Tending Lives: Nurses on the Medical Front

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Summary: A true "touching" of the heart of nursing
Review: I love reading Echo's non-fictional stories the best and this one is great. I feel as if I'm in the story with similar situations in nursing. And I learn so much from the many situations. Echo and her writings have been an inspiration to me to keep fighting for patients "lack of rights" concerning personal care/staff. How I wish I had seen her ad to talk with her, what an honor that would have been. Thank you Echo.

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Summary: Couldn't put it down!!!!
Review: I'm not a medical person, but I found this book to be a most incredible look at the world of medicine. The stories are told by nurses who are right there, on the front line....better than any ER episode I''ve ever seen. I laughed, I cried, I shuddered my way through this absolutely wonderful book. It was a roller coaster ride of emotions and amazement. Although the stories are from different nurses all over the country, the reader can still"hear" Heron's voice in the writing...that trademark of dry humor and the ability to cut to the heart of the spirit and the soul. All I can say is WHEN IS THE SEQUEL????? Loved it!!!

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Summary: Should be required reading for all medical professionals!
Review: Reading Tending Lives by Echo Heron incites a feeling of joy one minute, anger and frustration the next. The book is a compilation of nurses' (and one paramedic's) frequently shocking but definitely real tales of the medical profession. Often while reading I thought to myself, "yeah, that too has happened to me so many times!" There are several stories critical of HMOs, hospital administration, and doctors, so beware if you are one of them! There are some "good" doctor stories too. Be prepared to hold your stomach for a number of stories; I thought I had seen just about everything, but after reading this book I realized I certainly had not.

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Summary: Realistic collection of poigantly powerful nursing stories.
Review: This best-selling nurse-author has created an exceptional book -- a powerful collection of realistic experiences from a diverse group of American nurses. Each poignant chapter is written in realistic, first person narrative style, that takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride from a psychiatric ward, to the aftermath of the Oklahoma City Bombing. The author wants the reader to experience "the soul of nurses as they go on about their business of caring." A goal she brilliantly achieves. She borrowed from real-life incidents, and based many scenes on authentic events that she had seen, or that were sent to her by contributors. Echo Heron refers to nurses as "proven heroes," and invites the reader to "come, take a walk in their shoes." She walks us through exquisitely crafted stories submitted by thirty-nine different contributors, and two from the author's own personal experiences as a critical-care nurse. Every chapter portrays a nurse, identified only by a fictitious name. She begins with a concise personal portrait of each nurse. Two examples are: (Ellen) --"We get so much from the patients...they touch us deep down...They break our hearts, change our lives." (Kate) -- "...there are two kinds of patients who stick out in your mind -- those who might have died if it hadn't been for your intervention, and those who would not have died with dignity if it hadn't been for your intervention." Echo Heron author shares each powerful scenario while sparing no detail. She takes the reader from tears to laughter in a matter of seconds. The short chapters facilitate reading where time is only available in short increments. Because it is intense, reading one chapter at a time does enhance appreciation of each emotional exposé. While doing research for her book, Ms. Heron contacted about four hundred nurses from all fifty states, one hundred permitted an interview, and less than half of these allowed their stories to be published. Many nurses were apprehensive about reprisals. One nurse insisted on being interviewed in disguise,while riding in a taxi. Echo Heron writes, "when a person becomes a nurse they sign on for life...there is a ...spirit, a depth of soul... unique to the nurse." She describes nurses as "nitty-gritty hands-on people... Those who choose this profession are...as front-line as front-line gets." This book is just the prescription for "the millions of nurses worldwide who dedicate themselves to the art of healing," in spite of the tumultuous transitions in healthcare today. This enlightening book is recommended for anyone considering nursing, and definitely must reading for those who are already working "on the front line," or for those who had been there at one time. Because the vivid candor this book isn't recommended for the faint-at-heart -- portions could be intense, but very revealing, to anyone unfamiliar with the nursing profession. It was my pleasure to relive pieces of my own career as I shared this riveting book. I thoroughly enjoyed my roller coaster ride, thanks to Echo Heron. She inspired me to continue writing my own book, a collection of my own stories, and a compilation of stories written by nurses, and others who have been "touched. I am looking forward to her next book.

