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Direct Red: A Surgeon's Story
How does it feel to hold someone's life in your hands? What is it like to cut into someone else's body? How do you tell a beautiful young man who seems perfectly fit that he has only a few days left to live? What happens when, on a quiet ward late at night, a patient you've grown close to lifts the corner of his blankets and invites you into his bed? What is it like to stand by, powerless, while someone dies because of the incompetence of your seniors? In this startling and honest book, female surgeon Gabriel Weston allows light to fall on the questions we have all wanted to ask about surgery. As well as an experienced surgeon, she is a writer of arresting her compassionate and insightful account achieves what many fear the surgical profession itself fails to do, combining a fierce sense of human dignity with the professional necessity for detachment."Direct Red" is also unusual in telling the truth about what it is like to be a woman competing in a world dominated by Alpha males, in the big-city hospitals of the twenty-first century. She tells us what it is like to 'just go home and watch TV after acts that in a different setting could as easily point to the asylum'. This is a wise and humane book whose truths about human nature in extremis will stay with you.
181 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
November 20, 2019
Quite a gritty and illuminating story by a junior surgeon of what its really like working in the operating theatre in particular and a hospital in general. It's sort of analagous to office politics with real knives and plenty of gore, venom and the occasional sly romance that is usually the province of tv medical soap operas.
The author can look forward to a great career in writing chicklit if the medical world gets all too much for her.
The author can look forward to a great career in writing chicklit if the medical world gets all too much for her.
September 10, 2019
Surgeons are characters, yet to the contrary we discover British surgeon Gabriel Weston in a unparented state. Dichotomy apparent in “Direct Red: A Surgeon’s View of Her Life-or-Death Profession” as we give breath to an image of her as a hippish arts major lacking scientific education and feeling like a total imposter in the surgical theatre.
Direct Red is infused with British-isms and accompanying accent (if you happen to take it in via Audible). Tension is realized when a Surgeon Weston cries for help during a tonsillectomy. And the only answer to her cry is refusal. From breast removals, tonsils and the formation of crafting surgical terms into pure poetry defines Direct Red.
“Saffron, Malachite Green. My back is cold with sweat under a synthetic, unsoakable surgical gown. My mask feels suffocating, its visor as dirty as a windscreen, spattered with today’s roadkill.”
---Gabriel Weston, ENT Surgeon, U.K.
“Direct Red: A Surgeon’s View of Her Life-or-Death Profession” unfolds and reveals an auspicious form of love in the grotesque. We then think of Linnaeus’ phrase “to live by medicine is to live horribly” however Weston transforms the horrible into a divine soup of “gratia plena” we stand in line for on a dreary, gray cold British day. Buy.
Direct Red is infused with British-isms and accompanying accent (if you happen to take it in via Audible). Tension is realized when a Surgeon Weston cries for help during a tonsillectomy. And the only answer to her cry is refusal. From breast removals, tonsils and the formation of crafting surgical terms into pure poetry defines Direct Red.
“Saffron, Malachite Green. My back is cold with sweat under a synthetic, unsoakable surgical gown. My mask feels suffocating, its visor as dirty as a windscreen, spattered with today’s roadkill.”
---Gabriel Weston, ENT Surgeon, U.K.
“Direct Red: A Surgeon’s View of Her Life-or-Death Profession” unfolds and reveals an auspicious form of love in the grotesque. We then think of Linnaeus’ phrase “to live by medicine is to live horribly” however Weston transforms the horrible into a divine soup of “gratia plena” we stand in line for on a dreary, gray cold British day. Buy.
August 23, 2021
Trying to keep herself alert seven hours into assisting with a neck surgery, Weston recites to herself a list of dyes used to stain tissues for microscopy: methylene blue, acridine orange, saffron, malachite green, Tyrian purple, Hoffman’s violet, direct red. This is how the book opens, and of course, red being the colour of blood, it shows up frequently in what follows. She tells (anonymized) stories of people she has treated, of all ages and from all backgrounds, both during her training and after she specialized in ear, nose and throat surgery.
Like Henry Marsh in Admissions, she expresses regret for moments when she was in a rush or trying to impress seniors and didn’t give the best patient-focused care she could have. Some patients even surprise her into changing her mind, such as about the morality of plastic surgery.
The accounts of individual surgeries are detailed and sometimes gory: morbidly delicious for me, but definitely not for the squeamish.
Surgery is still a male-dominated field, and I’ve sensed unpleasant machismo from surgeon authors before (Stephen Westaby’s The Knife’s Edge). As a woman in medicine, Weston is keenly aware of the difficult balance to be struck between confidence and compassion.
Initially, her bedside manner is on the brusque side, but when she becomes a mother this changes. Treating a sick baby in the ITU, she realizes she barely sees her own child for more than five minutes per evening. In the final paragraphs, she quits her career-track consultant job to work part-time. “I chose a life with more home in it.” It’s an abrupt ending to a 180-page memoir that I thoroughly enjoyed but that left me wanting more.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
Like Henry Marsh in Admissions, she expresses regret for moments when she was in a rush or trying to impress seniors and didn’t give the best patient-focused care she could have. Some patients even surprise her into changing her mind, such as about the morality of plastic surgery.
