This book is poignant today and how the health service nurses in particular are so very special. The book made me laugh cry and made me think about humanity. Absolutely beautiful.

I cant say I loved it but I also cant say I hated it, it was just a bit meh! I dont think it helped that I hadnt read her first book so when she referred to certain stuff I didnt completely understand it.
The author seemed to go off on a tangent a little bit, she'd start talking about something, divert to something else and then come back to the original point. I know its easy to do that in every day conversations and perhaps its the authors style but I didnt particularly like it. It was interesting to see different aspects of nursing and the author certainly highlighted an area of nursing that I'd like to read more about.... military nursing.
A nurse I think would enjoy this book and it sounds like Christie Watson is an incredibly brave and courageous woman.
So a big thank you to her and other nurses for all the work that they are all doing, particularly at the moment with the Covid 19 pandemic!

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I was so pleased Random House granted my wish for an ARC of this book, having really enjoyed Watson's previous book. I enjoyed 'The Compassion to Care' even more. Watson's writing is excellent and heartfelt, taking you inside her world and creating warmth, tenderness. I enjoyed and was interested in how she took you through stories of nursing alongside her experiences raising a family. One of the best books of this genre I've read, and would definitely recommend.

This is a follow up book covering more nursing antidotes from Christie Watson.

Well written and lovely to read the stories and also covering COVID 19.

Hopefully this will help people understand what nurses go though be more sympathetic.

A well timed book on the outstanding work carried out by our nurses not just dealing with Covid-19 but every single day of every year. They have an important role within hospital and the wider community and this book highlights the varied and sometimes challenging jobs that they face with courage , empathy and respect. A well written book capturing life as a compassionate care giver.

Wow, I finished reading this and wept - such an amazingly powerful read. This year, like many readers, I have worked my way, laughing and crying, through many of the medical biographies/accounts that feature in the bestseller lists and The Courage to Care sits at the top. I loved The Language of Kindness and was excited to more of Christie Watson. The Courage to Care is similar in combining nursing case studies with reflection and some personal stories. Watson reveals and discusses areas of nursing I had never imagined - nursing in prisons, care homes and residential settings, working with children with complex needs, anorexics and with the homeless. Watson writes beautifully and from the heart, reflecting on a service which is overwhelmed yet ever compassionate, of social change which is impacting so terribly on health. Her reflection is informed by her own wider reading and study and by her extensive professional experience. The writing about nursing is interspersed with personal stories about her beloved parents and in particular about her children and the family’s journey to adopt a sibling for her daughter. The love Watson has for her children is like a warm undercurrent which flows through the book - so powerful, so caring, so absolute. The Language of Lindness was remarkable but the Courage to Care takes the writing to another level. We should all read this and reflect. With thanks to Netgalley, Random House U.K. and Vintage Books for a digital copy of this book

A wonderful and poignant collection of memories from Christie Watson’s time as a nurse and also her journey as an adoptive parent.

I have been thinking about applying to study nursing a lot recently, so have been reading as many books like this as possible. This is definitely one of my favourites. There’s a mix of heartwarming tales and heartbreaking ones, and I found myself needing tissues on more than one occasion!

Watson gives a lot of insight into life as a nurse, some of the challenges faced, it’s clear it’s a difficult role but extremely rewarding. One thing to take from this book is how important a role nurses play, how lucky the NHS is to have such wonderful, caring, and compassionate nurses, and that we really shouldn’t take them for granted!

Extremely well written, highly recommend ‘The Courage To Care’. Thank you to all nurses, NHS staff, and health and social care workers for the difference you make every day!

I didn’t realise that this was a sequel to the book “The language of kindness” but this read perfectly well as a stand-alone.
I love real life medical books, and I enjoyed the many anecdotes in this book. However I felt that this book didn’t flow very well, and flitted from story to story sometimes feeling that the ending to one particular story was missed off, or was pages later so I had to flick back to remind myself. I felt that this ruined my enjoyment of the book which was a shame.

I understand that “The Courage to Care” is the second book by Christie Watson - I haven’t read the first one, but this stands alone.
The book takes you on a journey through various times in Christie’s nursing career, but as we move through the book we also explore the breadth of work that nurses do from the well known hospital work and district/home nursing to the lesser known nursing that happens in prisons, supporting those with disabilities, or specific illnesses, palliative care, and the nurses who work within the armed forces. Some of the stories are heartwarming whilst others are heartbreaking. Christie touches on the current COVID-19 pandemic & how the NHS staff are coping. It was good to hear her internal struggle as she debated whether she should return to nursing or stay home with her family.
Overall I enjoyed the book but I didn’t warm to the writing style like I have to similar memoirs, it just felt a little disjointed and stiff to me. There is an underlying adoption storyline which some readers may find difficult.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book free from the publisher via NetGalley. Whilst thanks go to the publisher & author for the opportunity to read it, all opinions are my own.
#TheCouragetoCare #NetGalley

This book made me cry like an absolute baby. In a good way. It’s rare that a book can invoke such an extreme reaction from me. Wow. What an incredible people exist within our NHS. I am always interested in medical memoirs and have read a fair few over the past few years but this one really had quite an effect on me. Christie makes her books so readable and understandable and in this title talks about her own personal family life and her own journey, and also about covid. What an incredibly brave, kind, amazing woman she is. 5* hands down. One of the best most moving books I’ve read in a long time.

A lovely book exploring the impact of nurses across the UK. Something a bit different to the ever growing number of doctors memoirs. The book told stories from many different aspects of nursing and was eye opening to just how much of a role they play across society. At times deeply sad but altogether heartwarming. I enjoyed learning about the inspirational nurses doing wonderful work and the book touched on themes such as racial inequality and homelessness without getting to be heavy reading.

