Cover Image: The Courage to Care

The Courage to Care

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Member Reviews

This is such a fantastic book – I think nurses are among the most brilliant people that exist, and The Courage to Care is such a great affirmation of their importance – vitality, really – in our society. It helps that Christie is an absolutely brilliant author, that the text is treated with as much care as her patients. I also really loved that she's included details about her own family, especially her children, something I'm sure she didn't need to do but really warmed me to her (more so than I already was?!). I'd like every politician in England to read this book, understand the importance of nurses and proper nursing, and then properly fund the NHS. Christie and nurses like her are what keep our country moving.

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I really enjoyed the sequel to The Language of Kindness such an inspiring book giving us the chance to understand the kindness, love and hope that nurses give to us daily.

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This book is beautifully written and so moving.
It describes some traumatic events including Covid but there is also humour in it as well.
An important read

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Found this book poignant and super raw - sometimes to the point where I thought I couldn't keep on reading without making myself upset (totally not the goal when you're sitting down with a book for a good read!) The first chapter itself just read so anxious, I wasn't sure I could soldier on... But I wanted to know of the message the author wanted to share, and I did soldier on. Ended up really humbled and awed by what nurses do. I'd had an idea, my dad had been a career nurse who loved his job, but this was an eye opener, and I hope a lot more people read it. Loved the level of details in there, even if it sometimes made me want to retch or run away to hide under a blanket... This book is not for the faint of heart or the queasy types. But so, so rewarding and humbling! Very much recommended!

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I loved this book, it's very relevant at the moment with COVID and is well written. A really heartfelt read with lots of information about a varied and sometimes challenging role. This mixes case studies with reflection and personal stories covering many areas of nursing and reflecting on the overwhelmed service.
Written with care, love and compassion, it was a very relatable and understandable read.
the personal stories were particularly moving and really help you to understand what being a nurse is like especially at such a challenging time.
A brilliant read.

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As a former midwife and health visitor and then NHS manager this book was an essential
Read for me. It captures the feel and experience perfectly and tells stories that need to be heard. A truly important and emotional journey that moved me and left me thinking about this book long after I put it down.

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A fantastic follow up to the first book. I really enjoyed this second book and was hooked from the start.

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Such an inspiring read! Very powerful and moving. Never underestimate the power of a nurse. A true inspiration. Where would we be without people like Christie! Thank you for all you do!

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A bit of a memoir, a bit of nursing and a bit political. I thought the parts dealing with the various patients and their care was an eye opener and very interesting but sadly the rest wasn’t. Not helped by flitting all over the place before finally returning to the first topic, maybe pages later. The author is obviously a very caring, good nurse and the type you’d like to see by your bed when you are not well but I don’t think I shall be reading anything else by her in the future.

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I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
A lovely read about a nurse's experiences both as a health care worker and a patient herself. I liked the intimate reflections into her life and it is clear that a great deal of thought anf love has gone into this book.
A great read.

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The Courage to Care by Christie Watson second nursing non-fiction book by Christine and What a brilliant book this is. Big Cheer for all the nurses out there and all the medical professionals. You will find this book, well both of her books a brilliant powerful read and to me a Must read. Christine is full of compassion with a big heart. thank you for writing this book for others to read. x .

Big Thank you to Christie Watson, Random House UK and NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of this book. All views are my own

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If you loved Christine's first book (which I did) then you will definitely love this one! After the year we've had as a nation, NHS has a special place in people's hearts, and at the beating heart of the NHS is nurses. They deserve so much of our respect and admiration. Thank you Christine for shining a light on an often under appreciated part of our National Health Service

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Thank you Netgalley for my copy of this book.
I've read a few medical memories and really enjoyed them so had to get this one when it came out.
This one was different to the others, it was so much more emotional than the others, it made me want to cry with some of the stories Christie had of her experience within the NHS and was such a wide variety of roles and stories, I liked how it went from one story to another, made the book quite fast paced but didnt take away from the emotion of the book.
As this was written this year, Christie had written some experiences of COVID-19, however even she couldn't predict the life we are living right now!
Of all the medical books I have read this one was definitely one of my favourites, even if it made me want to cry quite a few times!
It was raw and emotional but interesting and a must read!

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I worried this would be a dull work of polemic; perhaps the title, though stirring, is inapt, as the book is actually a straightforward sequel to Watson’s 2018 memoir about being a nurse, The Language of Kindness. Watson traveled widely over the course of the intervening two years to research the state of care in the country, but she mostly relies on her own experience of various nursing settings during her two decades as a nurse: a pediatric intensive care unit, home healthcare for the elderly, a children’s oncology day center, a residential home for those with severe physical and learning disabilities, a community mental-health visiting team, and the emergency room. She also shadows military nurses and prison doctors.

With a novelist’s talent for scene-setting and characterization, Watson weaves each patient and incident into a vibrant story. Another strand is about parenthood: giving birth to her daughter and the process of adopting her son – both are now teenagers she raises as a single mother. She affirms the value of everyday care delivered by parents and nurses alike. I was especially struck by the account of a teenage girl who contracted measles (then pneumonia, meningitis and encephalitis) and was left blind and profoundly disabled, all because her parents were antivaxxers. In general, I’ve wearied of doctors’ memoirs composed of obviously anonymized case studies, but I’ll always make an exception for Rachel Clarke and Watson because of their gorgeous writing.

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Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this. At a time when Nurses are at the front line of the fight against COVID this book is a timely reminder of the fantastic job they do. Christines insightful memoir was truly touching. I really enjoyed this and would recommend to everyone.

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Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity read this pre-publication. There are lots of the 'true-to-life' books in the shops these days but this one is right up there with the better ones. Gives a different slant on what it is like to work in the healthcare profession.

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I was delighted the publisher and Net Galley gave me a copy of this book to read in return for a review. I read the first book and found it such a good read and this one did not disappoint Honestly such a good read - even had me in tears at points. Really shows what nurses do - they are amazing.

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This book gives an insight into Christie’s life and some of the patients she has dealt with to give her the courage to care. It also has a bit of COVID in it and how horrible it is for people working in the NHS

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Unfortunately Due to personal circumstances I have been able to get to this but once I do I will leave my review on Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram etc.

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Loved this book and was so happy to receive a copy through Netgalley. Didn't realise that this was the second book written by Christie. Love all books to do with Nursing hospitals etc so will definitely be buying the first book

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