I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but after hearing a lot of great things about this book, and it being a topic I'm genuinely interested in, I went for it. I loved the idea of finding out more about the prison healthcare system, and whilst this was quite an eye-opening read, it really wasn't my favourite.
Dr Amanda Brown started to lose interest in her work as a GP and wanted to consider a slightly different career path when she came across the opportunity to become a prison doctor. Although she knew it would be harrowing, she wasn't quite prepared for just how extreme it could be in comparison to her fairly mundane previous job. Excited to make this move and make a difference in the lives of prisoners, Dr Brown set her sights on being a truly good prison doctor that cared about her patients.
After working in both men's and women's prisons, Dr Brown has seen a LOT, and she details some of the most poignant points in her career in this book. It's a very honest insight into some of the really gritty medical incidents that can happen in a prison and so I think it should come with a whole bunch of trigger warnings: suicide, self harm, domestic violence, death, sexual assault.
I felt like I did learn a lot from this book but I really struggled to get on with the tone of it. I felt that half of the book was taken up by the author telling readers why she was a better doctor than others and constantly extolling her own virtues. I was anticipating the prisoners or work being the forefront of the book, but in all honesty a lot of it felt like the author trying to show everyone how great a person she is.
I gave this three stars.
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