the Language of Kindness grabbed me from the beginning. I often have a hard time with nonfiction but I found this book easy to read and it held my attention. Even though I know nothing about the medical field I did not get lost or confused while reading. Many things were eye opening and left me with so much respect for the hard work done by nurses. I hope I never take the nursing field for granted again. This was at times heartbreaking but I learned so much. Not just about the medical field but also about what it means to extend kindness to others.

Very good read on what it takes to be a nurse. Thoughtful and compassionate is the best way to describe this book. Very well written. Although the book is set in London hospitals, it still packs a punch. They also deal with some of the same things that hospitals in the USA deal with. I highly recommend this read. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

This book was written by a woman who became a nurse 20 years ago in the United Kingdom under the auspices of the NHS or National Health Service. Working in the healthcare profession is about as "real" as you can get, so as a lover of non-fiction/biographies, I was immediately drawn into this very frank memoir.

Nurse/author Christie Watson takes us along on her very first day in training, walking through the hospital hallways and corridors describing everything she sees and hears. She trains in various tracks of nursing such as psychiatry, surgical, obstetrics, pediatric ICU, etc. She has many memories and stories to share, laden with a wide spectrum of emotions.

Some of the major takeaways I'm left with are the following:

Just being KIND is a HUGE part of nursing a patient; being kind and HELPING. Hence, the title of this memoir, "The Language of Kindness: A Nurse's Story."

Kindness and helping manifest themselves in many positive ways. One illustrative example in the book is of an elderly helpless patient who moves her bowels all over herself and the bed. Christie and the other nurses do not show on their faces or in their manner that they are repulsed by the stench or the situation. Instead, they calmly and cheerfully wash and redress this patient. Once cleaned up, the patient is so genuinely grateful and soothed by this compassionate care.

Another example of kindness is how the nurses prepare a young female child who has drowned in her grandparents' pool for viewing by the family. They use hot water to wash the little girl so that she does not feel so cold to the touch. As a final mark of compassion, Christie uses bubble gum flavored toothpaste in the child's drawer to brush the girl's teeth, then closes her eyes. For other children who have passed, the nurses employed other acts of kindness by cutting a lock of hair to save for the parents, and even making a golden footprint as a memento.

Over here in the United States nurses are paid well, but Christie's account of working under the government-controlled socialized medicine in England tells another story. She struggles to make ends meet, feels as though her profession is under appreciated, and speaks of under-staffed nursing stations.

This was a fascinating, often riveting, and quite touching account of a young woman's 20-year history working in the nursing profession.

The Language of Kindness by Christie Watson is a memoir of 20 years of nursing in the UK. Rather than following a specific timeline the book is a collection of facts and personal experiences of working as a nurse in different areas and capacities. It is divided up into chapters that walk us through different areas of a hospital/different types of nursing. A junior mental health nurse, a senior nurse on the PICU, helping out on the elderly care ward, letting another nurse care for her father so that she can grieve as a daughter... The Language of Kindness is a beautifully written story of nursing: the good, the terrible, and the day to day. I love how Watson balances fact, her own personal experiences, and general nursing history and stories, in the narrative. It makes you feel like you are in the hospital yourself with her.

The Language of Kindness is a brilliant insight into healthcare but also society as a whole (Watson’s remarks on the importance of challenging institutionalized racism in mental health care for example, or on how our elders are often abandoned and left in the care of strangers). I like how Watson interweaves information on differences between the UK and the US, it helps provide reference for the US reader too.

I absolutely loved all of the tiny pieces of information, the anecdotes, that you learn through-out the book. For example, drinking sweet tea in times of grief or trauma? It’s actually medically beneficial, not just a calming gesture! The nurse practice of reflective journaling was really interesting to learn about - it’s something I do in my daily life as a writer and it made complete sense to me that a nurse would find it very helpful too. All of the information on the NICU and PICU really hit me hard, as well as the terribly sad stories of neglected children and elderly people.

Watson’s tone is matter of fact but compassionate and caring, just like most of the wonderful nurses that I have had the pleasure of knowing in my life. I think she describes a nurse’s profession so well: always observant, knowing, understanding, and finding the right words at the right time. The Language of Kindness certainly made me sit up straight and aim to make a better effort to live, love, and care harder than I already do.

The Language of Kindness will be published on May 8, 2018 by Crown Publishing. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy!

This is a wonderful memoir of nurse Christie Watson. She takes us through her life as a nurse and gives us a snipit of behind the scenes in a hospital. It is a very touching and heartfelt story of a woman that put her patients and their families first and the toll it has taken on her.

Many thanks to netgalley and Tim Duggan Books for this advanced readers copy.

What an amazing read! Christie Watson's narration evokes powerful emotions reminiscent of Jennifer Worth's "Tales from a Midwife." It is very necessary to read stories like this. Stories of everyday heroism, hope, and heartbreak that stir the spirit. Truly gives an intensive account to the everyday lives of nurses and the herculean efforts they undergo.

I enjoy reading medical memoirs, especially because my son is in his last year of his medical residency and they give me a little insight into what he goes through working in a hospital. He is also doing a pediatrics residency right now and I especially enjoyed the author's stories of the children she took care of. The author also went into some history of medical practices, etc., which I skipped over a little bit, but I did find it interesting when she compared the American and British systems of treatment.

The Language of Kindness is a well-written and interesting personal account of the author's training and how she dealt with the stress of working as a nurse.

Thank you Net Galley for the free ARC. I thought this was a well put together book about why nurses and nursing are so important. From the PICU to the geriatrics and cancer wards, from the emergency department to mental health,nurses have seen it all.