. He says that with how fast biomedical research is changing, there are always new topics.

Cook's books have often discussed topics before they became big news. For example, his book Shock was about stem cell research. He wanted to help the public understand this topic. He believes the public should decide how we move forward with ethically complex research like stem cells.

So far, Cook has written about many medical issues. These include organ donation, fertility treatment, genetic engineering, and organ transplantation.

Cook jokes that if his books stop selling, he can always go back to brain surgery. He is still very interested in medicine. He sees himself as a doctor who writes, rather than a writer who happens to be a doctor. He thinks his books are popular because everyone knows they might need a hospital someday. You can avoid sharks or haunted houses, but you can't avoid going to a hospital.

Many of his books are set in hospitals in Boston or New York. This is because he trained at Harvard and lives in Boston.

About Robin Cook's Life

Robin Cook is currently on leave from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. He is also a private member of the Woodrow Wilson Center's Board of Trustees. The President of the United States appoints people to this board.

Books by Robin Cook

Here are some of the books Robin Cook has written:

• Year of the Intern (1972)
• Coma (1977)
• Sphinx (1979)
• Brain (1980)
• Fever (1982)
• Godplayer (1983)
• Mindbend (1985)
• Outbreak (1987)
• Mortal Fear (1988)
• Mutation (1989)
• Harmful Intent (1990)
• Vital Signs (1991)
• Blindsight (1992)
• Terminal (1993)
• Fatal Cure (1993)
• Acceptable Risk (1995)
• Contagion (1995)
• Chromosome 6 (1997)
• Invasion (1997)
• Toxin (1998)
• Vector (1999)
• Abduction (2000)
• Shock (2001)
• Seizure (2003)
• Marker (2005)
• Crisis (2006)
• Critical (2007)
• Foreign Body (2008)
• Intervention (2009)
• Cure (2010)
• Death Benefit (2011)
• Nano (2013)
• Cell (2014)
• Host (2015)
• Charlatans (2017)
• Pandemic (2018)
• Genesis (2019)
• Viral (2021)
• Night Shift (2022)
• Manner of Death (2023)
• Bellevue (2024)

Movies and TV Shows Based on His Books

Several of Robin Cook's books have been made into movies or TV shows:

• Coma (1977) was made into a movie in 1978. It was directed by another author and doctor, Michael Crichton. It was also made into a TV mini-series in 2012.
• Sphinx (1979) became a movie in 1981.
• Harmful Intent (1990) was adapted into a TV movie in 1993.
• Mortal Fear (1988) was also made into a TV movie in 1994.
• Outbreak (1987) was adapted into a movie called Virus (Formula For Death) in 1995.
• Terminal (1993) was made into a TV movie.
• Invasion (1997) became a TV mini-series in 1997.
• Acceptable Risk (2001) was also adapted.
• Foreign Body (2008) was turned into a web series in 2008. This series had 50 short episodes.

See also

In Spanish: Robin Cook (escritor) para niños