The only aspect I didn't like was the many mentions of covid 19 I'm assuming many of these where added in last minute and at times they really disrupted the flow of the story, it also felt like a lot of assumptions about the impact of the virus where being told as fact when really at the time of writing and even now they are unknown.

I loved this book, I hope the way society values nurses changes after Covid 19 but I think this book will go a long way towards that change too. Christie intersperses stories from her nursing career with incidents from her own life and reflects on how they have shaped her as a nurse and a parent. I really admired the way she could shift perspective to help us empathize with individuals who don't always seem worthy of care and compassion such as domestic violence perpetrators. But she is also fallibly human, able to acknowledge her own difficult emotions and frustrations at the system she works within. I wish politicians would read this book so they could also instigate the structural changes that social care and the NHS so desperately need.

This is a truly wonderful story of bravery and dedication to caring.
A mixture of stories but all equally important giving you an insight to the people behind the scenes that fix you

A truly magical book. Full of love, warmth, compassion and brutal resilience. As a previous foster carer and somebody who has worked in Safeguarding Children in Education and been a 1:1 Key Worker to an adopted child for 5 years, every patient the author spoke about in her recollections resonated right through my soul. Adoption, immunisation refusal, pandemics, prison nurses, Social Care, dying with dignity... so much is covered with tact, honesty and care.

I am not ashamed to admit I sobbed, but this is not a maudlin, depressing account of life in the NHS, this it a truly remarkable, heart-breaking but life-affirming joy to read. I have recommended it to everyone I know. Beautifully written, full of kindness and I will definitely be ordering the author’s other books. If I could give this 6 stars, I would. Incredible.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the advanced digital copy.

My wish was granted to read this book prior to release by the publisher and Netgalley. I thank them both deeply as I feel incredibly lucky to have read this book prior to release.

I had really high hopes for this book, having loved the author's previous book 'The Language of Kindness', and it did not disappoint. The book has taken me through the entire spectrum of human emotions, much like a day of British weather, to crying ugly deep wrenching tears, to golden moments of hope.

The book takes you on a journey through the many experiences of the author within the NHS. One chapter that stood out particularly for me was the author’s experience supporting premature babies. The sometimes tragic circumstances in how they become preterm highlights the absolute knife edge of life they tread each day.

As well as the stories from the NHS, we also have an incredibly raw insight into the author’s personal life, which I can only describe as having been privileged to witness. I felt my heart going out to Christie at multiple times in the book, but was continually strengthened by her resolve, and above all, her endless compassion for everyone.

The author’s strength and ability to carry on when faced with crisis beyond much of our comprehension is honestly nothing short of miraculous, and an absolute testament to the sacrifices she and other nurses make each and every day.

Above all, The Courage to Care is a timely and important reminder to us all of the need for empathy and compassion in an increasingly divided and uncertain world. I know that this book will have an everlasting place in my heart, and I implore everyone to read it.

Wow, just wow. I don’t even know where to start. I “wished” for this book on Netgally, my wish was granted and I devoured this book in one day. I’ve already got one of my closest friends who is a nurse to pre order this book for next month. I used to work in care and reading about each nurses story and devotion to their role is truly inspiring, the courage to care is an amazing well written book, that pulls on your heart strings and makes you love the NHS even more.

I read and enjoyed The Language of Kindness on publication but I feel this book is even better. The Courage to Care is depressing and raw at times but it truly shows the reality of nursing and for that I applaud Christie Watson. She discusses but the highs and lows of her career. It has really made me think about my experiences and how they have shaped me and my role. Christie also talks about her and her families journey through the adoption process which I also enjoyed learning about.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

As a nurse myself I could relate to Christie and some of the situations she has been in throughout her career.

A great book about the NHS and the patients they care for.

Wow This book is amazing

This book tells the story of the author as she works as nurse & and also tell the story of her process of adoption of her son.

This book made me cry and also laugh with the stories it told.

If you loved Adam Kay book This is going to Hurt you love this book

With thanks to Netgalley & Random House Uk Vintage for the ARC of this book in exchange for this review.

I absolutely loved The Language of Kindness: A Nurse's Story when I listened to the audiobook version via my library's mobile app. I was so happy when I was approved to read an advanced copy of The Courage to Care: A Call for Compassion that I hastily sat down and completed the book I was currently reading so I could read it. Christie Watson has such a beautiful way of writing; she includes extra little details that make reading or listening (her narration is sublime and poetic) so much more immersive and she is completely honest and open about her actions in the past. I'm so glad to say that The Courage to Care: A Call for Compassion also contains this style of writing.

Whilst it isn't necessary to read The Language of Kindness: A Nurse's Story before reading this book, I would highly recommend it as the previous book covered Watson's career and personal circumstances and tragedies that are mentioned in this one. The Courage to Care: A Call for Compassion is a mix of Watson's own experience in nursing, the adoption journey she took before meeting her son and the observations and experience of working alongside nurses in a variety of settings: prison, district etc.

As before, Watson does not hold back with the stories she tells and the honesty and rawness she writes about cannot fail to bring about an emotional response. I hugged my daughter a little tighter today after reading some of the cases in the book. Indeed, I am privileged enough to have a healthy daughter and, as Watson states, it is these moments we need to cherish. It can all change in an instance.

I also appreciated the discussion around recent medical events. The case of the unvaccinated child is one that I feel every parent should read. One cannot publish a medical memoir without mentioning covid-19 and Watson does so with tact and compassion. It was wonderful to see her return to nursing when the pandemic started. This truly shows that she has the courage to care.

Thank you to Christie Watson, Random House UK and Netgalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.