Ari’s Spoon

About the Book

Young surgeon Gabe Goerner and his wife, Cassie, are thrilled when their daughter, Zoey, is born. She is a seven-pound, six-ounce re-creation of her mother. When she is three months old, her parents schedule her baptism at a Catholic Church in Indianapolis. The attendees include his parents who bring the family’s cedar chest, his grandfather’s most prized possession from Poland, that houses Gabe’s baptismal gown. Although it is a family heirloom, its origins are unknown. As Gabe’s family enters the church for his daughter’s baptism, her gown triggers the security metal detector. After Gabe discovers the cause is an engraved silver spoon sewn into the double-layered hem of the tiny gown, the mysterious discovery soon transports him through a cascade of unforgettable events that lead him from contemporary Indianapolis to the Warsaw ghetto during World War II, from underground bunkers to operating rooms, and from the safety of home to the Treblinka death camp. What he finds on his mission will forever transform his life. Ari’s Spoon is the historical tale of a young surgeon’s journey to the truth after he finds a spoon hidden in his daughter’s baptismal gown.

About the Author

Doug Zipes graduated from Dartmouth College, Harvard Medical School, and Duke University Medical Center. He is editor-in-chief of two cardiology journals, and has published hundreds of medical articles and multiple textbooks. Dr. Zipes writes a column for, and is on the editorial board of, the Saturday Evening Post. He and his wife, Joan, have three children, five grandchildren, and live in Carmel, Indiana, and Bonita Springs, Florida. Ari’s Spoon is his fifth novel.