Small World, a novel

What would you do if your spouse and daughter had an illness with no cure? For Tom Small, a professor and researcher at a Philadelphia medical school, the answer is anything it takes. Tom believes a discovery he made with a Nobel Prize-winning scientist at Oxford could hold the key to a cure. But turning this discovery into treatment requires millions of dollars-and that means navigating the unfamiliar and sometimes hostile worlds of venture capital and pharmaceutical companies. Raised in a working-class family and haunted by self-doubt since boyhood, Tom s journey is one of resilience. As a troubled youth during the Vietnam War era, he was a hopeless truant and trouble maker and was nearly expelled from middle school until a surprise aptitude test score propelled him to college at 14. Now, his own insecurities and phobias are dwarfed by his determination to save his family. This novel, based loosely on a true story, blends the charm and wit of Tom Sawyer and My Family and Other Animals with the profound urgency of Lorenzo s Oil. With humor, heart, and plenty of candid self-reflection, Small World follows a young family forced to confront challenges they never imagined, pushing themselves to the limits in their quest for a cure.