Henry Marsh, Do No Harm

[kippersmum]

WOW!!!! I work in a bookshop & see loads of new stock. I got 20 pages in & bought it. It is brilliant. If you are looking for that hard to get for person, if they like non-fiction this is it. :)

I know ! I thought it was a fantastic book and so admired his humility and honesty. Really recommend it . Powerful book .

I've read this too - wonderful book.

Bought this for myself last week. Planning to read it shortly. Can't wait :)

Yes, it opened my eyes to the life of a brain surgeon.
Good book.

Reading it for my book group soon. Looking forward to it.

Oh yes I'm nearing the end of it and wondering how on earth I'll follow it. Fascinating - the surgery case studies have you on the edge of your seat and in addition it's a fascinating insight into the job, the changing experience of working for the nhs, and the personality of Mr marsh himself. I'll be bereft at finishing it!

Starting it this evening :)

Amazing book. I've just finished it and already in my top 10 of all time. Edge of your seat stuff and made me cry a little. Loved it.

Henry Marsh operated on my daughter when she had a tricky brain tumour at a very young age. His skill saved her life and he is my hero. He was very honest but with loads of compassion. I have his book.

I finished reading it a couple of days ago. Absolutely amazing read, agree edge of seat stuff. And yes, it also made me cry a few times too. Must have made it all the more emotional for you Harlot.

I worked with him in the early nineties. I have never seen a neurosurgeon who could communicate with children and families as well as he could. It is a good book.

duchess it was a good read on many levels
Tweenage, I remember the nurses warning me he could be rather brutal in his approach but I saw it as being realistic about options and outcomes. I didn't find him to be brutal or odd at all, he was honest so I trusted him and he had compassion. I think his son had a brain tumour at a similar age to my dd. I don't know for certain but have always imagined that it was his son that made him become a neurosurgeon and his own experiences helped him to empathise. I have huge respect for him, he had (has) great humility and saved my dd's life. What more can you ask for?

Yes, interesting book, but also full of repetitions. I would have appreciated slightly less navel-gazing and more examples/stories/experiences.

Impressed there are two people on here who know him. Fascinating man. Also interested to realise that he is married to the anthropologist Kate Fox (of Watching the English fame).

Loved it!

I've got this but haven't read it yet - oh I loved Watching the English too, keep meaning to re read that

This book is fascinating to anyone interested in psychology/ psychiatry/ medicine/ the brain in general. I have passed my copy on already with plentiful praise.

Excellent but absolutely gruelling in parts.

Great book. I didn't realise until about halfway through that I had seen a documentary of his work in Ukraine.

HarlotoTara: " I remember the nurses warning me he could be rather brutal in his approach but I saw it as being realistic about options and outcomes."

I've recently read Atul Gawande's book Being Mortal - he's a US-based doctor, and he's very interesting on this subject. He says that doctors find it very hard to break bad news and tend to offer much more optimistic prognoses than are realistic. He talks about the need to be more honest - which it sounds as if Marsh is doing.

It's a great book, Atul Gawande's works are excellent also.