The accounts of individual surgeries are detailed and sometimes gory: morbidly delicious for me, but definitely not for the squeamish.
Blood trickled in a stream down the inside of my wrist onto the plasticky gown, and then dripped off me and onto the drape. It collected in a green valley and was congealing there like a small garnet jelly. I lost my balance slightly as the breast was cut off.
Surgery is still a male-dominated field, and I’ve sensed unpleasant machismo from surgeon authors before (Stephen Westaby’s The Knife’s Edge). As a woman in medicine, Weston is keenly aware of the difficult balance to be struck between confidence and compassion.
To be a good doctor, you have to master a paradoxical art. You need to get close to a patient so that they will tell you things and you will understand what they mean. But you also have to keep distant enough not to get too affected.
It is no longer enough to be technically proficient; nowadays, we need to be nice. And this presents the modern surgeon with a great challenge: how to combine a necessary degree of toughness with an equally important ability to be gentle.
Initially, her bedside manner is on the brusque side, but when she becomes a mother this changes. Treating a sick baby in the ITU, she realizes she barely sees her own child for more than five minutes per evening. In the final paragraphs, she quits her career-track consultant job to work part-time. “I chose a life with more home in it.” It’s an abrupt ending to a 180-page memoir that I thoroughly enjoyed but that left me wanting more.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
August 16, 2009
This book was very interesting and had a great hook. However it just wasn't fascinating. Let me explain a little bit about what I mean. The concept of how a doctor becomes a surgeon and the things they have to do, see, hear and feel was interesting. However actually reading about it just wasn't real fascinating. It took me about a week and a half to read it while I was reading other books because it just wasn't a great read. It was a very average book. Instead of telling her travails in order, she chose to place them in topic order. She talked about children in the hospital and then may have moved onto how doctors are sometime attracted to their patients then moved onto other things. So you really couldn't tell how she was progresses and how things had changed her and made her into the surgeon she is. I got frustrated with this book because I felt it didn't have a true biographical focus. If you are looking for short essays on topics then this is the book for you, but if you are looking for a life of a person that is studying to be a surgeon then I think there must be better books out there.
May 3, 2019
I read a lot of medical books, especially books written by doctors, nurses, surgeons and the like about their experiences in the medical field.
The author of this book relates he story of becoming a surgeon who happens to be female in a world where male surgeons are still considered the norm.
The one thing I would change about this book is her relentless habit of talking about the patient's looks, breast size, or the effect certain handsome patients had on her. It may be her true story and I get that, but it's not what I personally read medical journals for. With some, she expresses that their looks promoted "romantic feelings". I get that this obviously happens in real life though. This is the one setting in life in which I would prefer not to know that my surgeon is feeling romantic.
That being said, it's still a good book - not great, but good.
The author of this book relates he story of becoming a surgeon who happens to be female in a world where male surgeons are still considered the norm.
The one thing I would change about this book is her relentless habit of talking about the patient's looks, breast size, or the effect certain handsome patients had on her. It may be her true story and I get that, but it's not what I personally read medical journals for. With some, she expresses that their looks promoted "romantic feelings". I get that this obviously happens in real life though. This is the one setting in life in which I would prefer not to know that my surgeon is feeling romantic.
That being said, it's still a good book - not great, but good.
September 6, 2009
The beauty of internal organs sliced open, the obsession with neatness surrounding an operating room, and the hypnotic and amplified sounds of paramedics rushing into a hospital. These could be elements in a horror novel featuring a sadistic surgeon, or they could be Gabriel Weston's descriptions of her foray into the surgical world.
Weston is a British surgeon who now works part time as an ear, nose, and throat surgical specialist, and her book offers a fascinating look into a world seen by few. This is not a "tell all" book in which she destroys the reputations of fellow surgeons, in fact she beats herself up more than anyone else, but instead an honest look into the humanity behind the surgeons' masks. And humans are what we find. All intelligent, but some more skilled than others. There are the male chauvinists who chase young women, the older women who have passed on family life to focus on their career, and a range of young surgeons in training all trying to gain the confidence they seen in their older colleagues.
Weston is a gifted writer who actually studied literature before deciding on a medical career. The combination works as she breathes new life into the medical genre with her unique approach to what she learned. Of her time in the emergency room, she takes away more than medical knowledge. "I came to see the ER as a sort of departure lounge in which every patient had come to say goodbye to someone or something, often with no warning, usually with no time or peace or preparation."
The book is arranged by themes, including sections on death, voices, beauty, ambition, children, changes, and home. At times she is hilarious as in the section on sex where she describes her first unsuccessful attempt to put a catheter on a male while being watched by a number of operating room staff. But she balances the humor with a touching story of being attracted to one patient who eventually offered her to share his bed, a line she dared not crossed and which ended their mutual interest. It is dangerous for a doctor to admit they may have romantic feelings for a patient, but Weston is honest in facing her challenges as a young surgeon.
She even admits to a general distaste for the entire childbirth routine, but can wax eloquently about the beauty of a body as it is opened for surgery. In fact, her one failing in the book is the detail she gives to some of her surgical experiences. Her description of a tonsillectomy going wrong gets lost in details a fellow surgeon may appreciate, but are hard for the layman to follow. But these instances are rare and she does pause to explain medical terminology in a way most readers can understand.
