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War Doctor: Surgery on the Front Line Audible Audiobook – Unabridged
The number one internationally best-selling, gripping true story of a front line trauma surgeon operating in the world’s most dangerous war zones
For more than 25 years, surgeon David Nott has volunteered in some of the world’s most dangerous conflict zones. From Sarajevo under siege in 1993 to clandestine hospitals in rebel-held eastern Aleppo, he has carried out life-saving operations in the most challenging conditions, and with none of the resources of a major metropolitan hospital. He is now widely acknowledged as the most experienced trauma surgeon in the world.
War Doctor is his extraordinary story, encompassing his surgeries in nearly every major conflict zone since the end of the Cold War, as well as his struggles to return to a “normal” life and routine after each trip.
Culminating in his recent trips to war-torn Syria - and the untold story of his efforts to help secure a humanitarian corridor out of besieged Aleppo to evacuate some 50,000 people - War Doctor is a heart-stopping and moving blend of medical memoir, personal journey, and nonfiction thriller that provides unforgettable, at times raw, insight into the human toll of war.
- Listening Length11 hours and 30 minutes
- Audible release dateMarch 20, 2020
- LanguageEnglish
- ASINB08643RXF6
- VersionUnabridged
- Program TypeAudiobook
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Product details
Listening Length | 11 hours and 30 minutes |
---|---|
Author | David Nott |
Narrator | David Nott |
Whispersync for Voice | Ready |
Audible.com Release Date | March 20, 2020 |
Publisher | Recorded Books |
Program Type | Audiobook |
Version | Unabridged |
Language | English |
ASIN | B08643RXF6 |
Best Sellers Rank | #242,611 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #48 in Surgery (Audible Books & Originals) #62 in Emergency & Critical Care #505 in Biographies of Medical Professionals (Audible Books & Originals) |
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book emotional and inspirational. They describe the author as compassionate, courageous, and humble. Readers find the story thrilling and rewarding. The book provides useful information about war surgery and is recommended for everyone to read.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book moving and emotional. They describe it as an inspiring, gripping story about terrible tragedy and human frailty. The author realistically chronicles his feelings and thoughts about the horrors he witnesses. Overall, customers appreciate the personal perspective the author provides on war.
"...He realistically chronicles his feelings, sights and thoughts about the horrors he witnesses, and how he takes action to make a positive..." Read more
"A heart felt rendering of war and its affect on children civilians and medical personnel in war torn countries...." Read more
"...The very fact that he continually survives situations of the most extreme danger one can (or maybe cannot) imagine, sets him up as a figure of..." Read more
"...War Doctor is a very human account of a remarkable man's experiences working in many of the war zones featuring in our news headlines, from Sarajevo..." Read more
Customers appreciate the author's personality. They find him intelligent, caring, and humble. The book is described as an entertaining biography of a heroic man with breathtaking talents.
"...He is so humble that when I first started reading, I wondered if it would be an interesting read at all...." Read more
"...Dr Nott is a superior human being and very intelligent and caring. Please read" Read more
"...His talents are breathtaking, the tension of his life is extreme, and as an operator at all levels, he is both shrewd and humane...." Read more
"What a book, what a MAN, as a nurse this book put more admiration for medical personal than ever. God bless him and the people like him...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it thrilling and rewarding, making the thrills accessible to all readers. The story is fascinating and worth reading.
"...happen on the operating table and he makes those thrills accessible to all readers...." Read more
"...Nott is a modern-day hero whose story deserves to be read. I highly recommend it." Read more
"...I want you it describes very graphic. Situations but it a rewarding read" Read more
"...autobiographies but this one adds an entirely unique element of war, adrenaline, austere conditions and so much more...." Read more
Customers find the book informative and interesting. They say it's well-written and a must-read.
"Well written and interesting. The author takes you into war surgery. You can feel the tension and life threats of some of the world's war zones." Read more
"...Well written and informative." Read more
"something EVERY ONE should read!..." Read more
Reviews with images
Gran experiencia humana y medica
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2025Dr Nott’s intrguiging, description of life in war torn areas of the world was eye opening.
