In Stitches: The Highs and Lows of Life as an AandE Doctor was sent to me by the Friday Project following a competition on twitter. I do love twitter.
It’s written in diary format, which works well for me – I read a lot of blogs. And it strikes a good balance of heartrending, thought provoking, rib tickling and the occasional eww moment. Which I suspect must be what medicine is like, only with a lot less sleep. The black humour required to survive in A and E comes through well, as does the utter frustration with politicians and the system hampering so much of the good work done by individuals. I’d go so far as to say that this book ought to be required reading for all politicians, particularly any who wish to get involved in NHS reform. The book was written 4 years or so back, but there’s an epilogue to bring it up to date, and we’re told that some things have improved, but I still think it would be educational for those who think they know it all already.
And if you’re not a politician, I suspect you’ll enjoy it. It’s a good writing style, flows along nicely, and I read it in one afternoon, in one of those just a couple more pages moods until suddenly it was all gone.
Great way to spend a summer afternoon. Though with hindsight I should have started it sitting outside…
This is book 85 in our 100 book fundraising challenge.
The rest of the boring small print. If you don’t want to miss out on any of the news on the challenge, please sign up to my rss feed: there’s an email link over in the side, or you can sub with a reader. I’m also on twitter using the hashtag #100books and facebook.
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