I have wanted to start this thread for ages now. Am sure that if I checked the archives it would be there, but too bad!
I love to read and would like to hear from other readers as to their best nursing book - not the factual text books 'cos I'm sure we're all drowning in those! I mean those books that touched you in some way, made you laugh, taught you something about nursing in other times or circumstances.
For instance, although they may be old and a bit dated, I have enjoyed the following:
"One pair of feet" by Monica Dickens
"White Coolies" by Betty Jeffrey (WW2 military nursing true POW story)
"A lamp is heavy" by Sheila Mackay Russell
"Behind the veil" by Linda Laube
What about the 'Cherry Ames' stories by Helen Wells? I havent read any but I hear they're classics!
Or "Hospital by the river" by Catherine Hamlin (this just sneaks in as a nursing story - not really, but a good book none the less)
And then there's films. I cant really think of any 'nursing' films (except for horrible old Carry on...whatever) although I'm sure they are out there.
"Student Nurse" A picture story by Jack Engeman is one I like. The book was published in the 1950's. I found it at a used online book dealer. This is a large picture book showing nursing students life and work from the fifties. Lots of caps, starched uniforms and things that have not changed at all.
"The Least of These my Brethren" by Daniel Baxter is more about patients with AIDS than nurses, but it is a haunting and unforgettable book. The title refers to the modern equivalent of the biblical lowest of the low(convicts, addicts)and what they can teach about life and death.
Advance for nurses is starting a book club in 2 months. (www.advanceweb.com/nurses ) The first book: Don't Leave me this way:Or when I Get Back on my Feet you'll be sorry by Julia Fox Garrison(HarperCollins,344 pages, available in hardcover and paperback) is the first book to be discussed. At age 37 the author had a stroke. She wrote about her experiences and her recovery in a laugh out load style. It will keep you riveted. The next book for the club will be announced Sept. 2. For direct communication on the book club, i.e. suggestions: [email protected] . I havn't read this book, but the editor @ Advance suggested it. She said that she will promise you will come away with a new understanding of being a patient and a caregiver. SOUNDS like a good read....... Do any of you guys belong to a book club??? Just curious, I have thought of doing this. Well thanks and keep the book titles coming.... good thread Thanks to the OP!!!!!!!!!!!!!:1luvu::caduceus::smiletea2:
Specializes in aged, palliative care, cardiac, agency,.
Maybe because she's Canadian so few people have heard of her, but her books are great!! I AM SERIOUS- YOU ALL WOULD REALLY LOVE THEM! YOU SHOULD READ THEM! YOU'RE MISSING OUT OTHERWISE!
Specializes in aged, palliative care, cardiac, agency,.
Hello:
Advance for nurses is starting a book club in 2 months. (www.advanceweb.com/nurses ) The first book: Don't Leave me this way:Or when I Get Back on my Feet you'll be sorry by Julia Fox Garrison(HarperCollins,344 pages, available in hardcover and paperback) is the first book to be discussed......Do any of you guys belong to a book club???
Thanks for this tip. I dont belong to any bookclubs but if I were to join one it would be online. I dont fancy the whole 'getting together' thing myself. I will check out the Advance site in more detail.
After starting this thread I have such a long list of books to search for some I have already ordered online. The book you've mentioned sounds interesting - now I have another one to look for. Some of the fun is in locating these books especially those that were released a long time ago. I'd love to see that children's book "Student Nurse" but I think that might be a bit difficult.
The other day I was browsing in a second hand shop and found a few "Sue Barton" nursing books. This is a series for teenage girls, and like some of the other series it follows her through being a student nurse to being in charge, and then working in other settings. I only bought the first one though. Has anyone else read these books? Should I go back and get the other two that were there?
The Outlander series and anything written by Echo Heron is worth checking out.
Aside from that I have a thing for books about nursing during WWII. My two favorite:
We Band of Angels, by Elizabeth Norman, about a group of Army and Navy nurses who surrendered to Japanese forces; they were sent to an internment camp and helped hundreds of fellow prisoners survive for three years.
And If I Perish : Frontline U.S. Army Nurses in World War II by Evelyn Monahan. Vivid, battle by battle account of nurses on (or very close to) the front lines in Germany.
I read the book "Nurse"...forgot who it's by.....before I started nursing school...although it was written in the 80s...It was still very relevant to me...
I actually own two nonfiction books titled "Nurse." One is the huge best-seller by Peggy Anderson, which was made into a short-lived TV series that was VERY loosely based on the book. Lots of the stories are dated - the book is set in 1976 and was published a couple years later - but I considered becoming a nurse because of it.
The other is "Nurse" by Margaritte Ivory-Bertram and is much less well known; it's from a regional press and is the story of a black (she calls herself "colored" throughout the book) woman who became a nurse in the late 1930s and served in the military during WW II, and later worked for a county health department in Ohio. A little Web sleuthing led to the discovery that this woman and her husband are still alive and in their early 90s. The book was published in 1991.
The Outlander series and anything written by Echo Heron is worth checking out.
