About The Language of Kindness
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 astonishing 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.
My review of The Language of Kindness
The Language of Kindness is a truly remarkable book about the realities of being a nurse. It was so refreshing to read a book that highlighted the role of the nurse and the fact that this role is grounded in kindness, empathy, goodwill and compassion.
I read the book through the eyes of a former nurse. I worked as a care assustant, then as a trained nurse on elderly care wards, orthopedics, and surgery, before settling on renal dialysis. For me, this book was so very authentic, and could only have been written by a nurse with a wealth of experience. This author has this in abundance, and she so clearly demonstrates what it is actually like to be a nurse on a busy ward in the day and in the depths of the night.
This book made me laugh, it made me cry. It made me stop and think about how nurses and care assistants are the backbone of the NHS, and how they are overworked and undervalued. It also tells of all the disciplines that nurses work in. That of caring for a new mother, for the frail and elderly patient who feels all alone. That the nurse is a listener, comforter and is there to hold your hand.
This is a hugely powerful book about the kindness of human nature. About how everyone who works in the NHS is doing their damndest under the most difficult of circumstances. This book is a real eye opener to those who have no experience of what it is like to work on that busy surgical ward, to treat a casualty in A &E, and what it is like to keep watch over yoir patient in the dead of night.
The Language of Kindness is a very special book. It restored my faith in human kindness
The Language of Kindness is published by Chatto & Windus on 3 May 2018. It is available to buy on Amazon here.
With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy.
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