The Language of Kindness: The No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling nursing memoir
£0.90
Read Costa Award-winning author Christie Watson’s incredible No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling memoir of nursing today.
‘It made me cry. It made me think. It made me laugh’ Adam Kay, author of This is Going to Hurt and Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas
Christie Watson was a nurse for twenty years. Taking us from birth to death and from A&E to the mortuary, The Language of Kindness is an astounding account of a profession defined by acts of care, compassion and kindness.
We watch Christie as she nurses a premature baby who has miraculously made it through the night, we stand by her side during her patient’s agonising heart-lung transplant, and we hold our breath as she washes the hair of a child fatally injured in a fire, attempting to remove the toxic smell of smoke before the grieving family arrive.
In our most extreme moments, when life is lived most intensely, Christie is with us. She is a guide, mentor and friend. And in these dark days of division and isolationism, she encourages us all to stretch out a hand.
‘A powerful insight into the life of nurses’ The Times, Books of the Year
‘A remarkable book about life and death and so brilliantly written it makes you hold your breath’ Ruby Wax
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Additional information
| Publisher | 4th edition (3 May 2018), Vintage Digital |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 10574 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 338 pages |
| Page numbers source ISBN | 152476163X |
by TC1949
If everyone in the UK read this book, nurses would be paid over £100,000 (Jan 2023) and the NHS receive proper funding. Christie Watson writes really well and has the ability to make the reader laugh out loud and cry on the same page. Her brilliant book has had more impact on me, for multiple positive reasons, than any other book in many years. It is a ‘warts and all’ revealing of the realities of nursing and medical life through a lens of experience, compassion and kindness. If ever I need nursing I would hope those who nurse me have been trained and inspired by a Christie Watson. Magnificent.
by miss c brown
I’m the parent of a child with complex medical needs. She is severely disabled. Non verbal, non mobile, 100% tube fed and has epilepsy. Until 5 years ago I had very minimal experience of hospitals and nurses whereas now I can read medical notes and understand almost all of what is being discussed. It was great reading a book where I could see things from the other side of the hospital bed. We have become close over the years with some amazing nurses. Ones who will stay up late and chat with me in our cubicle. Ones who have taught me how to repass an NG tube, then a Gtube, then to being amazing at seeing a GJ button for the first time. I used to be so squeamish but now I think I would have been a great nurse. Nurses are amazing. They work tirelessly and this book shows not only how strained our nhs resources are, but how in spite of this the nurses persevere. It shows also the emotional side to it and the personal journey each nurse must go through. I was amused to learn about the author knowing which area a nurse worked in without knowing. I am familiar with this having encountered A&E nurses and all kinds. Thank you for writing this book. I suspect people who have not been exposed to the world of hospitals may be in for a bit of a shock and it would be great if more people could read it.
by Carlie
An amazing read into all kinds of nursing that even me as an adult muse never knew existed what goes on in the background in other specialities of the nursing field. This book made me laugh, cry and laugh and shocked my system when reading about the horrors and incidents of young and older people’s lifes. It’s an amazing read to anyone who is considering nursing and for those who think nursing is an easy job. Christie reveals the real world and how a true caring compassionate nurse should be. I take my hat off to her.
by Dixie Nix
I enjoyed this book, but sometimes it felt like I was reading a piece of academic work rather than a book. It’s written like how I would write a reflection assignment, which is fine but it just feels less personal because of that. I just don’t really feel like I know Christie as a nurse by her care stories, so it’s difficult to connect.
There are a lot of unanswered questions I have, where storytelling just stopped with no explanation. It’s feel the book ending was too sudden for my taste. It’s a shame because I wanted to love this book. But I only “liked” the book. Still gave it 4 stars though.
by Julie Haigh
I enjoyed this memoir. Christie Watson tells of her time in nursing, starting from when she’s a student, going through the different placements and specialities, continuing through the next 20 years in her career.
I liked this from the beginning, then wasn’t sure in some of a later chapter, then loved the midwifery chapter, and thereafter. She tells it like it is. Sometimes terrible things. It’s a powerful memoir.
I’ve read many medical memoirs, and thought I knew about quite a lot of illnesses and conditions, but here many syndromes are mentioned I’ve never heard of before. Rare and terrible things that she must have seen in her time caring for sick children whilst working at a London hospital. Terrible, tragic and shocking stories too. The things she sees, it’s hard-hitting and heartbreaking.
This turned out to be such a good book. Other angles from medical memoirs I’ve read previously.
by I. Evans
Beautifully written; from the heart. She manages to convey what it really means to be a nurse. I don’t think I ever quite managed to nurse that well myself but I recognise it is what all nurses strive for. It should be recommended reading for all new student nurses.
by Kelly Girl
Good if you studying to become a nurse. Brilliant read , great item and value
by ShaunaF
This book should be read by anyone who says that nurses jobs are easy… that they shouldn’t be striking… that they need to work harder. Nursing isn’t just a job or a career… it is a life that shapes both the person and patients lives.
Only think I’d say is that the book can be a bit confusing with narratives and not know who is being spoke about as not much indication is given.
Overall great book!