Nor are the larger lessons in life missed during her time in the hospital. She reflects back on a visit to Ben, a quiet 10-year-old boy who dies of a rare brain tumor. She visited him earlier in the week because his headache was getting worse and she settled for prescribing more painkillers to get him through the night. Later, after the birth of her own children, Weston better understands what her role was as a doctor that night. "I know now that when a sick child cries in the night, medicine is the last thing on his or her mind, and that what Ben needed from me that night was to give him whatever small amount of my heart's warmth I could afford." It is this reflective side of Weston which gives the book its greatest strength as she does not shrink from an honest appraisal of what she could have done differently. "I still feel ashamed of how I behaved that night," she says, a startlingly honest admission from anyone.
In the end we see her decision to narrow her scope of work in order to become a part-time surgeon and spend more time with her children. She has a schedule which gets her home just before her children were off to bed, and she is content. But one minor encounter changes her direction. Visiting the children's intensive care unit she sees one baby curled up tight and small. "So compactly, completely sleeping that I had felt something deepen, as if a single thin note in me has warmed into a major chord...I had experienced that sharp parental craving for nearness with a child." And thus she beings her life beyond the hospital.
Weston gives us a touching, funny, and most importantly, human look at the world of surgery and the people who inhabit it. It is a story which impacts us all not just because most will eventually face a surgeon, but because we all constantly face life.
Weston is a British surgeon who now works part time as an ear, nose, and throat surgical specialist, and her book offers a fascinating look into a world seen by few. This is not a "tell all" book in which she destroys the reputations of fellow surgeons, in fact she beats herself up more than anyone else, but instead an honest look into the humanity behind the surgeons' masks. And humans are what we find. All intelligent, but some more skilled than others. There are the male chauvinists who chase young women, the older women who have passed on family life to focus on their career, and a range of young surgeons in training all trying to gain the confidence they seen in their older colleagues.
Weston is a gifted writer who actually studied literature before deciding on a medical career. The combination works as she breathes new life into the medical genre with her unique approach to what she learned. Of her time in the emergency room, she takes away more than medical knowledge. "I came to see the ER as a sort of departure lounge in which every patient had come to say goodbye to someone or something, often with no warning, usually with no time or peace or preparation."
The book is arranged by themes, including sections on death, voices, beauty, ambition, children, changes, and home. At times she is hilarious as in the section on sex where she describes her first unsuccessful attempt to put a catheter on a male while being watched by a number of operating room staff. But she balances the humor with a touching story of being attracted to one patient who eventually offered her to share his bed, a line she dared not crossed and which ended their mutual interest. It is dangerous for a doctor to admit they may have romantic feelings for a patient, but Weston is honest in facing her challenges as a young surgeon.
She even admits to a general distaste for the entire childbirth routine, but can wax eloquently about the beauty of a body as it is opened for surgery. In fact, her one failing in the book is the detail she gives to some of her surgical experiences. Her description of a tonsillectomy going wrong gets lost in details a fellow surgeon may appreciate, but are hard for the layman to follow. But these instances are rare and she does pause to explain medical terminology in a way most readers can understand.
Nor are the larger lessons in life missed during her time in the hospital. She reflects back on a visit to Ben, a quiet 10-year-old boy who dies of a rare brain tumor. She visited him earlier in the week because his headache was getting worse and she settled for prescribing more painkillers to get him through the night. Later, after the birth of her own children, Weston better understands what her role was as a doctor that night. "I know now that when a sick child cries in the night, medicine is the last thing on his or her mind, and that what Ben needed from me that night was to give him whatever small amount of my heart's warmth I could afford." It is this reflective side of Weston which gives the book its greatest strength as she does not shrink from an honest appraisal of what she could have done differently. "I still feel ashamed of how I behaved that night," she says, a startlingly honest admission from anyone.
In the end we see her decision to narrow her scope of work in order to become a part-time surgeon and spend more time with her children. She has a schedule which gets her home just before her children were off to bed, and she is content. But one minor encounter changes her direction. Visiting the children's intensive care unit she sees one baby curled up tight and small. "So compactly, completely sleeping that I had felt something deepen, as if a single thin note in me has warmed into a major chord...I had experienced that sharp parental craving for nearness with a child." And thus she beings her life beyond the hospital.
Weston gives us a touching, funny, and most importantly, human look at the world of surgery and the people who inhabit it. It is a story which impacts us all not just because most will eventually face a surgeon, but because we all constantly face life.
January 29, 2011
"Direct Red" is the story of Gabriel Weston. Gabriel is an English surgeon and she gives insight into the life of a surgeon. Although classified as fiction, the stories are true, with the exception of names.
Gabriel gives the reader an unusual look at the daily life of a surgeon. This is unusual in that Gabriel gives us a look at the daily decisions that have to be made prior to an operation and those that have to be made immediately. Not all cases will present a life and death situation, but the surgeon must be prepared for it.
Gabriel tells a story not only from the surgeon's viewpoint, but also gives us a look at how it effects the patient. She is honest enough to tell the reader how she was having trouble in surgery and had to ask for assistance. The assistance did not come and she was left to deal with the problem.
She tells of long hours, not just the "on call" hours, but the more strenuous long hours in surgery. Some surgeries can last over seven hours and the surgeon is given little, if any, relief.
