Description

‘A hymn to the art and science of nursing itself’ Guardian

The hand of a stranger offered in solace. A flower placed on a dead body as a mark of respect. It is these moments of empathy that define us as people.

Nobody knows this better than a nurse. In How to Treat People, Molly Case documents these extraordinary moments of human connection and compassion. In rich, lyrical prose, she introduces us to patients going through the most extreme experiences. And when her father is admitted to the high dependency unit on which she works, Molly confronts care in a whole new way, when two worlds – the professional and the personal – suddenly collide.

‘It will buoy your faith in humanity’ Stylist

‘Outstanding. Case’s power of observation can slay you’ The Times

‘Fascinating, poignant and searing’ Jo Brand

‘Beautifully written’ Stephen Westaby, author of Fragile Lives

‘Her empathy and compassion are everywhere’ Sunday Times

Publisher Review

How to Treat People gets to the heart of who we are - how we live and also how we die. I was moved twice over - by the work Molly does as a nurse every day, and by the book she has written Intense, powerful, moving and very enlightening on what it means to be a nurse. I loved its endless curiosity about the language of medicine and the practice of care. It seemed infused with a love and respect for the profession itself A profound reflection on the way we live and die * Bookseller * The moments of empathy and kindness in extreme, tragic situations form the focal point of Case's book, which weaves together science and storytelling * Red Magazine * What differentiates How to Treat People from other cracking doctor and nurse memoirs already out there is Case's youth and her outstanding use of language. Her charm is her generation's charm: open, loving, bold, inquisitive, caring. May she inspire her contemporaries to join her in a vital job * The Times * Case's book will restore your faith . . . She illuminates the fascinating and never-ending loop of care in a hospital * New York Times * The tandem stories of Case as nurse and daughter exert the pull of a novel through pages threaded with philosophy and history, ethics and etymology * Sunday Telegraph * Molly Case reminds us that humanity and moments of true care are as healing as the medicine modern science can deliver Poetic and compassionate, offering a joyous celebration of life * Sunday Times best memoirs of 2019 * Beautifully written and passionate tales from the nurse you would choose for yourself This fascinating and erudite book takes us through one woman's lovely relationship with her father interspersed with poignant and searing tales from the world of the nurse, as these two worlds move towards an emotional collision. Molly has treated us to a book that gets to the heart (literally) of a nurse's life. As well as being informative, moving and so interesting, it is a bloody good read. Anyone who needs any more convincing that the NHS is our most invaluable asset will find that many times over within the pages of this book -- Jo Brand Written with a poet's ear for language and a nurse's compassionate heart. It will make you cry, and it will buoy your faith in humanity * Stylist * Case's empathy and compassion are everywhere evident in this beautifully written narrative * Sunday Times *