Rating:
Summary: Realistic collection of poignantly powerful nursing stories.
Review: This best-selling nurse-author has created another exceptional book -- a powerful collection of realistic experiences from a diverse group of American nurses. Each chapter is written in realistic, first person narrative style, that takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride from scenes in a psychiatric ward, to the aftermath of the Oklahoma City Bombing. The author wants the reader to experience "the soul of nurses as they go on about their business of caring," a goal she brilliantly achieves. She borrowed from real-life incidents, and based many scenes on events that she had seen, or that were sent to her by contributors. Echo Heron refers to nurses as "proven heroes," and invites us to "come, take a walk in their shoes." She walks us through exquisite stories that were submitted by thirty-nine different contributors, as well as two of her own personal experiences as a critical-care nurse. Every chapter portrays a different nurse, identified by a fictitious name, who is introduces by a brief, personal portrait. Here are two examples: (Ellen) --"We get so much from the patients...they touch us deep down...They break our hearts, change our lives." (Kate) -- "...there are two kinds of patients who stick out in your mind -- those who might have died if it hadn't been for your intervention, and those who would not have died with dignity if it hadn't been for your intervention." The author shares each vivid scenario while sparing no detail. She takes the reader from tears to laughter in seconds. The short chapters facilitate reading in short increments of time. Because it is intense, reading only one or two chapters at a time will enhance appreciation of each emotional exposé. While doing research for her book, Ms. Heron contacted about four hundred nurses from all fifty states, one hundred permitted an interview, and less than half of these allowed their stories to be published. Many were apprehensive about reprisals, and one even insisted on being interviewed in disguise. As Echo Heron writes, "when a person becomes a nurse they sign on for life...there is a...spirit, a depth of soul... unique to the nurse." She describes nurses as "nitty-gritty hands-on people... Those who choose this profession are...as front-line as front-line gets." This book is for "the millions of nurses worldwide who dedicate themselves to the art of healing," in spite of the turmoil and transitions in healthcare today. This book is recommended for anyone considering nursing, definitely prescribed for those who are already working "on the front line," and for those who had been there at one time. Because of the vivid detail, this book might be too intense for the faint-at-heart or those unfamiliar with the nursing profession. It was my pleasure to relive pieces of my own nursing career as I shared this well-written book. This roller coaster ride was well worth the trip. I am inspired to continue writing my own stories and compiling stories for my own book about nurses, and anyone who was ever "touched" by one. I can't wait to read Echo Heron's next creation!

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Summary: A collection of fascinating stories
Review: This book is a real page turner. It is a collection of stories from nurses in various specialties. Whether you are a nurse (as I am) or a lay person, you will find this a fascinating book!

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Summary: You Must Read This Book if You are Concerned about Health
Review: With incisive insight, and broad oversight, Echo Heron captures the heart of health care. She treats the true stories of nurses, who spend carreers caring, and transforms them into jewels of knowledge about nurses who work at the heart of health care. This book is a clarion call from the depths of suffering of patients *and* nurses in the United States today. We must heed the voice of the knowledge and expertise nurses have built while sharing the best of themselves at the sides of suffering human beings. It is time to transform this knowledge into action to establish health care as a human right in the United States, once and for all.

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Summary: Awesome book for anyone who enjoys reading about medicine
Review: Wow! This is a fantastic book for anyone who enjoys reading medical fiction or lay medical fact, or enjoys watching E.R. and other medical shows.
In this book, 40 nurses tell you, in their words, what nursing means to them, in the context of first-person narratives of events in their daily job experience.
These stories are, in turn, moving, funny, and shocking -- and always fascinating. You will "be there" as nurses care for the dying with relatives in denial, or on the psych ward, and the burn ward. You will see how precious, and occasionally cheap, life is considered in Labor and Delivery, and go along as nurses provide home care for those in poverty and former Hollywood stars. You will see the Oklahoma City bombing from a nurse's perspective, and spend a long day on a Hollywood set as a set nurse. You will even travel with a nurse to a clinic in a small village in Papua New Guinea.
In this book, there are several stories focusing on the decision of how to care for the dying -- especially those whose prognosis is probable but not certain. As we look at each instance of care-giving, we see how some in the medical profession have -- and do -- discriminate on the basis of race and income. We see how, for every patient, hospitals and insurance companies skimp on care to increase profits.
Each patient comes in, not with mere symptoms, but with a personality, dreams, fears, background, and family. Through the intimate act of nursing, each patient touches the nurse's life, and the nurse touches each patient's life. Ms. Heron says, "What nurses witness and get involved with on a daily basis -- death, birth, extreme despair, suffering, life-altering trauma, extreme joy, rage, disease -- are phenomena most 'normal' people experience only a few times during an entire lifetime."
This book will entertain you, move you, and shock you. And you will leave with a better understanding of what it means to be a nurse.