All the cases presented in this book are interesting and some do get a little graphic.
Although this book will of interest to most readers, it will be of most interest to those in the healthcare profession.
Gabriel gives the reader an unusual look at the daily life of a surgeon. This is unusual in that Gabriel gives us a look at the daily decisions that have to be made prior to an operation and those that have to be made immediately. Not all cases will present a life and death situation, but the surgeon must be prepared for it.
Gabriel tells a story not only from the surgeon's viewpoint, but also gives us a look at how it effects the patient. She is honest enough to tell the reader how she was having trouble in surgery and had to ask for assistance. The assistance did not come and she was left to deal with the problem.
She tells of long hours, not just the "on call" hours, but the more strenuous long hours in surgery. Some surgeries can last over seven hours and the surgeon is given little, if any, relief.
All the cases presented in this book are interesting and some do get a little graphic.
Although this book will of interest to most readers, it will be of most interest to those in the healthcare profession.
June 5, 2025
A spectacularly readable series of candid reflections on life as a surgeon. Weston writes incredibly well, in a manner very similar to Philip Allen Green - her descriptions of patients and clinical scenarios are rich and highly visual. Absolutely brilliant for anyone interested in a career as a surgeon.
August 20, 2009
DIRECT RED is a memoir of sorts about an English surgeon's experiences in the job. It's organized not chronologically, but by theme - Beauty, Death, Emergencies, etc.
What I liked most about this book was seeing the fear of failure that Weston had as a surgeon. (In my job, I might fear screwing up, but if I do no one gets hurt.) Interestingly, the fear seemed to mostly mostly a fear of losing face rather than accidentally cutting an artery or something.
I also appreciated the insight into why surgeons might make a decision other than what is best for the patient - to further their career, impress a superior, etc. (Not to mention, in the U.S. the need to deal with insurance companies.) I guess I had always naively thought of doctors as altruistic and only really interested in the health of their patients. Weston's story of the woman who came in with hemorrhoids was touching - Weston knew that if she admitted her she'd face ridicule from her colleagues, though that would be in the patient's best interest.
This was a quick read - I think I read it in less that 48 hours on days I went to work, and really interesting. I think I might have liked a chronological organization of her experiences better, but I would definitely recommend book.
What I liked most about this book was seeing the fear of failure that Weston had as a surgeon. (In my job, I might fear screwing up, but if I do no one gets hurt.) Interestingly, the fear seemed to mostly mostly a fear of losing face rather than accidentally cutting an artery or something.
I also appreciated the insight into why surgeons might make a decision other than what is best for the patient - to further their career, impress a superior, etc. (Not to mention, in the U.S. the need to deal with insurance companies.) I guess I had always naively thought of doctors as altruistic and only really interested in the health of their patients. Weston's story of the woman who came in with hemorrhoids was touching - Weston knew that if she admitted her she'd face ridicule from her colleagues, though that would be in the patient's best interest.
This was a quick read - I think I read it in less that 48 hours on days I went to work, and really interesting. I think I might have liked a chronological organization of her experiences better, but I would definitely recommend book.
May 1, 2009
This book should be read by all trainee doctors, especially the female ones. It is well written and very readable, with explanations of complex proceedures clear enough for anyone to understand, and is sprinkled with surprising but apt similes and quotes from many types of literature. Her compassion and understanding for her patients is evident throughout. But mainly it should be read because the author has articulated topics that are not covered well elsewhere in medical training- the difficulties of calling out a consultant in the night, for example, and the subtle put-downs and unwanted sexual comments from those in positions of power.
She is very open about some occasions where she felt that she fell short of her own high standards, and how she stepped off the surgical conveyor belt leading towards final qualifications in her specialty to spend more time with her family. Although she states clearly at the beginning that the book is not literally true and that none of the characters are real, I have put this book into my own non-fiction category because it certainly isn't fiction.
She is very open about some occasions where she felt that she fell short of her own high standards, and how she stepped off the surgical conveyor belt leading towards final qualifications in her specialty to spend more time with her family. Although she states clearly at the beginning that the book is not literally true and that none of the characters are real, I have put this book into my own non-fiction category because it certainly isn't fiction.
November 10, 2010
First and foremost, I love medical memoirs. The stories are interesting and exciting, because most situations are life and death when it comes to the medical field. If you like medical memoirs I would suggest Another Day in the Frontal Lobe: A Brain Surgeon Exposes Life on the Inside. Its the same idea as Direct Red, but better executed. Katrina Firlik's novel features each chapter having its own story, but it still plays into the general story of the book. Direct Red reads more like a collection of essays on the medical profession. I wouldn't call this a memoir at all because of the choppiness of it.
Overall worth a read, especially if you are in the market for some short and interesting stories. Another book in a similar vein as this one, but focusing on the vet side of the medical field is Tell Me Where It Hurts: A Day of Humor, Healing, and Hope in My Life as an Animal Surgeon.
Overall worth a read, especially if you are in the market for some short and interesting stories. Another book in a similar vein as this one, but focusing on the vet side of the medical field is Tell Me Where It Hurts: A Day of Humor, Healing, and Hope in My Life as an Animal Surgeon.
March 29, 2024
What this lacked: depth, empathy.
