Small Steps: A Physio in Ethiopia

by Julie Sprigg

As a child, Julie dreamed of being somewhere else, of making a difference. Now, she can’t wait to meet the nuns she will live with and the children she will provide physiotherapy for in Ethiopia.

But Julie has trouble sticking to convent rules and soon finds herself wondering how much difference a single physio can make anyway.

When she takes a teaching role at a university, Julie finally feels closer to fulfilling her dreams – training Ethiopia’s first physiotherapists, treating paediatric patients, and losing her heart to a handsome colleague.

Then civil unrest reaches the university, forcing Julie’s students to choose between their safety and their future. When it comes to being a part of change, why do all steps feel like small steps?

Genres: Nonfiction

380 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2020

About the author

Julie Sprigg is a Perth-based author whose debut book Small Steps: A Physio in Ethiopia was shortlisted for the 2018 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award. She worked as a physiotherapist for ten years before switching to a career in foreign aid with programs improving the rights of people with disabilities. After years of regular travel to China, India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Vietnam, Vanuatu and Ethiopia, Julie returned to Perth and now evaluates government programs to overcome social disadvantage. When not writing or working, she can be found reading a picture book atlas with her young son and delighting in domestic adventures.

Reviews

[Dallas Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the absolute pleasure of meeting the author of this book, from whom I purchased my copy. Name-dropping aside, this book took me a while to switch into, mostly because I’d come off a few fiction reads. However, by the end, I was left thinking about the world in a very different light, especially regarding how much any single person can do to change the world. I loved reading about Ethiopia through the eyes of a ‘ferenji’ (foreigner), and the challenges Julie faced in a bureaucratic system run by (effectively) illiterate locals. Highly recommended.

[Kathryn Southall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could really feel the writer’s frustration with the bureaucracy in the university she worked in and her sense of hopelessness with some of the cases she saw, and indeed the living conditions of many Ethiopians.
I read with horror the bodily conditions that children live with and the squalor of the hospital brought about by extreme poverty.
I truly respect the author for trying to make a difference.
Her unraveling at the end of her time there albeit probably the culmination of two years seeing such distressing cases distracted from what she had actually achieved. But I suspect she was burnt out. I don’t think I could do it.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Having travelled extensively and lived and worked in 8 countries, I like to read accounts of others’s experiences in other lands. I find it a genre that has become dominated by often gimmicky approaches or superficial descriptions clearly written for laughs or dramatic reactions. ‘Small Steps’ really hit the sweet spot for me, however. Her recounts of her experiences in Ethiopian physio clinics, along with her depictions of her patients and co-workers are a real insight into real life in a fascinating country, and also the cultural similarities and differences she encounters. For me, what set the book in a different league, though, was the emotional honesty the author conveys, from her excitement and idealism through her uncertainties and self-doubt as she is confronted with the overwhelm of the often harsh realities of trying to ‘do good’ in the face of poverty, lack of clinic resources, basic accommodation with frequent power loss, the endless bureaucratic process required to perform simple acts, the fear and danger that comes with elections which lead to streets full of gun-toting soldiers... I could continue but I recommend you do yourself a favour and read Julie Sprigg’s words instead of mine! It’s likely that you will be left, like me, appreciating the resilience, tenacity and drive of individuals like the author, who leave their life of comfort and privilege to work in local conditions for minimal local pay in developing countries because they care, and, despite their doubts, really do make a difference. Be prepared to also be left wanting to visit Ethiopia...!

[Danielle Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir and couldn’t put it down. I was so intrigued with the challenges Julie faced during her time in Ethiopia both in her work place and in her personal life. Julie retells these anecdotes with a great sense of humour at times and I learnt so much about the way of life in Ethiopia. The characters are very likeable and I would highly recommend reading this book.

[Janet Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story of Julie's quest to make a difference in the world - and what she learns about herself in the process. I loved her honesty about the difference between the 'dream' and the reality, and the characters who stayed with me long after I'd finished reading.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read about the challenges of providing medical care in a third world country. I got a little bored as I felt there was repetition in the narrative. I have a great deal of admiration for the author to put herself in this position of assisting others less fortunate.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read. Despite the narrators young age at the time of these events her naivety didn’t trouble me. Growing up/living in Perth like her and having many friends of the Catholic faith there were things that felt very familiar to me in this story

[Jemma Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone studying Physiotherapy I LOVED this book - at times confronting to hear the challenges facing those living in Ethiopia but a good read.
I did at times wish to hear less about life with the nuns / religion and more patient stores though.