I never knew about this tragic time. The bravery of the doctors and all those suffering in these lands was so very informative.
I also appreciated as a nurse the descriptions of the surgeries and care of the patients.
These doctors nurses and staff were and are true heroes.
Well done and well written descriptions in this amazing book
- Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2024A heart felt rendering of war and its affect on children civilians and medical personnel in war torn countries. Dr Nott is a superior human being and very intelligent and caring. Please read
- Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2021This is different from other physician memoirs: while Dr Nott tries hard to avoid self-glorification, the material itself is so dramatic and the horrors he traverses are so extreme, that it is hard to see him as anything other than a superhero. The very fact that he continually survives situations of the most extreme danger one can (or maybe cannot) imagine, sets him up as a figure of invulnerability - and the miracle lies in the fact that he (obviously) is not. In his wild enthusiasm, he transgresses against some rules of Doctors Without Borders and is fired from that organisation, very naturally feeling hurt because of his colossal investments into it of human energy, time and money, but he slides over this incident and concentrates, as he did in life, on how he succeeded in continuing his work anyway. He is more than an individual doctor, he is a term leader, a teacher, a founder of schools and courses, and a political negotiator, and against all odds he wins a remarkable number of times. He is also a pilot and freely admits that he is addicted to the adrenalin produced by extreme danger and he tries, at least, not to be proud of it. He gives up flying professionally because his experience shows him that he cannot do surgery safely while keeping to a two-career schedule. His talents are breathtaking, the tension of his life is extreme, and as an operator at all levels, he is both shrewd and humane. In fact, he is a hero of such extreme dimensions that some more ordinary people may find his book too hard to read: the horror of 21st century warfare in Africa and the Middle East is too great for most of us to bear the blow by blow descriptions of what he is able to go through - since most of us quite simply cannot. I had to skip over some of the deepest horrors. That said, I admire his way of describing quite complex surgeries in terms easily understood by an educated layman - he does not presuppose knowledge of medicine and surgery. Some of his greatest triumphs happen on the operating table and he makes those thrills accessible to all readers. In spite of all the drama, he eventually is able to marry and have two daughters, and it may be hard for some readers to stomach his continued participation in medical missions of great danger as a husband and father. His wife was instrumental in setting up a foundation to support his kind of work, including the training of trauma surgeons in unfavorable environments. As he ages,I hope he will find the development of his networks gives him peronal satisfaction even if it takes place in relatively peaceful venues. Be warned: this book is not for the faint of heart!
- Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2020An incredible, gripping book about the life journey of a humble man who became a doctor, and eventually devoted his life to working in conflict zones. Conflict zone is too sanitized a phrase: this man has gone to hell and back. You cannot even calculate the difference that David Nott has made in this difficult world. He not only takes us to places like Darfur, Haiti, Aleppo, Gaza, Sarajevo, Yemen, and Libya, he gives us insights into how his work there developed and changed him, his philosophies and his insight into himself. He realistically chronicles his feelings, sights and thoughts about the horrors he witnesses, and how he takes action to make a positive difference.
He is so humble that when I first started reading, I wondered if it would be an interesting read at all. It’s a slow build up, and then you cannot put the book down. Nott describes the difference in working with a large NGO like Doctors Without Borders, why he branched out to found his own organization. Not everyone can work for the big NGOs. He brings us into the surgical rooms in crumbling hospitals that are besieged by bombs; we see the victims enter, suffer, get healed or die; the pressure on the medical teams and the sacrifices they make, and the effect that years of conflict zones have on the psyche.
I’ve been to 35 developing countries for medical humanitarian work and into some dicey places but nothing like this. David Nott deserves maximum respect. He epitomizes the famous saying found in the Talmud and Koran, which he quotes twice in his book: He who saves a life, saves the world. It’s one of my favorite sayings, and the name of the nonprofit I founded, Save One Life. We need more David Notts in this world, and the world is at least blessed to have this extraordinary human being.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2025Truly a dedicated doctor who has the courage to face the consequences of war.
