Author:Rana Awdish
'I read the first chapters at such a pace that I almost had to remind myself to breathe.' Sunday Times
'Tense, powerful and gripping... her writing style is often nothing short of beautiful - evocative and emotional.' Adam Kay, Observer
At seven months pregnant, intensive care doctor Rana Awdish suffered a catastrophic medical event, haemorrhaging nearly all of her blood volume and losing her unborn first child. She spent months fighting for her life in her own hospital, enduring a series of organ failures and multiple major surgeries.
Every step of the way, Awdish was faced with something even more unexpected and shocking than her battle to survive: her fellow doctors’ inability to see and acknowledge the pain of loss and human suffering, the result of a self-protective barrier hard-wired in medical training.
In Shock is Rana Awdish's searing account of her extraordinary journey from doctor to patient, during which she sees for the first time the dysfunction of her profession’s disconnection from patients and the flaws in her own past practice as a doctor. Shatteringly personal yet wholly universal, it is both a brave roadmap for anyone navigating illness and a call to arms for doctors to see each patient not as a diagnosis but as a human being.
Outstanding... What marks it out is not the scale or urgency of the trauma, although I read the first chapters at such a pace that I almost had to remind myself to breathe. It is the writing. It sparks and crackles with a dark energy... The writing is not just intense, but intelligent... In Shock stands above other patient memoirs.
—— James McConnachie , The Sunday TimesTense, powerful and gripping... her writing style is often nothing short of beautiful - evocative and emotional.
—— Adam Kay , The ObserverIn Shock is both an enthralling page-turner and a haunting call to arms for the medical profession to practice with greater kindness, compassion and humility. Awdish captures beautifully how and why doctors, against our best selves, can lose sight of our patients in furious pursuit of the diagnosis, the save, the cure. Anyone – doctor or otherwise – whose life has been touched by illness will be transfixed by this deeply moving tale of catastrophic illness and everything it teaches us.
—— Rachel Clarke, author of Your Life in My Hands: A Junior Doctor's StoryAwdish looks at the way we practice medicine with a combination of love and outrage. She writes beautifully about the secret, shameful feelings many doctors feel they have to hide and she shows us how we might do better. After reading this book, I feel like a different doctor.
—— Gabriel Weston, author of Direct Red: A Surgeon's StoryA brave, powerful memoir about what it is like to be both a doctor and a patient... There is a widsom that literally comes from suffering.
—— The TimesThere are few recent books to compare it to. Paul Kalanithi’s When Breath Becomes Air, another physician’s account of illness, ended with his death. Awdish lives to tell the tale, but her cascade of medical problems is appallingly severe. Like [Adam] Kay’s, her writing is motivated by trauma, both her own and that of her medical colleagues…The dramatic story of her illness and recovery alone would make the book compelling, but in the growing genre of medical non-fiction, it is her reflections on medical practice that really stand out.
—— Dr Alexander Van Tulleken , TLSCompelling and insightful, this story of what a doctor learns through coming close to death is packed with both action and reflection.
—— Cathy Rentzenbrink, bestselling author of The Last Act of LoveUrgent and supremely eloquent... In Shock is a book to set alongside the likes of Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, Direct Red by Gabriel Weston and, of course, Paul Kalanithi's When Breath Becomes Air.
—— Caroline Sanderson , The BooksellerAn extraordinary memoir.
—— Daily MailAwdish describes her experiences powerfully... In Shock is a reminder that the sick are not subhuman, doctors are not superhuman, and that medicine needs to be human in order to truly heal.
—— Sarah Ditum , Mail on SundayIn Shock is a notable, ambitious and welcome contribution to an emerging dialogue concerning the quality and orientation of acute hospital care.
—— Paul D'Alton , Irish TimesAwdish's book is the one I wished we were given as assigned reading our first year of medical school, alongside our white coats and stethoscopes ... dramatic, engaging and instructive.
—— New York TimesHarrowing and enlightening... This is a story of darkness and light, horror and hope. It's not an easy read, but it is a fascinating one, and highly recommended.