What this had: internalized misogyny, random and unneeded sexualization (why???).
What this had: internalized misogyny, random and unneeded sexualization (why???).
May 4, 2018
Adorei esta leitura embora tenha consciência de que não será um tema para toda a gente amar. Mas para quem gosta de temas de saúde, este livro é uma espécie de Anatomia de Grey, mas sem lamechices. A verdade nua e crua, a sensação de que estamos a assistir às cirurgias desta médica, o lado humano por trás dos médicos, tudo isto me encantou! A única coisa que podia ser melhor: a tradução.
November 7, 2025
3.75 stars
I have mixed feelings about this book. Each chapter was written well, but the overall book felt just slightly disjointed. I appreciate the author’s brutal honesty and her exploration of the complexities of navigating technical expertise, a difficult working environment, personal desires and common human feeling all at once. However, at times some of her personal thoughts felt slightly irrelevant and even unnecessary, which contributed to the lack of overall fluency in this book.
I have mixed feelings about this book. Each chapter was written well, but the overall book felt just slightly disjointed. I appreciate the author’s brutal honesty and her exploration of the complexities of navigating technical expertise, a difficult working environment, personal desires and common human feeling all at once. However, at times some of her personal thoughts felt slightly irrelevant and even unnecessary, which contributed to the lack of overall fluency in this book.
May 17, 2013
This book sounded better in the previews than it actually was, perhaps because the author is an Ear, Nose, and Throat surgeon and there's not a lot of high drama in that. Also, she is a British surgeon and the medical practices there are a bit different than here in the USA. The time the stories in this book occurred is not specified, perhaps because many of the details were generalized or fabricated to protect the anonymity of her patients, but the stories were interesting nonetheless.
I don't feel that this was a bad book at all, just not what I'd expected. It is the first book I've read written by an ENT, and while the stories come from different parts of her training in different specialties, many are ENT-related, so I learned a lot about the specialty from that. Weston is a good writer in that I often forgot the stories were largely fictionalized because they seemed very realistic and plausible in the context of her work.
Weston did seem like a person unsure of her path in life, as she starts off as a writing/literature student, does this stint in surgery, then chooses to give it all up in the end to spend more time with her family and work part-time in a private clinic. I had a feeling this would occur, as much of the book was in past-tense and she often talked of feeling out of place (another reason I thought the events might have occurred a little while ago, as women doctors outnumber men in some programs these days).
All in all, a good quick read, but not among my favorite medical autobiographies.
I don't feel that this was a bad book at all, just not what I'd expected. It is the first book I've read written by an ENT, and while the stories come from different parts of her training in different specialties, many are ENT-related, so I learned a lot about the specialty from that. Weston is a good writer in that I often forgot the stories were largely fictionalized because they seemed very realistic and plausible in the context of her work.
Weston did seem like a person unsure of her path in life, as she starts off as a writing/literature student, does this stint in surgery, then chooses to give it all up in the end to spend more time with her family and work part-time in a private clinic. I had a feeling this would occur, as much of the book was in past-tense and she often talked of feeling out of place (another reason I thought the events might have occurred a little while ago, as women doctors outnumber men in some programs these days).
All in all, a good quick read, but not among my favorite medical autobiographies.
January 11, 2019
As much as I appreciate her willingness and boldness to write, for me this book doesn’t pass more than an “Oh please”.
Perhaps it is an interesting point of view from a surgeon’s perspective to laymen, but as a surgeon myself i can’t say i enjoyed it.
A lot of things written did remind me of my residency days, but it read like an essay that was taken from a personal journal, and only those that would sell were taken. On top of that, many of her description and opinion about the instances she was in made me go “oh please...”
Although i think any resident from any program would not enjoy this book as much, i still think med students could gain a perspective from it.
Perhaps it is an interesting point of view from a surgeon’s perspective to laymen, but as a surgeon myself i can’t say i enjoyed it.
A lot of things written did remind me of my residency days, but it read like an essay that was taken from a personal journal, and only those that would sell were taken. On top of that, many of her description and opinion about the instances she was in made me go “oh please...”
Although i think any resident from any program would not enjoy this book as much, i still think med students could gain a perspective from it.
December 30, 2017
This book while interesting is plagued by an undertone of men hating and almost a jealously of male surgeons perpetrated by the author. While clearly competent Weston use most opportunities to take a dig at male seniors and colleagues like a child who feels his sibling has gotten the bigger half, this bitterness toward the male form might be put down to the fact that she finds it difficult after her first child but her elevation of female consultants to almost god like pedestals is just pathetic. The clinical cases are interesting but ultimately ruined by the above bitterness.
June 19, 2010
I liked the premise and outline of the book, but the content and writing didn't win me over. partly because for this author, surgery is first, career is second, she is third, and it seems as if her patients and family are tied for last. granted, surgeons aren't known to be warm fuzzy docs, but....
August 28, 2014
This was very good. A series of thematic essay-like chapters about the author's experiences training and practising as an ear, nose and throat surgeon in the UK. Some stunning imagery and incisive observations. She is not easy on herself.
