Excerpt: ‘Dr. Fauci: How a Boy from Brooklyn Became America’s Doctor’

By Brooklyn Magazine Staff

For her forthcoming picture book “Dr. Fauci: How a Boy from Brooklyn Became America’s Doctor,” author Kate Messner took all the necessary precautions: She interviewed her subject over Zoom, naturally. Their conversation—and the book it resulted in—follows the future director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from his Brooklyn roots through medical school and ultimately to advising seven U.S. presidents on some of the most intractable public health challenges of the past 50 years.

But it was talking about his Bensonhurst boyhood that really lit him up.

“I spoke with Dr. Fauci at the end of a long work day, but he came alive when he shared memories about his Brooklyn childhood, riding around on his bicycle to deliver prescriptions for his parents’ pharmacy at the corner of 13th Avenue and 83rd Street,” says Messner. “I could hear the smile in his voice when he talked about playing stickball in the streets of Bensonhurst.”

It was there, says Messner, on the busy sidewalks with his friends and in the kitchen with his grandfather, an Italian immigrant, that Dr. Fauci soaked up so many of the values that would guide his life in public health.

The other challenge, of course, was how to realistically render a neighborhood vibe that has long since receded into the past.

“When tasked with illustrating his biography, I needed to really get to know his roots and collect all the seemingly mundane details that would help me paint a picture of his formative years,” says illustrator Alexandra Bye. “I felt like a detective who had found a valuable clue when I would uncover details like his favorite Pizza place, Siorico’s, located a few blocks from his home.”

At first, for example, Bye had sketched the Fauci family pharmacy sandwiched between two buildings. But after discovering more photos of the building in later years, she learned that it was actually on a corner. She says she tried to keep things accurate but eventually had to fill in the gaps with businesses from other neighborhoods during that time period.

“Eventually, the elements came together to create an entire world I never knew,” she says. “Even as he grew and moved away from his childhood in New York, I tried to maintain the warmth that originated from his Brooklyn roots.”

The following is an exclusive excerpt of “Dr. Fauci: How a Boy from Brooklyn Became America’s Doctor,” with words by Messner and illustrations by Bye, out June 29.

His neighborhood was full of tough guys and Anthony wasn’t that big. But he learned to get along with everyone. He was good at talking to people, and listening, too.

The boys compared notes about their favorite baseball players and played stickball in the streets. Who could hit the ball the farthest? They measured by sewers—really, by the manhole covers that lead down to the city sewers, spaced about a hundred feet apart. If you hit the ball past one sewer, you were pretty good. But two sewers? That was impressive. Anthony was proud to be a two-sewer guy.

Anthony’s dad ran a drugstore. While his mom and older sister served customers at the cash register, Anthony zipped around the neighborhood on his Schwinn bicycle, delivering prescriptions. Sometimes he’d get a nickel for a tip!

Anytime Anthony struggled with homework, his father reminded him that every problem has a solution.

“Don’t get discouraged. Don’t run away because you don’t understand the problem. Think about it carefully and try to work it out.”

Anthony learned to start with wondering, then gather evidence and keep an open mind.

Excerpts from “Dr. Fauci: How a Boy from Brooklyn Became America’s Doctor,” Courtesy Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers.