Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Facemaker: A Visionary Surgeon's Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I by Lindsey Fitzharris

25 reviews

em_1920's review

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Dysphoria, Medical content, War, and Death

sciencekoala's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

This book was fantastic! It was a non-fiction read that I just couldn’t put down whenever I got the opportunity to read for myself. I learned so much about the history of plastic surgery as well as war-time medicine. WWI was a shock to the system for battlefield medics and the surgeons who had to clean up the mess- the weaponry used produced bodily damage unlike any we had ever seen while the scientific advances produced survival rates unlike what we had ever seen. The author handles the topic of these soldiers’ physical (and psychological) injuries with a perfect balance of reverence and realism, and she paints a picture of Gillies as a surgeon who was willing to do exactly the same when many of his colleagues couldn’t look past the twisted faces and figures before them to see the men and their minds left underneath. 

If you have any interest in surgery, history, WWI, medicine, or biography- I strongly recommend you read this book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Blood, Death, Gore, and War

readwithmarie23's review

dark emotional informative inspiring tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, War, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Medical content

Moderate: Mental illness and Grief

Minor: Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Medical trauma

pardonmylord's review

informative medium-paced

4.5

While I love the book, I do think there was something lost in audiobook vs physical book, but I liked it so much I’d be interested in seeing the physical book and flipping through it!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, War, Medical content, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Violence, Gore, Gun violence, and Grief

Minor: Death and Fire/Fire injury

cyberhavok's review against another edition

adventurous informative medium-paced

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, War, Ableism, Blood, Death, and Gun violence

alisonvh's review

informative inspiring fast-paced

4.0

The author said her goal was to inform the reader without overwhelming them with information and I would say she nailed it. I learned so much from this book, but never felt it was going on too long or getting lost in tangents.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, War, Violence, Death, Transphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Vomit

frenchpants's review

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, War, Death, Gore, and Medical content

beepbeep101's review

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, War, Medical content, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood

Moderate: Body horror, Ableism, Medical trauma, Gun violence, and Alcohol

Minor: Homophobia, Deadnaming, and Transphobia

ruthypoo2's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

This book was a revelation, providing information about some of the history leading up to WWI, the type and evolution of warfare at that time, the magnitude of facial disfigurement experienced by soldiers, and the cutting edge surgical techniques used to repair facial wounds and restore the appearance and vitality of military patients living with this kind of trauma.

The author begins his book with a Note to the Reader explaining how facial injury, disfigurement, and surgical repair is a difficult subject to address. He says his efforts are to help the reader understand the subject without overwhelming them with details. I think this was accomplished and there were many honest descriptions of facial injuries without going into any unnecessary graphic detail. In the physical and digital editions, there are some photos of the assorted pioneers whose careers, both surgical and non-surgical, were focused on helping provide dignity to patients with severe facial injuries. There are also a handful of photos that document the injuries and repair, and none are too much. I thought I might have to gloss over those pictures, but I was able to look and it was okay.

Bottom line, war is ugly and savage, particularly at a time when chemical weapons and trench warfare were the norm. The early part of the book sets the grim stage for the reader to appreciate the grave risk faced by all military in WWI. And to balance the heartbreak of various specific examples, the reward is how heartening it is to know the many experts who dedicated themselves to helping these men, sometimes even being right out there on the battlefield with them. It’s a complete and satisfying account of the aftermath caused by one war so many decades ago… aspects of war that are as far from glamorous as you can imagine, but important to be aware of.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Death

Minor: Blood

georgierose's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War

Moderate: Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Ableism, and Medical trauma

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic