at the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospital

Reviews

This issue we review two very different books, which are both powerful in their own ways.

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This is going to hurt By Adam Kay This non-fiction book is a collection of diary entries written by Adam during his medical training between 2004 and 2010. It’s absolutely superb. I never imagined I would find anything other than a novel to be a page-turner, but this was exactly that. I thought about this book a lot and looked forward to going to bed so I could read it. Kay manages to mix heart-breaking memoirs from his time in obstetrics and gynaecology with laugh-out-loud humour and a wit that doesn’t get tiresome. He describes in intense detail the horrors of childbirth, which is the only reason I didn’t give it a full five out of five. Personally, I found that a little off-putting! This is an important read for anyone with any kind of stake in the NHS – whether you’re a patient, an employee, or simply someone who makes National Insurance contributions. It shows the human side of a service that we simply could not live without. Kay is now a comedian, about as far from the NHS as you can get, and after reading this book it’s easy to see how he got there. His razor-sharp humour offers light relief from the despair of some of the situations he describes, producing a truly unique book that is very hard to put down. Everyone should read it. Reviewed by Mary Ferguson MARKS OUT OF 5? 4.5

Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety By Robert Duff You can’t ignore this book. Well, not its front cover anyway. It might not be to everyone’s taste, but it provokes a response from the audience it is aimed at; which is basically young men. And that is no bad thing when young men can be the hardest to reach to talk about mental health issues. I’d left it on the coffee table by accident when two male relatives came round (one late 20s, the other early 30s), and they both picked it up and started talking about personal anxiety issues; proof (although not very scientific) that it gets men talking. But is it any good once you get past the front cover? (Interestingly there are no words on the spine, which means you could hide it on the bookshelf.) Well, yes actually. It is very easy to read. The chapters are short, the examples are clear and easy to relate to, and it explains concepts well. It normalises anxiety as an appropriate psychological and physiological response to challenges that can get out of hand, and looks at how to deal with that. There is no psychobabble, but lots of useful exercises and links to websites. I work in a university setting with students and also with young people in private practice, and I will be recommending this book. But be warned: this book is not for everyone, it even says that in bold inside the front cover. However, if you don’t mind the expletives and the Americanisation it could be a useful tool for dealing with anxiety. Reviewed by Elaine Thélier, Counsellor and Outdoor TherapistMARKS OUT OF 5? 4