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The Language of Kindness

The award-winning nursing memoir and #1 Sunday Times Bestseller

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The Language of Kindness

By: Christie Watson
Narrated by: Christie Watson
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Random House presents the audiobook edition of The Language of Kindness: A Nurse's Story, written and read by Christie Watson.

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.

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Critic reviews

If it's taken a very long time to get a memoir written by a nurse, then it was certainly worth the wait. I have rarely read anything that has moved me as much or taken me by the hand so confidently into an unknown world, teeming with life and haunted by death... A remarkable book that I will be pressing on everyone I love (Allison Pearson)
A powerful insight into the life of nurses (Robbie Millen)
It made me cry. It made me think. It made me laugh. It encouraged me to appreciate this most underappreciated of professions more than ever ... A gently remarkable book… it’s a privilege to have Christie as our guide (Adam Kay)
Wonderful (Sebastian Faulks)
A deeply compassionate book… It will leave you weeping as well as hopeful (Helen Davies)
An amazing book -- terrifying at times, but tender and truthful. Let's be thankful for wonderful nurses -- and writers -- like Christie Watson (Jacqueline Wilson)
Compared with the recent rash of doctor memoirs, this is a far quieter and more thoughtful book (Kathryn Hughes)
I challenge anyone to get through all 336 pages without shedding a tear for what those who work in "the most undervalued of all professions" have to witness ... Expect her stories [...] to linger with you many days after the final chapter (Jackie Annesley)
A remarkable book about life and death and so brilliantly written it makes you hold your breath (Ruby Wax)
A poignant and powerful account of what it’s like to be a nurse. It’s a profession that touches all our lives delivering expert and compassionate care from the cradle to the grave. A must-read for nurses and those interested in understanding the true art and science of nursing (Professor Jane Cummings, Chief Nursing Officer for England)
All stars
Most relevant
As a third year nursing student, having almost ten years experience as a care assistant, this book spoke very deeply to me. So many experiences were recognizable, and Watson puts it all so beautifully into words. That's impressive because so often, the healthcare system face us with people and situations that are both so wonderful and horrible that we are often at a loss for words. It made me proud of the profession I'm entering, and humbled me with respect to the responsibilities I'm about to undertake when this year is over.

Excellent book on nursing and life

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This is what it’s like to nurse, sometimes the most important thing you can do for a patient is to be kind and show them love

It’s true

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If youve ever wondered what nurses have to go through, this will tell you all. fantastic read and makes you realise your job is never that bad!

Really good read and an eye opener

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Oh my. Once I started listening I couldn't stop. Such an interesting and moving account of a career in nursing. The little snippets of history and philosophy made this book so much more than an autobiography and I can only imagine the hours of research that it must have taken. I loved the fact it wasn't just a chronological zip through her life. I think every politician should read this book..... in fact I think everyone in the UK should read this book. It has certainly given me greater understanding of the nursing profession and the state of the NHS today. Fabulous.

Laughter and Tears

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This book is a first hand tour through the history and present experience of nursing. It crosses disciplines between all nursing fields, astutely identifying the gifts and challenges of each. This book provides an insight into all relevant nursing theory, and blends this with the wider social context, cultures and philosophical theories which impact on nursing. This is a look at humanity and compassion, and is a heartbreaking observation on the demise of the NHS, which is shown here in all it’s true glory and pride. A hard read that had my heart as a hard lump in my throat every few pages but as a nurse and nursing lecturer I think every one of us should read, most especially those who can appreciate this with a knowing eye, and those who hope to one day have one.

Read by the author herself, I feel we really get a sense of all of Christie’s intentions. She is a wonderfully likeable author and nurse, who I would definitely go to the pub with or work a shift with - safe in the knowledge she would be the perfect companion for either task.

A book for every nurse or aspiring nurse

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