Lived experience

Books by people who have lived through something extraordinary and want to share their story to help others. We can learn a lot from other peoples experiences. *some of these reviews are also shared on Goodreads

Sally Magnusson. Where memories go. A look at the realities of living with dementia in the family. Beautiful, powerful and poignant. This book should be on the reading list of all health care professionals.

Terry Pratchett. Shaking hands with death. His experiences of living with Parkinsons. The eloquence, dignity and reasoning of Terry Pratchett shine through this transcript of the Dimbleby lecture. His legacy is great and far reaching.

Sheri Fink. Five days at Memorial. Life and death in a storm ravaged hospital. A horrifying but well told account. Not an easy read.

Michael Rosen. Many different kinds of love. A story of life, death and the NHS. A first person account of being hospitalised by COVID from the author and poet Michael Rosen. Possibly the book I recommend most frequently to student nurses and those preparing to start their training.

Paul Collins. Not even wrong: Adventures in Autism. A very interesting blend of historical research and everyday life for the author.

Jill Bolte Taylor. My stroke of insight: A brain scientists personal journey. A fascinating story of a stroke from the inside. Full of interesting information and a very human point of view. There is also lots of information which could be useful to anyone dealing with a stroke or helping stroke survivors.

Jeffery Archer. Hell. A prison diary. Jeffery Archer uses his story telling skills to shine light on the world within the walls of Belmarsh. He used writing as a means of surviving the ordeal he faced. With many serious messages within these pages ('...are you listening home secretary...') he shares his experience in order to try and help others.

Caroline Knapp. Drinking. A love story. Interesting, honest and insightful. A memoir of alcoholism and recovery.

Julie Gregory. Sickened: The memoir of a Munchausen by proxy childhood. Horrifyingly fascinating. A brave woman to come through her upbringing and a generous woman to share her insights with others, thank you.

Jo Brand. Look back in Hunger. Good book. You can imagine her talking as you read it. Interesting to read her stories of mental health nursing, I can imagine she was very good.

Comments

Autumn - hot chocolate, a blanket and a good book

I was recently reminded of a time back in secondary school, many years ago doing cross country. For a while I had been in front of one of the sporty girls who then overtook me as we got to the end. For no reason at all she came to find me at the end, took the time to speak to me and explain how she had used me as a pacemaker giving me a few tips for running. There was no need for her to do that and I don't know why she did. Hopefully I thanked her at the time though because those few words made a difference and changed the way I approached cross country. I went on over the next few years to do a lot of competitive running, visited some interesting places and really enjoyed it. The point of this story is that we rarely know how a tiny bit of advice or support will affect someone. What a difference it may make to someone's life. In healthcare we are interacting with people all the time, sometimes for only a very short time. I have had the privilege of hearing Tommy Whitelaw ...

Queen Alexandra Royal Naval Nursing Service

A flat lay image of books mentioned in this blog, a pair of glasses and some hairclips I am often asked about my experiences of training and working as a naval nurse. I can only share my experiences which will be different from other peoples and it is worth remembering that they are now from quite a while ago. Being in the armed forces has a lot to do with a lifestyle over anything else and it can be all consuming if you live and work within the service environment. There is an expectation of time spent away from home for training, exercises and drafts although there is sometimes stability with longer drafts. It is a culture of working and playing hard, a structured hierarchy with rules can seem odd to others and a culture of high standards and pride in being part of something special. The payoff from having less freedom is the opportunities that others may never get. A chance to visit places, meet people, learn new things. Naval nurses are part of the Queen Alexandra Naval...

One step at a time: Peace, Perseverance and Panoramas on Long Distance Footpaths

May is national walking month and with several bank holidays and more hours of daylight it is a lovely time of year to get out and about. The hedgerows are full of blues, pinks and shades of white at the moment having gone through the yellows of spring. I enjoy walking whatever the weather and find that the space can often help with studying especially if I have been struggling with the phrasing of a paragraph or how to lay out an idea clearly. I have had to find ways to stop and record my idea (I usually dictate an email to myself - until I find a better option) so that I can then use it later. Long distance trails are getting lots of attention at the moment as The salt path is due to be released at the end of this month. This is a film of a book about a couple who, at their lowest point in life felt they had no choices left and started walking on the South West Coast Path, when the book was released in 2017 it won many accolades. Raynor Wynn has now written three books document...

Reflections on Salt Water

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