November 23, 2019
Komuś, kto nie miał nigdy styczności ze środowiskiem medycznym, ta książka może się podobać. Zdradzę Wam jednak w tajemnicy coś, co może obniżyć jej wartość – lekarz też człowiek. Tak! Nawet taki dentysta! Po ubraniu się w fartuchy nie zmieniamy się w maszynki, może i przywdziewamy maskę profesjonalizmu, ale gdzieś tam środku nadal jesteśmy ludźmi z normalnymi ludzkimi odruchami.
Mam sporo zastrzeżeń do tej książki. Już pierwszy rozdział podniósł mi ciśnienie. Wiem, że postacie książce są fikcyjne, ale życzę tej pani powodzenia w środowisku, po opisaniu takiego przypadku. Już widzę te stada chirurgów pijących kawę i plotkujących z policjantami kiedy pacjentka na stole wykrwawia się po postrzale. Bo oczywiście tylko nasza autorka, będąc na pierwszym dyżurze jako stażystka na chirurgii, wiedziała że natychmiastowa operacja jest konieczna.
Zresztą, nie wiem jaki tam u autorki mają Kodeks Etyki Lekarskiej, ale nasz zabrania takich zachowań, jak opisywanie takich sytuacji w książce:
„1. Lekarze powinni okazywać sobie wzajemny szacunek. Szczególny szacunek i względy należą się lekarzom seniorom, a zwłaszcza byłym nauczycielom.
2. Lekarz powinien zachować szczególną ostrożność w formułowaniu opinii o działalności zawodowej innego lekarza, w szczególności nie powinien publicznie dyskredytować go w jakikolwiek sposób.
3. Lekarz wszelkie uwagi o dostrzeżonych błędach w postępowaniu innego lekarza powinien przekazać przede wszystkim temu lekarzowi. […]”
Nawet jeżeli to tylko i wyłącznie fikcja to pozostawiła straszny niesmak. Poza tym to nie była jedyna taka historia w tej książce, gdzie autorka jest tą idealną, a reszta lekarzy to leniwi debile.
Dalej też było ciekawie. Na przykład autorka cieszy się, że pacjent ma ciężką chorobę, bo gdyby jej nie miał to wyszłaby na idiotkę. Brawo, piękna moralna postawa! Albo te śmichy chichy na widok męskiego przyrodzenia, no ludzie! Po pierwszym roku na praktykach asystowałam przy cewnikowaniu mężczyzny i jakoś obyło się bez takich scen, nikt niczego nie komentował.
Większość z tych opowieści to bujda na resorach. Ma na celu wstrząśnięcie ludźmi, którzy nie mają do czynienia z tym wszystkim na co dzień. Dlaczego w tej książce ciągle przewijają się odbyty, hemoroidy, pochwy, poronienia, małe dzieci i zgony? Zszokujmy trochę ludzi, później pograjmy im na uczuciach. Nie dajcie się na to nabrać. Ja strasznie żałuję wydanych na tę książkę pieniędzy, nie watra jest funta kłaków.
Poza tym to wywyższanie chirurgii nad wszystko inne też trochę mi działało na nerwy. Ale akurat przy tej okazji zawsze przypomina mi się tekst, którym częstowali nas anestezjolodzy przy asystowaniu na bloku:
"Wiecie po co jest ten parawan między anestezjologiem, a chirurgiem? Oddziela sztukę od rzemiosła".
Sama mogłabym sypnąć wieloma anegdotami z czasów studiów i z własnych doświadczeń w pracy, ale nie mam potrzeby tworzenia książki. Poza tym moje historie nie są aż tak spektakularne, kto by tam chciał słuchać o dziurach w zębach, chirurgia to dopiero jest temat!
A porównania do Thorwalda to już gruba przesada!
2/10
Mam sporo zastrzeżeń do tej książki. Już pierwszy rozdział podniósł mi ciśnienie. Wiem, że postacie książce są fikcyjne, ale życzę tej pani powodzenia w środowisku, po opisaniu takiego przypadku. Już widzę te stada chirurgów pijących kawę i plotkujących z policjantami kiedy pacjentka na stole wykrwawia się po postrzale. Bo oczywiście tylko nasza autorka, będąc na pierwszym dyżurze jako stażystka na chirurgii, wiedziała że natychmiastowa operacja jest konieczna.
Zresztą, nie wiem jaki tam u autorki mają Kodeks Etyki Lekarskiej, ale nasz zabrania takich zachowań, jak opisywanie takich sytuacji w książce:
„1. Lekarze powinni okazywać sobie wzajemny szacunek. Szczególny szacunek i względy należą się lekarzom seniorom, a zwłaszcza byłym nauczycielom.
2. Lekarz powinien zachować szczególną ostrożność w formułowaniu opinii o działalności zawodowej innego lekarza, w szczególności nie powinien publicznie dyskredytować go w jakikolwiek sposób.
3. Lekarz wszelkie uwagi o dostrzeżonych błędach w postępowaniu innego lekarza powinien przekazać przede wszystkim temu lekarzowi. […]”
Nawet jeżeli to tylko i wyłącznie fikcja to pozostawiła straszny niesmak. Poza tym to nie była jedyna taka historia w tej książce, gdzie autorka jest tą idealną, a reszta lekarzy to leniwi debile.