Aside from that I have a thing for books about nursing during WWII. My two favorite:
We Band of Angels, by Elizabeth Norman, about a group of Army and Navy nurses who surrendered to Japanese forces; they were sent to an internment camp and helped hundreds of fellow prisoners survive for three years.
And If I Perish : Frontline U.S. Army Nurses in World War II by Evelyn Monahan. Vivid, battle by battle account of nurses on (or very close to) the front lines in Germany.
Hello: Kiringat, havn't read yet but found on Amazon by doing a search:
They called them angels; American Military Nurses of World War II, by Kathi Jackson. Thought you might want to check it out.... or have you already???
Aussiemags: Check out Amazon.com... for books. They have had every book that I have ever tryed to find. Happy reading all:yeah::heartbeat:yeah:
Specializes in aged, palliative care, cardiac, agency,.
Aussiemags: Check out Amazon.com... for books. They have had every book that I have ever tryed to find. Happy reading all:yeah::heartbeat:yeah:
Thanks for the info. Sadly, according to my bank balance, I have already discovered the joys of Amazon.com. !!
In fact yesterday a parcel arrived for me containing some of the books listed above eg two of Echo Heron's (Intensive Care and Tending Lives), "Notes on Nursing" by Florence Nightingale, one called "Nurses the human touch" by Michael Brown, "First do no harm" by Lisa Belkin, and a non fiction called "HealThy Nurse" by Jennifer Carr re nurse burnout. And if that wasnt enough of a shock to the credit card, I also purchased a copy of "Nurse" by Peggy Anderson which I once read many years ago.
So I have a lot of reading to catch up on!! Thanks for all the suggestions. As you can see I am taking them to heart.
Will let you all know what I think of them as I finish them. Now....which one do I start with??????
I'm so glad to see other Echo Heron fans! I first read "Condition Critical" many moons ago, almost by accident, and immediately went and found "Intensive Care". Heron's books have been a huge influence on my life. I often find myself in siutations at work, and a line or two from one of her books will pop in my head...and get me through whatever I'm facing. Also besides her other fiction work, she has one called "Tending Lives", which is a beautiful, moving compilation of stories from nurses of all generations, walks of life, and fields..and stories by nurses that worked in Oklahoma City the day of the federal building bombing. My copies are old, with cracked spines and yellowed pages, and I still read them regularly. :redbeathe
Quick story...when I was accepted to nursing school, my Kiddo was bugging me one day to check my email. I was busy, but did it to get him off my back. There in the inbox, was a personal email from Echo, saying that she heard I had got in, congrats, she knew I would be great, to keep my compassion, etc...seems my son had found her email addy, and told her about me and her influence on me and asked her to write me. Seriously, I'm tearing up again just writing this. I don't know which was more stunning...having my hero congratulate me personally, or my teenage son knowing what it would mean to me to hear from her. Either way, that email is one of my most cherished possesions. Well, that and the second email from her when I passed boards that he kept hidden until we knew I passed. ( I have a great son!)
Anyway, sorry for the derail.....
I love stuff like this...and You have an awesome son:yeah:
Thanks for the info. Sadly, according to my bank balance, I have already discovered the joys of Amazon.com. !!
In fact yesterday a parcel arrived for me containing some of the books listed above eg two of Echo Heron's (Intensive Care and Tending Lives), "Notes on Nursing" by Florence Nightingale, one called "Nurses the human touch" by Michael Brown, "First do no harm" by Lisa Belkin, and a non fiction called "HealThy Nurse" by Jennifer Carr re nurse burnout. And if that wasnt enough of a shock to the credit card, I also purchased a copy of "Nurse" by Peggy Anderson which I once read many years ago.
So I have a lot of reading to catch up on!! Thanks for all the suggestions. As you can see I am taking them to heart.
Will let you all know what I think of them as I finish them. Now....which one do I start with??????
Specializes in aged, palliative care, cardiac, agency,.
how is the reading coming along???
Fantastic timing. I have recently finished the first in the Outlander series and am about to commence the second book. Great fun and escapism from the rigours of daily life. I also have commenced one of the Echo Heron books, and am half way through "HealThy Nurse" a non fiction work which addresses burnout.
I moved house this week and to be honest I need to sit quietly and go through all my piles to locate the books I am part way through before starting any new ones. But chances are I will just find another new one which I may well start.
What about you others?? Have you found any treasures? Something good to curl up with? It is winter here in Australia, perfect for sitting quietly with a book.
:smiletea2:
( I have a great son!)
RNperdiem, RN
4,592 Posts
"Student Nurse" A picture story by Jack Engeman is one I like. The book was published in the 1950's. I found it at a used online book dealer. This is a large picture book showing nursing students life and work from the fifties. Lots of caps, starched uniforms and things that have not changed at all.
"The Least of These my Brethren" by Daniel Baxter is more about patients with AIDS than nurses, but it is a haunting and unforgettable book. The title refers to the modern equivalent of the biblical lowest of the low(convicts, addicts)and what they can teach about life and death.