Non-fiction about public services

[Toomucho]

I've enjoyed reading various books over the years which are anecdotal or diary of someone working in public services (eg doctor, nurse, police officer, barrister, ambulance worker).

Does anyone have any recommendations?

I'd be particularly interested in local authority/council worker? Maybe a bit like Private Eye Rotten Boroughs?

Reading Aloud by Chris Paling is about working in libraries.

Thanks @ChessieFL I'll check it out.

Handle with care by Rachael Hearson, autobiography by a Health Visitor.

I'm not sure about whether most of these are the kind of confessional you're looking for but here are a few ideas.

Anna Minton has written two books about housing and planning in London - Big Capital (published in 2017) is very readable and is has lots about dodgy deals between local authorities of all political flavours and developers. Ground Control is more about planning and is on my TBR.

I also have a book TBR by Emma Dent-Coad who was briefly Labour MP for Kensington and an opposition councillor in the borough of Kensington & Chelsea (the council has remained Tory controlled). The image of Kensington is the super rich but there is also poverty there and the divide is very stark - the tragedy of Grenfell Tower and the aftermath is part of this.

I borrowed Reading Aloud from the library (!) a few years ago and it's also interesting.

I haven’t read this but it looks interesting:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ashes-Admin-Caseload-Council-Funeral/dp/1915306302/ref=asc_df_1915306302/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=607003131055&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5258621483431253347&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006864&hvtargid=pla-1880463728334&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

Thank you 😊 I'm spoilt for choice. I'm such a sucker for health service books but should really try something different...

@Toomucho Out of the ones you've read, which would you recommend?

Have you tried 'the governor' about a female prison governor?

@Allsortsmakesnormal I've not read many lately but wanting to get back into reading.
I read The Dark Side of the Mind: True Stories from My Life as a Forensic Psychologist earlier this year which covers her experience with patients and also experience of sexism. I thought it was well written and insightful.
Also read a couple by Paul Kalanithi (sp.?) a while ago which I enjoyed.
Others I've read I've passed on to charity shop after a kondo-ing episode a few years ago.

@JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon it's also free on Prime Reading so I've just downloaded it.

...also made a start on Reading Allowed

I also like these kind of books, but the prison doctor one was so bad that I got my money back from Amazon.

Then I gave the book to a charity shop.

Thought of another you might like - When the Dust Settles by Lucy Easthope. About disaster response/preparedness. Really interesting read.

Vaxxers - written by the women scientists who developed one of the covid vaccines. Fascinating insight into vaccine research in general, plus the covid pandemic.

Hope you find it interesting

Drug Wars by Peter Walsh, it's about HM Customs and Excise & the fight against drug smugglers.

Behind these doors by Alex South was recommended on woman's hour

I enjoy the Secret Barrister

Also, on Radio 4 a couple of months ago they had an author, who was a Met Police officer, reading extracts from their book about personal experiences on the beat in London. I can't remember the name but it was pretty compelling and well written

You might enjoy A Bit Of A Stretch by Chris Atkins about his time in prison for tax fraud.

Anti social by nick pettigrew

Blue by John Sutherland