Dalej też było ciekawie. Na przykład autorka cieszy się, że pacjent ma ciężką chorobę, bo gdyby jej nie miał to wyszłaby na idiotkę. Brawo, piękna moralna postawa! Albo te śmichy chichy na widok męskiego przyrodzenia, no ludzie! Po pierwszym roku na praktykach asystowałam przy cewnikowaniu mężczyzny i jakoś obyło się bez takich scen, nikt niczego nie komentował.
Większość z tych opowieści to bujda na resorach. Ma na celu wstrząśnięcie ludźmi, którzy nie mają do czynienia z tym wszystkim na co dzień. Dlaczego w tej książce ciągle przewijają się odbyty, hemoroidy, pochwy, poronienia, małe dzieci i zgony? Zszokujmy trochę ludzi, później pograjmy im na uczuciach. Nie dajcie się na to nabrać. Ja strasznie żałuję wydanych na tę książkę pieniędzy, nie watra jest funta kłaków.
Poza tym to wywyższanie chirurgii nad wszystko inne też trochę mi działało na nerwy. Ale akurat przy tej okazji zawsze przypomina mi się tekst, którym częstowali nas anestezjolodzy przy asystowaniu na bloku:
"Wiecie po co jest ten parawan między anestezjologiem, a chirurgiem? Oddziela sztukę od rzemiosła".
Sama mogłabym sypnąć wieloma anegdotami z czasów studiów i z własnych doświadczeń w pracy, ale nie mam potrzeby tworzenia książki. Poza tym moje historie nie są aż tak spektakularne, kto by tam chciał słuchać o dziurach w zębach, chirurgia to dopiero jest temat!
A porównania do Thorwalda to już gruba przesada!
2/10
March 26, 2019
Direct Red by Gabriel Weston was a truly inspirational and eye opening book, as a medical student this book covers the reality of many important topics in a day to day life of a surgeon. I especially loved the motifs of voice: the importance of communication between patients and doctors ensuring that that the patient receives the accurate diagnosis. This story highlighted the effects of miscommunications leading to problems and the idea of territory in medicine, one's ambition in medicine leading one to make choices for one's benefit as well as the patient's. This story touches the heart of realities in medicine. The challenges presented to doctors since day one. For example she talks about the time when she was doing a tumor removal surgery and she panics as the surgery turns hard and messy and even though she calls her senior she doesn't receive help: at the end of this brief account we understand that the reason behind her senior's thinking was that she knew that Weston was able to successful complete the surgery. This ensures self belief and the need for assistance.
One of another brief account by Weston on the lady with cancer who was too scared of coming into the hospital because of her fear of the surgery. Weston explains well how she persuades the lady to come into the hospital,she also narrates the fact she did this for herself as well as her patient because if the patient doesn't show up for the surgery it would mark a negative part I her career by her annoyed seniors. therefore, it highlights the importance moving ambitiously forward in medicine as a woman.
Moreover, she emphasises the long shifts with heavy workload answering patient, doing rounds then assisting emergency patient then the little amount of beaks in her room while awaiting more pagers. The precious little time for herself but this is all worth at the end because this is a vocational career which is challenging and tiring but worth at the end because it is what you would do and you wouldn't rather do anything else.
One of another brief account by Weston on the lady with cancer who was too scared of coming into the hospital because of her fear of the surgery. Weston explains well how she persuades the lady to come into the hospital,she also narrates the fact she did this for herself as well as her patient because if the patient doesn't show up for the surgery it would mark a negative part I her career by her annoyed seniors. therefore, it highlights the importance moving ambitiously forward in medicine as a woman.
Moreover, she emphasises the long shifts with heavy workload answering patient, doing rounds then assisting emergency patient then the little amount of beaks in her room while awaiting more pagers. The precious little time for herself but this is all worth at the end because this is a vocational career which is challenging and tiring but worth at the end because it is what you would do and you wouldn't rather do anything else.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2018
Direct Red is a surgeon's insights on the cases that have effected her the most throughout her career. She mentions up front that a large portion of the names, places, and specifics of the surgeries are fictional (HIPA and all that), but it doesn't take away from the book in any way.
The accounts are real and vivid. While there's not a lot of Grey's Anatomy type drama here, you gain a real insight on how it is to be a surgeon. The undue stress, the push and pulls of gender equality in the workplace, and the small decisions that have life or death consequences. Every story was fascinating and even had me outwardly cringing in sympathy pains at some of the medical details.
I've had this book for at least a decade but for some reason I had set it aside and never finished it. I don't really know why because on this second go-around I read it in a day. Possibly because I've grown to have a fascination with medical books as they fulfill some sort of secret desire of wanting to be a surgeon even though I could never ever EVER actually operate on anyone. But if you're in the same sort of boat, you won't be disappointed with this book.
The writing was perfectly balanced between artistic and medical. I was not at all surprised to learn that the author not only has a medical degree but also a degree in English literature. It's an easy, incredibly insightful and interesting read.
The accounts are real and vivid. While there's not a lot of Grey's Anatomy type drama here, you gain a real insight on how it is to be a surgeon. The undue stress, the push and pulls of gender equality in the workplace, and the small decisions that have life or death consequences. Every story was fascinating and even had me outwardly cringing in sympathy pains at some of the medical details.