—— The Sunday Business PostHad me hooked right from the start. Incredible story, and even more incredible story-telling... has had an unexpected impact on me and will change the way I practice medicine from here on.
—— Dr Ranj SinghA compassionate and critical look at medicine and illness from both a doctor’s and a patient’s perspective... Awdish has written a unique and insightful memoir.
—— Publishers Weeklyarguably one of the most important publications of the year
—— Susan Dalgety , ScotsmanWide-ranging and vastly well-informed, Invisible Women is a book that promises to transform the terms of the equality debate
—— Sarah Ditum , In the Moment, **Books to Look Out for in 2019**An eye-opening examination
—— Decca Aitkenhead , Sunday TimesAnyone who doubts that we live in a world designed by and for men needs to read this book, with its implicit message that even what we’ve won so far can never be taken for granted.
—— Literary ReviewInvisible Women shines a light on the gender gap in data and what every woman needs to know about it
—— Joanne Finney , Good HousekeepingJaw-dropping… This book is a snapshot of the dangers of a world designed to fit a minority
—— Barbara Speed , iPlain, detailed and almost overwhelming prose… There is no anger in Criado Perez's pages – she is too busy with evidence for that
—— Tanya Gold , UnHerdBook that did most to change the way I thought? Caroline Criado Perez's Invisible Women... Perez has delivered a much needed correction: full of persuasive examples and analysis of areas from public policy, medicine, economics and elsewhere in which data have been gathered in such a way as to obscure or omit matters of most concern to women. I learned a lot
—— Tim HarfordInvisible Women… is a book that changes the way you see the world
—— Allan Massie , Sunday TimesThe book’s force doesn’t derive from the power of its rhetoric – instead it’s the steady, unrelenting accumulation of evidence, the sheer weight of her argument’
—— Sophie McBain , New StatesmanCaroline Criado Perez brilliantly exposes the appalling gender bias that underpins the collection of data and how it’s used. From medical treatments that fail to take female biology into account, to car safety features that are designed for the male body, women are the invisible 51%. This deeply researched and passionate book is the most important contribution to gender equality in years.
—— Amanda ForemanIn Invisible Women…Caroline Criado Perez expounds the far-reaching consequences of the “default male” mode… She urges a realignment of priorities… [a] call to action
—— Mia Levitin , Times Literary SupplementEnding the biases she [Perez] exposes wouldn’t just reduce inequality; it would, in some cases, save actual lives
—— The Week, *Book of the Week*Invisible Women is an essential handbook in the fight to build a more equal world. It’s based on enough data to satisfy even the fussiest scientist and will make you look at the world in a new light. However, the style is light enough that it doesn’t feel like hard work. Read it for yourself, then lend it to all your friends, of any gender
—— Chemistry WorldPerez’s analysis is wide-ranging and compelling… one of the most powerful takeaways from Perez’s book is the extent to which so much of this [gendered] bias is unconscious, such that we are all infected by it. Feminism is the process of unlearning this, but it’s an ongoing process, for all of us
—— ConversationAn impeccably researched, determined and passionate demand for change
—— Sian Norris , ProspectThe depth and scope of this book will shock you… Invisible Women is an essential handbook in the fight to build a more equal world… Read it for yourself, then lend it to all your friends, of any gender
—— Philippa Matthews , Chemistry WorldAn extraordinary book
—— Anthony Reuben , Big IssueOne of the most compelling books I’ve read in years
—— Josie Cox , Independent[An] astounding book
—— Dominic Browne , HighwaysA strong case for change
—— Sarah Shaffi , StylistInvisible Women makes excellent points about how biased data are hidden and have pervasive negative impacts on the lives of women and girls
—— Margaret McCartney , LancetCriado Perez’s devastating indictment is a worthy bestseller
—— Guardain, *Summer Reads of 2019*This book is a wake-up call for us all
—— Church Times, *Summer Reads of 2019*Overwhelmingly powerful
