Intensive Care: More Poetry and Prose by Nurses [Paperback]

Cortney & Judy Davis & Schaefer (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 26, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0877458383 | ISBN-13: 978-0877458388

In Intensive Care: More Poetry and Prose by Nurses, sixty-five nurses from places as diverse as California and Alaska, South America and Europe, tell us in tough, revealing poems and prose what it's like to be on the front lines of health care. These nurses, both men and women, speak to us from intensive care units and operating rooms, from patients' homes and storefront clinics, from hospitals with the latest technology to small clinics in the steamy jungles of Nicaragua. They tell us what it's like to walk in their shoes and see the drama of illness and healing unfold before their eyes.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Cortney Davis and Judy Schaefer, editors as well as powerful contributors to this book, have compiled a beautiful and important collection of writing. These are the people who keep us alive and bid us farewell—with unwavering sensitivity and grace. Not only do these nurses deserve to be heard, but it's also a privilege to witness their lives.” —Nell Casey, editor of Unholy Ghost: Writers on Depression

About the Author

Cortney Davis, a nurse practitioner, is the author of I Knew a Woman, a memoir about her work in women's health, and the poetry collection Details of the Flesh. She lectures and conducts writing workshops for health care professionals nationally. Judy Schaefer is a lecturer for Pennsylvania State University and a member of the Kienle Center for Humanistic Medicine at the Penn State University College of Medicine. The author of the poetry collection Harvesting the Dew, she has been published in numerous magazines and journals, including Academic Medicine, Literature and Medicine, and the American Journal of Nursing. Together, Davis and Schaefer are the co-editors of Between the Heartbeats: Poetry and Prose by Nurses (Iowa 1995), the first anthology of creative writing by nurses.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: University Of Iowa Press (March 26, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877458383
• ISBN-13: 978-0877458388
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,317,447 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It Can Change the Way You Feel About Nurses Forever, December 11, 2003

By 

Carole A. Borges (Knoxville TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Intensive Care: More Poetry and Prose by Nurses (Paperback)

Most wonderful books change you in some way,and this beautifully written book is no exception. I couldn't stop reading all the wonderful stories. They taught me how to be a better patient, a better human being, and a better caretaker of my soul and body. Richly written with heartwrenching stories about the ups and downs of nursing, this book made want to run out and buy it for all my friends. Not because it was about nursing, but rather more than that---it was a book about living and dying--and the men and women nurses who act as midwives to these experiences. This book is both informative and literary, and one I would heartily recommend to all my friends.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, June 22, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Intensive Care: More Poetry and Prose by Nurses (Paperback)

I'd read and loved "Between the Heartbeats" and wondered if this second anthology of nurses' writing could be as wonderful----and it is! In this collection, the editors have gathered all new work from nurses in the US and abroad (some of the original "Heartbeats" writers are represented here too). The poetry and prose are stunning. This book is a must read for any nurse, physician, patient, caregiver, poet or writer; it's also a perfect teaching text for medical and nursing humanities. If you're stuck for a gift for your favorite nurse, buy this book!