I've had this book for at least a decade but for some reason I had set it aside and never finished it. I don't really know why because on this second go-around I read it in a day. Possibly because I've grown to have a fascination with medical books as they fulfill some sort of secret desire of wanting to be a surgeon even though I could never ever EVER actually operate on anyone. But if you're in the same sort of boat, you won't be disappointed with this book.
The writing was perfectly balanced between artistic and medical. I was not at all surprised to learn that the author not only has a medical degree but also a degree in English literature. It's an easy, incredibly insightful and interesting read.
July 9, 2023
****
Inspiring memoir from the perspective of a female surgeon within a male dominated career. Each chapter tells two stories about a particular theme from contrasting views: often it is interesting to see her own reflections on moments of regret,mirrored with moments of hope and accomplishment which reflect her growth. The author also has a degree in English Literature which is reflected in more poetic descriptions of surgery and A&E. There are refreshing moments of brutal honesty, which allows a more human perspective on surgery.
+ fascinating dual perspective of being professional and clinical, and personal and empathetic
+ good mix of both comical and provoking situations that provide a behind-the-scenes insight
- Graphic descriptions of surgeries/ procedures
- abrupt ending
****
Inspiring memoir from the perspective of a female surgeon within a male dominated career. Each chapter tells two stories about a particular theme from contrasting views: often it is interesting to see her own reflections on moments of regret,mirrored with moments of hope and accomplishment which reflect her growth. The author also has a degree in English Literature which is reflected in more poetic descriptions of surgery and A&E. There are refreshing moments of brutal honesty, which allows a more human perspective on surgery.
+ fascinating dual perspective of being professional and clinical, and personal and empathetic
+ good mix of both comical and provoking situations that provide a behind-the-scenes insight
- Graphic descriptions of surgeries/ procedures
- abrupt ending
****
April 17, 2019
This is an unflinching and superbly honest book. It's written as a set of distinct, gripping and wonderfully told short narrative stories that together form a powerful cohesive whole. The brutality, competitiveness, rawness and seemingly unpleasant and unsympathetic nature of most of the professionals, including the author, is laid out in strong contrast to the sublime skill and often heroic nature required of them to do their job well. This is a clear-eyed, warts and all glimpse behind the surgical curtain told with great intelligence, a superb eye for detail, and deep and reflective understanding.
March 20, 2017
This book tells us some of what goes on behind the scenes in hospitals, and in operating theatres in particular. It was quite shocking and I was initially engrossed. I finished it in a day, which is remarkable for me, as I am such a slow reader. But it was not a long book. In fact, I suspect that it was originally too short to be a book, because it deteriorated as it got toward the end. It seemed that the author had run out of factually-based incidents and then resorted to making things up. The characters and incidents described in the earlier parts of the book seemed more real. The later parts of the book read like a screenplay for a Hollywood film. So while I was initially engrossed, it ended up leaving a bad taste in my mouth. I would actually have finished it an hour or two sooner if the last twenty percent of the book had not got so bad. I ended up feeling insulted by it.
June 27, 2018
Our June book club pick.
Some of us were disappointed, but mostly there was anger.
Dr. Watson takes us through her training and development as a surgeon only to quit on the second to last page in order to focus on her family.
We are a diverse group with women who have made varying choices regarding motherhood and family. None of us, however, felt the author was direct in the purpose of the book. The book was intended to educate readers on a resident's journey to becoming a surgeon, not a stay at home mom.
Some of us were disappointed, but mostly there was anger.
Dr. Watson takes us through her training and development as a surgeon only to quit on the second to last page in order to focus on her family.
We are a diverse group with women who have made varying choices regarding motherhood and family. None of us, however, felt the author was direct in the purpose of the book. The book was intended to educate readers on a resident's journey to becoming a surgeon, not a stay at home mom.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2019
In some ways this is an excellent book. It reads briskly. It takes the reader behind the scenes in hospitals and in operating theatres. It conveys the pressure, the satisfactions, the frustrations, and the gore. However, the structure lacks structure. The chapters seem random. The end is brusque and a bit of a let-down. Worth reading - but could have been so much better if a decent editor had got hold of it.
September 23, 2020
It's a slim volume, but the book is full of very human insights into medicine, the process of becoming a doctor, and the ways in which being a woman in medicine is different. I enjoyed the stories peppered throughout, and appreciated her voice and style of writing, told as if from the perspective of a close friend over a cup of tea.
October 22, 2024
Fairly short book by a British surgeon whose chapters are a réfection of topics, rather than case studies. Any patient details are an extrapolation from true encounters but are intriguing nonetheless. The writing is expository, raw, and introspective. I feel the book would be most appealing to a layperson (ie non-medical) audience as it provides a window into that world.
November 19, 2024
Not for the squeamish!
Weston is very candid with her experience navigating a very competitive and intense career as a surgeon. I enjoyed the grouping of anecdotes that highlight the different aspects of being a doctor faces from chapter to chapter. Weston takes you behind the doors and very honestly expresses the foibles and success of what it takes to learn the skills to be a good doctor.
Weston is very candid with her experience navigating a very competitive and intense career as a surgeon. I enjoyed the grouping of anecdotes that highlight the different aspects of being a doctor faces from chapter to chapter. Weston takes you behind the doors and very honestly expresses the foibles and success of what it takes to learn the skills to be a good doctor.
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