Reviews

War Doctor: Surgery on the Front Line by David Nott

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anna_laaa's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

pmw17's review against another edition

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challenging informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

gabmc's review against another edition

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3.0

This was a very interesting memoir of an English surgeon who travelled to many war zones all over the world, over a 25 year period. It was a very easy to read book and had a good balance of not being too technical or too gory, but still explaining the different surgeries. I struggled to really connect to the author or even to like him, but there is no doubt he has done amazing work. What really struck me about this book was that the majority of casualties in each war zone were innocent civilians - and so many times children.

mgoergen's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

4.5

Fantastic book into humanitarian efforts of David Nott and the horrid destruction that war plays overseas.

imstillwakingup's review against another edition

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An incredible, touching, heartbreaking account of what it's like to work in what is probably one of the most hostile environments on earth. 'War Doctor' describes the work of Dr. David Nott as he volunteers as a trauma surgeon in war-torn areas, shedding light on the true horrors of conflict and the pain experienced not only by him and his colleagues but also on civilians and innocents.

A truly incredible book, highly recommended.

gj377's review against another edition

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4.0

Harrowing, is probably the most apt word for this book. Compelling, engrossing, fascinating, heartbreaking.

In War Doctor, David Nott details a career in surgery in war zones, mostly recently and frequently, in Syria. I wouldn't say this book was unputdownable, because I had to take breaks from it - Nott frequently details the horrific injuries sustained by children (and innocent men and women), and the efforts he and his colleagues went through to save their lives, often in vain.

It's an eye-opening, and incredibly interesting, insight into the different approaches and techniques that are needed in front-line surgery, rather than in a traditional hospital.

Well worth a read, if just to highlight how many innocent people get screwed over by war. It's certainly got me thinking about the ongoing civil war in Syria, and the plight of refugees fleeing similar war zones.