Nonfiction

War Doctor: Surgery on the Front Line

War Doctor: Surgery on the Front Line

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  • Create Date：2022-07-26 08:51:50
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：David Nott
  • ISBN：1509837051
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Summary

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 lifesaving 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 blend of medical memoir， personal journey， and nonfiction thriller that provides unforgettable， at times raw， insight into the human toll of war。  

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Reviews

Sarah Harvoutt-Smith ，

Very insightful。 Hard to read at points and shows us how low humans can go。 War solves nothing and leads go death， poverty and loss of everything。 Sad。

Praniya ，

I first heard of David Nott through his Desert Island Disc interview many years ago around 2016 and was amazed at his work and experiences as surgeon who worked in war zones。 So， I was excited to read this book when it came out and I wasn't disappointed。This is a very sobering and often difficult autobiography to read， with some intense experiences on saving people in dire situations and potential to be killed looming。 But， I appreciate that he also wrote about moments where he also made mistake I first heard of David Nott through his Desert Island Disc interview many years ago around 2016 and was amazed at his work and experiences as surgeon who worked in war zones。 So， I was excited to read this book when it came out and I wasn't disappointed。This is a very sobering and often difficult autobiography to read， with some intense experiences on saving people in dire situations and potential to be killed looming。 But， I appreciate that he also wrote about moments where he also made mistakes and the toll of his work。 It was very insightful the way he talked about a pull and thrill of working in such dangerous situations like another layer to working in places under war other than helping people that seems to bring David to places。 Overall， I have a lot of respect for his work and was left inspired。 。。。more

Colleen ，

Fascinating！David Nott is a "Doctor Without Borders" doctor。 Not that exact organization， but when he gets the call that doctors are needed， he has a difficult （impossible） time resisting the urge to help。 He has quite the tales to tell about it。I'm especially impressed with the open air operating tales with security folks holding up the tarps and on-lookers fanning flies and an audience of dozens （hundreds？） of folks。 And also when his assistant is shot during a surgery and they interupt the su Fascinating！David Nott is a "Doctor Without Borders" doctor。 Not that exact organization， but when he gets the call that doctors are needed， he has a difficult （impossible） time resisting the urge to help。 He has quite the tales to tell about it。I'm especially impressed with the open air operating tales with security folks holding up the tarps and on-lookers fanning flies and an audience of dozens （hundreds？） of folks。 And also when his assistant is shot during a surgery and they interupt the surgery to save the assistant。What a great non-fiction book！ Thank you David Nott！ Not only for your help in a multitude of war-torn countries， but in training doctors with your skills to save more people than you could single handedly save。 You are a hero！Thank you to Hoopla and my local library for the opportunity to read War Doctor！ 。。。more

Alec ，

Who knew you needed to be a consultant before working with these organisations？

AngelaC ，

A detailed account of the work carried out by humanitarian doctors in various war zones， this book highlights the risks taken by aid workers to help those in dire need of assistance。 There is inevitably some medical terminology but overall the book is easily understandable by those， like me， who are not in the medical profession。War-torn countries have sadly become such commonplace segments of news programmes on our televisions and other media。 This book takes readers behind the scenes and share A detailed account of the work carried out by humanitarian doctors in various war zones， this book highlights the risks taken by aid workers to help those in dire need of assistance。 There is inevitably some medical terminology but overall the book is easily understandable by those， like me， who are not in the medical profession。War-torn countries have sadly become such commonplace segments of news programmes on our televisions and other media。 This book takes readers behind the scenes and shares the experiences of those who try to put back together people of all ages who have been physically and mentally torn apart by man's inhumanity to man。An interesting， if sober， read。 。。。more

Kathryn Morrison ，

Very interesting author and I'm glad he wrote this book。 Very interesting author and I'm glad he wrote this book。 。。。more

Bassem Saghir ，

10/10 amazing book and very well written

Bree Thomas ，

A fascinating and heartbreaking account of life as a surgeon on the front line， which gives an unflinching description of the highs and lows of medicine in an active war zone。 I appreciated the detailed descriptions of medical procedures， and explanations of how and why certain surgeries were performed。

Rumaysa ，

A painful and inspiring account of a single man’s humanitarian work spanning over twenty years， in dangerous and devastation-struck areas such as Aleppo and Darfur。 This was such an honest and clear book to read， and David Nott is a very definite hero。 Although the writing style was occasionally a little stiff and disjointed， for the most part its technical nature worked well， providing both an impersonal and personal view。 I would recommend this book to everyone— though it contains descriptions A painful and inspiring account of a single man’s humanitarian work spanning over twenty years， in dangerous and devastation-struck areas such as Aleppo and Darfur。 This was such an honest and clear book to read， and David Nott is a very definite hero。 Although the writing style was occasionally a little stiff and disjointed， for the most part its technical nature worked well， providing both an impersonal and personal view。 I would recommend this book to everyone— though it contains descriptions of very graphic violence and wounds， so it really isn’t suitable for anyone under fourteen or so， or for anyone squeamish to blood。 。。。more

