Wednesday's Children: Memoirs of a Nurse-Turned-Social-Worker in the Appalachian Mountains

by Kathryn Anne Michaels

Delivering welfare babies, warding off voodoo spells, and living in a culture that still seems to be fighting the Civil War-small wonder young registered nurse Kate Jacobs quickly grows disenchanted with nursing in the "lowcountry" of coastal South Carolina. When a friend urges her to switch from nursing to paramedic and child protection services social work, Kate accepts the challenge and finds herself in one of the most isolated areas of rural Appalachia. Here a whole new set of challenges technical cliff rescues, hikes into remote back-woods "hollers" to remove child victims of sexual assault from their homes only to have an indifferent judge order them back the next day, and dealing with some of America's poorest and most distrustful citizens. And from all appearances, and even though she's white, former members of the Ku Klux Klan have just set her house on fire... Based on the memoirs of a registered nurse-turned-social worker, this is a tale of heartbreak and laughter, courage and cowardice seasoned with a candid look at the early days of social work and emergency rescue medicine that will both challenge and renew your faith in humanity.

226 pages, Paperback

First published March 25, 2013

About the author

Kathryn Anne Michaels spent her working life where few novelists have: as a registered nurse and MSW social worker, an EMT, a ski patroller, and a whitewater river guide. She has splinted fractures on cliff faces, run rivers, patrolled ski slopes, and carried children out of harm's way — and that firsthand experience gives her writing its unmistakable authenticity. The gear is right, the medicine is right, and the courage is real.

She is the author of the best-selling memoir Wednesday's Children (an American Book Fest Finalist) and the novel My Name is Tod. Her new wilderness romance-thriller, Heron Mountain, is forthcoming from Palmetto Publishing.

Reviews

[Matt Kurjanowicz]

This book was a great insight into the mind of a Social Worker. The book also helped me process some of what I do and deal with in my life as an EMT. I read this book on the way back from Burning Man, where I had the opportunity to help people at their worst and at their best. I could easily related to the stories in here.

In addition to being a soul-moving book, the author's use of imagery, dialog, and other means of prose was spot on. The prose never got in the way of understanding what was being said, which I'm beginning to realize is a trait in a lot of similar books.
Highly recommended.

[m. jae' gilkerson]

This was well written and I was right there with Kate as she encountered some of the situations she shared. I would highly recommend this book to one who is considering a medical career. I have been a RN for fourty plus years.

This was well written and I was right there with Kate as she encountered some of the situations she shared.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is considering a medical career.

[Debbie Dunn]

I know the author and to think she has done so much in her life to help other people especially abused children is awesome. The book is her true story of working in the rural areas of Appalachia.

[Katja Rina]

While the subject matter is far from anything feel-good, the author has the amazing ability to take us into some of the darker aspects of our society and explore them with compassion and love. Her ability to blend social work and medicine with a very raw spirituality makes for a powerful read. I highly recommend it.

[Angie]

Overall a depressing book. Slightly redeeming at the end, but not what I expected at all.