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Reviews tagging 'War'
The Facemaker: A Visionary Surgeon's Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I by Lindsey Fitzharris
45 reviews
hullomoon's review against another edition
medium-paced
4.5
I really enjoyed how this was formatted to be category focused instead of chronological. My knowledge about historical plastic surgery is minimal and while it took a little bit to learn new terms it wasn't jargon heavy enough to be prohibitive. I appreciate that Fitzharris took the time to include the points of view of the injured soldiers, those working with Gillies, and his peers, providing additional context that I appreciated. The epilogue was a bit rushed which I think comes down to the fact that the major focus was during the war and trying to cram in the rest of Gillies career in the epilogue is a monumental task.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Medical content
Moderate: Ableism
sarahbiegelsen's review
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, War, Medical content, and Violence
angelofthetardis's review
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
We've all heard about, read about and probably studied at some point the First World War and the hideous waste of life. We see 'The Glorious Dead' honoured every year at the Cenotaph. We even consider those who were injured and lost limbs in museum exhibits (I'll never forget walking through the museum at Ypres on a school trip and walking over a mocked up battlefield, complete with severed arms, legs and hands poking out of the mud). But, strangely, it has never really occurred to me that limbs aren't the only things that could be destroyed by a bullet or a bomb. This books sheds light on some of those stories; of those that lost their faces, and of their subsequent treatment under the care of one man, Dr Harold Gillies.
First and foremost, this is incredibly well written. It takes the stories of each of the patients and Dr Gillies and treats them with such sensitivity, while also ensuring the reader has the facts and bringing some of the Doctor's personality and even humour into the narrative. Details of injuries are (for the most part) given in layman's terms and well illustrated with her words, while not being too graphic. Likewise, the author doesn't get bogged down in the horrors of warfare; the stories of the Somme and other battles, of the field hospitals and the overwhelming difficulties faced by all are stark and reflect the truth of the matter, but are not overstated. There are a few small moments where she repeats herself, which make it feel like she might have been a couple of hundred words off of the requested word count of the book, but it's such a minor thing it can certainly be overlooked in this case!
I'll admit this is one of the few times I haven't skipped ahead to look at the pictures; I was nervous about what I'd find as I'm reading this of an evening and my brain has ways of keeping me up at night if I see something disturbing. However, as with the narrative, they are incredibly informative without being overtly shocking. I took them as a whole; the before, during and after images showing that patient's journey, and my takeaway wasn't about the debilitating injuries 'before', but rather a deep appreciation of the skill and genius of the surgeon that results in the 'after'. They really serve to bring home what the author is trying to convey.
Dr Gillies himself seems like a man way ahead of his time. The author doesn't hesitate to share the credit for discoveries with his contemporaries where appropriate, but his treatment of his patients, both medically and just on a human level, is incredible. You rejoice with him at his triumphs and lament with him at his losses, marvel at his thought processes and applaud his drive and hard work in the face of never-ending carnage. It's a real shame more people don't know his name!
This book is thought-provoking, insightful and brings to the fore an aspect of history that many more people should appreciate. The only reason I'm not going to rush out and buy it immediately is because it's more of a 'one and done' book, but I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone. It's absolutely worth your time.
First and foremost, this is incredibly well written. It takes the stories of each of the patients and Dr Gillies and treats them with such sensitivity, while also ensuring the reader has the facts and bringing some of the Doctor's personality and even humour into the narrative. Details of injuries are (for the most part) given in layman's terms and well illustrated with her words, while not being too graphic. Likewise, the author doesn't get bogged down in the horrors of warfare; the stories of the Somme and other battles, of the field hospitals and the overwhelming difficulties faced by all are stark and reflect the truth of the matter, but are not overstated. There are a few small moments where she repeats herself, which make it feel like she might have been a couple of hundred words off of the requested word count of the book, but it's such a minor thing it can certainly be overlooked in this case!
I'll admit this is one of the few times I haven't skipped ahead to look at the pictures; I was nervous about what I'd find as I'm reading this of an evening and my brain has ways of keeping me up at night if I see something disturbing. However, as with the narrative, they are incredibly informative without being overtly shocking. I took them as a whole; the before, during and after images showing that patient's journey, and my takeaway wasn't about the debilitating injuries 'before', but rather a deep appreciation of the skill and genius of the surgeon that results in the 'after'. They really serve to bring home what the author is trying to convey.
Dr Gillies himself seems like a man way ahead of his time. The author doesn't hesitate to share the credit for discoveries with his contemporaries where appropriate, but his treatment of his patients, both medically and just on a human level, is incredible. You rejoice with him at his triumphs and lament with him at his losses, marvel at his thought processes and applaud his drive and hard work in the face of never-ending carnage. It's a real shame more people don't know his name!
This book is thought-provoking, insightful and brings to the fore an aspect of history that many more people should appreciate. The only reason I'm not going to rush out and buy it immediately is because it's more of a 'one and done' book, but I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone. It's absolutely worth your time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Gore, Medical trauma, War, Medical content, Blood, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
drkappitan's review against another edition
challenging
informative
medium-paced
3.5
As with many nonfiction books written for general audiences, I found myself appreciating the information and the overall shape of the narrative while being immensely irritated by the repetition of facts that had already been told.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, War, Body horror, Medical trauma, and Medical content
emily_koopmann's review against another edition
challenging
informative
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and War
amyjo25's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, War, and Violence
monnibo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Violence, Gun violence, Death, and War
aurjolras's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
no_u14's review
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, War, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Violence
sebrittainclark's review
informative
medium-paced
4.0
This was a fascinating look at the beginning of plastic surgery and specifically facial reconstruction surgery during World War 1. I really didn't know anything about the medical advances that took place around World War 1, so it was very interesting to learn about the factors that made survivable facial injuries more common, and the innovative work Dr. Gillies did to repair the damage.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and War