God bless you doctor and all your colleagues.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2019I've often wondered what kind of person volunteers to work in dangerous places. In War Doctor, David Nott explains what draws him to do just that, and reflects on some defining childhood moments which possibly developed this aspect of his character.
War Doctor is a very human account of a remarkable man's experiences working in many of the war zones featuring in our news headlines, from Sarajevo to Syria.
The style of writing is non-sensationalised and extremely easy to read. Nott seems to have struck the perfect balance for this book to appeal to both medically-inclined people and those who don't want too much anatomical or gory detail. He is neither preachy nor boastful about his efforts to transfer skills to others, and he doesn't shy away from admitting how scared he becomes when his life is in danger.
Nott is a modern-day hero whose story deserves to be read. I highly recommend it.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2024Honest and absolutely authentic account of a lifetime dedicated to international service. Incredible writing about seemingly impossible circumstances. Starts and ends with hope.
Top reviews from other countries
- Terry GarrettReviewed in Canada on February 11, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Man!
This book was eye-opening! One person can make a huge difference in this world. It is humbling to think that one person is willing to do everything they can, in spite of person danger to help others in places of conflict. Imagine if everyone in this world had the same mindset, what a wonderful world it would be. David Nott made a huge personal sacrifice to help other in places of conflict. It also made me very aware that there is far too many wars and brutal people. Too bad we can't get along and solve things in a more reasonable manner.
- LubreeReviewed in India on November 4, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book, guving a lot of insight about medicine behind the front lines.
Very gripping account of surgeon Professor ( as they say in the U.K. ) David Nott's experiences on many war fronts.
Looking forward to a sequel starting from where this book ends.
-
Juliana LarrarteReviewed in Spain on March 12, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspira
Inspirador. Impactante. Te engancha y lo recomiendo.
- Werner RettenbacherReviewed in Germany on February 22, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars An incredible read!
This was one of the very best non-fiction books I have read in a long time. Admittedly I felt it might be a tad dull at the very beginning but the pace picked up and in the end I read through the night. Dr Nott is, for want of adequate words, an absolutely amazing human being. I am in awe of him and his altruism and dedication. Because of the nature of his work in war torn countries, some of the descriptions were harrowing. How he was able to return to war zones from his "safe" base in the UK, as he did, to continue with his work, amply demonstrates what an incredible human being he is. I am in awe of him. (submitted by Elizabeth Rettenbacher)
- ScottyReviewed in the United Kingdom on July 13, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars The best and worst of humanity
It's probably fairly pointless to write another review of a book that has been rated 5* by 90% of its readership but here goes.
In terms of such mundane things as quality of prose there is nothing exceptional about this book - David Nott is no more than a competent writer (to be fair he doesn't pretend to be otherwise) and was probably the beneficiary of some effective editing by his publishers. The story does not unfold entirely chronologically, which in principle is fine but some of the fast forwards and rewinds seemed a bit arbitrary. There is plenty of fairly graphic medical procedure to contend with: for the lay reading a fairly fine line between condescending simplicity and bewildering complexity is pretty successfully adhered to throughout.
There are two things that elevate this book, in my opinion. The first is the extraordinary subject matter. For many older readers I suppose our primary source of information about surgery in warzones comes from watching episodes of M*A*S*H. Some of the recurring themes from that show, such as the intense skill and personal sacrifice of medical practitioners on the front line as they risk their lives on a daily basis, combined with the brutality and randomness of conflict, come across very well in David Nott's account of his own experiences. The second is the extraordinary nature of the man himself. David Nott is clearly a brilliant general surgeon but, to borrow a word used by someone close to him, also a complicated individual. His humanity and compassion shine through as he describes some of the operations that left the largest imprint on his mind - what I particularly liked is the even-handed way in which dwelt equally on triumphs and disasters. His parents can truly say of him: You are a Man, my son.