—— Kistina Rapacki , DisegnoFew books this year are as important as activist Criado-Perez’s data crunch into the inequalities between men and women. She finds something to engage and enrage on every page
—— Sarah Hughes , i, *Best books of 2019*A fascinating look at the gender biases affecting our everyday lives
—— Women's RunningThis book is comprehensive, well researched and thoroughly referenced with copious endnotes… [it] made me…shift my perspective
—— Toni Sekinah , DataIQThought-provoking, eye-opening
—— Iona Grey , HeatNot only a gripping but an important book… It’s funny when it’s not horrifying, deeply researched and done with real verve
—— Sam Leith , Spectator, *Books of the Year*Few books really change the way you look at the world. Invisible Women is one of those rarities
—— Robbie Millen , The Times, *Books of the Year*What makes Invisible Women so compelling is the mountain of data she draws on… a brilliant exposé
—— Ian Sample , Guardian, *Books of the Year*Every man should read this book… [Invisible Women] chats, in page after steely, meticulous page, precisely how the world…is designed around men, and how this puts women at an impossible disadvantage
—— James McConnachie , Sunday Times, *Books of the Year*Funny, exasperating and anger-inducing, there is something for everyone
—— Eleanor Parsons , New ScientistThe essential book of the year, mayhap the decade
—— Marina Vaizey , Tablet, *Books of the Year*A staggering expose of design prejudice and an impassioned call to action
—— ListPerez takes the truism that ours is a world designed for men and backs it with evidence. Impressively collating vast amounts of research
—— Prospect, *Books of the Year*A must-read for men and women alike
—— Hannah Beckerman , Sunday ExpressThis calm, dispassionate, hilarious, entertaining, maddening, infuriating narrative is a highly readable manifesto for real change
—— Marina Vaizey , The Arts Desk, *Books of the Year*This well-researched book turns everything we accept as normal on its head…[Invisible Women] succeeds in making a powerful case for change in a non-preachy, educative style… It is not entertainment; it is a thesis – and a powerful one at that
—— Alison Herbert and Dr Phyl Hughes , Law Society GazetteThis incredibly well-researched and engaging book highlights how the lack of gender-focused data results in the needs of more than half of the population being ignored. The numerous examples cited by Criado-Perez – ranging from infrastructure to healthcare – are shocking and sobering… Invisible Women offers valuable insight into the transformative power of diversity and equality to drive better economic outcomes
—— Christie Guimond , BriefingSuch an insightful book and a good read for everyone
—— Julie Stewart , Business TimesIncredibly topical and relevant in a rapidly changing world, Criado Perez’s multi-award-winning exposé on data bias has seen her become an authority on modern day inequalities
—— CapacityInvisible Women...is already a classic, but I can't recommend it enough
—— Sarah Pedersen , Times Higher EducationA powerful, insightful book
—— Tim Harford , WeekCompelling... revelatory... Criado Perez provides bountiful evidence of her thesis
—— Mariel McKone Leonard , London School of EconomicsA huge eye-opener
—— Jojo de Noronha , GrocerA witty, furious page-turner
—— Emma Donoghue , WeekInvisible Women is highly recommended to both men and women as an incredibly readable piece of journalism... Many of you will also find you cannot put down this passionate and informative book until you've finished it... illuminating and engaging
—— Platinum Business MagazineCompelling
—— Dr Mariel McKone Leonard , London School of EconomicsFilled with hair raising facts and figures, [Invisible Women] investigates the jarring matter of discrepancy and representation in our modern world... make no mistake, once you begin reading, it's hard to stop
—— Reilly Dufresne , Glasgow Guardian, *Christmas Gift Guide 2020*A deeply important and useful book... Fast, funny, angry and vital... A proper game-changer.
—— Caitlin Moran , Foyles, *Author Picks for Christmas*Criado Perez keeps the gobsmacking revelations flowing in a conversational manner, making the reader feel like she’s having lunch with a funny, knowledgeable and passionate friend
—— Science News