By pure coincidence, I read the Language of Kindness during the height of COVID-19 hospitalisations in the UK, which has stretched the NHS to breaking point. This book made me feel so much sympathy for and gratitude toward the hundreds of thousands of nurses working on the frontlines of the pandemic.

This account was a window into a world that I know very little about. Christie Watson does a brilliant job of describing the immense physical and emotional exhaustion that this profession entails. I listened on audiobook with Watson narrating. The narrative takes you through Watson's career in an engaging way, with just the right amount of detail.

More than anything else, this book was truly heartbreaking. The amount of death, stress and devastation that nurses have to deal with really struck me deeply. I found the sadness weighing on me whilst listening, so I can only imagine the toil that this must take when faced with such a huge burden on a daily basis.

In my opinion, it's a 4 star book. The anecdotes are poignant and interesting, but it misses out on the 5th star simply as I can't help but compare it to some of the books I have read that have left me speechless and/or wanting to read the whole thing all over again the second I have finished.

To make sure I end on a positive note... I would highly recommend this book in an instant. It's definitely worth a read to understand more about the lives of society's unsung heroes.