Steep traces an odyssey from a poor Boston neighborhood to a neurosurgical practice in Middle America. It's more about the price of success than the weight of bigotry - a story of resilience and self-discovery that will resonate with anyone who has wrestled with their past as they chased the American Dream.

Praise for STEEP
“This moving memoir recounts Craig Yorke’s steep climb from the poorest neighborhoods of Boston to the University of California San Francisco’s world-renowned neurosurgical program. A gifted violinist who might have filled concert halls instead of operating rooms, he chose to exercise his virtuosity in caring for patients with neurosurgical disease. Steep offers a rare window into the emotional and ethical terrain of a life spent on the front lines of life and death. Steep sands alongside the best medical memoirs—riveting, profound, and unforgettable.”
-Dr. Paul Camarata
Chairman, Department of Neurosurgery and Chair, Neurosurgery, The University of Kansas Medical Center

“Written with the deftness of a brain surgeon and the ear of a concert violinist, Steep is the unforgettably moving story of one man’s life and times. But it is also a wise and courageous commentary on our time.”
-Cyrus Console-Soican, Ph.D.
Professor of Liberal Arts, Kansas City Art Institute

“…a fascinating memoir by a distinguished Black neurosurgeon. But it is more than that; it’s also evidence that professional achievement along with self-respect can bolster one’s “armor” against racist condescension. A Boston Latin School and Harvard University graduate who received his surgical training in San Francisco, Dr. Yorke moved to Topeka, Kansas, to seize the opportunity to work with the renowned Menninger Foundation and to meet the community’s need for a neurosurgeon. Dr. Yorke is a masterful storyteller.”
-Bill Tuttle
Professor Emeritus of American Studies at the University of Kansas and the author of several books, notably including “Daddy’s Gone to War”: The Second World War in the Lives of America’s Children

“…skillfully woven into the times and places it describes, Steep takes the reader on a fascinating journey through diverse cultures and a transformative period in American history. His perspective is thoughtful and insightful. Ultimately, it’s the compelling story of one person’s life that illuminates a shared human experience of the times. Once I picked this book up, I didn’t want to put it down.”
-Bryan Welch
Author of Beautiful and Abundant: Building the World We Want -

“Using honest lessons gleaned at both the kitchen table and in the operating room, Dr. Yorke reflects on a life shaped by determination and choices made both for him and by him. In this compelling memoir, he shares powerful stories—offering a heartfelt look at the challenges and triumphs that define a life dedicated to healing.”
-Marsha Pope
President Topeka Community Foundation

“Steep is no less a profound meditation on the toll it takes to stand before the steep wall of lowering historical forces and the determination, discipline, and drive necessary in scaling it. What awaits at the summit, however, is unexpected; the ultimate reward of the author’s journey upward is freedom—liberating self-knowledge and compassion for the struggles of others. Steep is about discovering what it is to become truly human. I can only hope that this, the author’s first book, is not his last.”
-Tobias Schlingensiepen
Member of the Kansas House of Representatives, Senior Pastor First Congregational Church, Topeka, Kansas

"...a thoughtful reflection on life lessons and a compelling read.”
-Kathleen Sebelius,
44th Governor of Kansas, 21st U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services

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