Authors talked about their books on people involved in medical science. Freelance science writer Juli Berwald moderated. The panelists responded to questions from members of the audience.

Molly Caldwell Crosby is the author of Asleep: The Forgotten Epidemic that Remains One of Medicine's Greatest Mysteries. Rebecca Skloot is the author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

The program "Back to Life: Humanizing Medical Mysteries" was held in the C-SPAN/Book TV Tent of the Texas Book Festival.

The program opened with views of the fair and programming information.