Iona Sharma ，

Harrowing memoir of a British trauma surgeon who has worked with MSF and various other international organisations doing surgery in front-line situations。 The author has a fascinating background - he's Welsh-speaking， half-Welsh and half-Burmese - and a fascinating story to tell， which both make up in spades for the fact he isn't always the most smooth writer。 It's interesting to read between the lines of the text and note that the author is a bit of a maverick， more than he quite makes out， and Harrowing memoir of a British trauma surgeon who has worked with MSF and various other international organisations doing surgery in front-line situations。 The author has a fascinating background - he's Welsh-speaking， half-Welsh and half-Burmese - and a fascinating story to tell， which both make up in spades for the fact he isn't always the most smooth writer。 It's interesting to read between the lines of the text and note that the author is a bit of a maverick， more than he quite makes out， and that you have to have a certain kind of psychological self-destructiveness to do this work over and over。 It adds more notes to a complex story。 。。。more

Leon ，

Great book about the horrors of war， and the medical care that brave people do to put the broken and injured back together。 It got a bit too political for my taste， but still a great book nonetheless

Kbrown5455 ，

When one has accomplished a lot， it is difficult to write about in the balance between boasting and false modesty。

Marie Leonard hullis ，

Brutal and hard to read at times， but I’ve rarely been so moved by a book。 Vividly captures the worst but also the best of what humans can be。 What an extraordinary man David Nott is。

Emily BG ，

Depressing given Ukraine but also v good

Reagan Williams ，

He is referred to as the “most experienced trauma surgeon in the world” and this is his book telling of his experiences。 Two big takeaways: The story of a gifted surgeon who sacrificed comfort to consistently learn more procedures and techniques that would allow him a better opportunity at saving the lives of innocent war victims， as well as a first-hand account of the atrocities that comes from wars still going on in our world today

Florence ，

An amazing read！ The courage this doctor shows in going to many war zones to practice surgery is incredible。 You will be wowed， learning details of many recommended emergency surgeries。 You may need a strong stomach！ After many years of doing this， Dr。 David Nott still collaborates with surgeons and trains them， saving many lives。 This apparently includes his training of surgeons practicing in the present war in Ukraine。

Rama ，

It is a book that is emotionally heavy loaded， but nevertheless a great opportunity， especially for those who have never experienced or have never been put through such dire situations in their live， to explore a new perspective and come to know a further part of life 。。。 The auther's writing style was normal and I mostly had a feeling of being told a story by a friend。 He wrote sometimes form the heart and as we all know what comes form the heart reaches the heart。 This added to the quality of It is a book that is emotionally heavy loaded， but nevertheless a great opportunity， especially for those who have never experienced or have never been put through such dire situations in their live， to explore a new perspective and come to know a further part of life 。。。 The auther's writing style was normal and I mostly had a feeling of being told a story by a friend。 He wrote sometimes form the heart and as we all know what comes form the heart reaches the heart。 This added to the quality of the overall reading。 An aspect， that cloud be considered as a critique is that a huge chunk of this book involved technicalities and felt like reading notes on surgical performance， which might not be interesting for every reader。 However， since the writer is a surgeon and the title says "surgery on the front line" such kind of content was to be expected and therefore I will not subtract a star from my evaluation。 I enjoyed reading this book and it was interesting for me to see how the manifestation of war depending on in which country， culture or society， or what the the geopolitical situation was， was different， yet simultaneously the same 。。。 I know this sentence seems paradoxical at first， but when thought further the paradox will disappear。 Here are some quotes that resonated with me: "It ist the vulnerability of human life - when it is stripped down to its basics - makes us all the same。" "To be granted that god-given ability to help people in their time of need was the most joyous gift。""As ever it is the tiny beacons of light amid the darkness that give us hope " 。。。more

Hussain Ali ，

الطبيب الطيار ديفيد نوت عاش حياة ذات معنى، الكتاب مليء بالقصص الحزينة -و المضحكة أيضاً- عن جراح ارتبط اسمه بالحرب و الأمل فأصبح ملهمًا。ديفيد تحدث عن تجربته في العديد من الحروب و الكوارث الطبيعية حول العالم، في أفغانستان و سوريا و البوسنة و غيرهم الكثير。 الكتاب مميز بأسلوب سردي لطيف و سهل من الكاتب، عيبه الإطالة في بعض التفاصيل أحياناً。{。。وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا أَحْيَا النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا。。} - المائدة آية ٣٢

Imalah Akhund ，

Finally done with this book I had been reading since July 2021， lol。 Doesn't say anything about the book which was mostly medium-paced， but I just wasn't particularly in a reading mood。Anyways the book was an interesting insight into the world of Humanitarian Medicine and Surgery on the Frontlines， David Knott volunteered on different NGOs and Humanitarian Organization like Doctors Without Borders （Médecins sans frontières）， Syria Relief， Red Cross and travelled to alot of countries struck by wa Finally done with this book I had been reading since July 2021， lol。 Doesn't say anything about the book which was mostly medium-paced， but I just wasn't particularly in a reading mood。Anyways the book was an interesting insight into the world of Humanitarian Medicine and Surgery on the Frontlines， David Knott volunteered on different NGOs and Humanitarian Organization like Doctors Without Borders （Médecins sans frontières）， Syria Relief， Red Cross and travelled to alot of countries struck by war or natural disasters like Syria， Afghanistan， Sarajevo， Africa， Palestine， Pakistan， Haiti。 He wrote about the thrill that initially drew him towards going to these less privileged areas with not-so-safe environment， what it's like to provide emergency healthcare services with lack of resources and what it was like for the locals living in such severe life-and-death environment。 I read Stephen Westaby's Fragile Lives two years ago and was really impressed with his ability to write about medicine and complex surgical procedure in a way that is both accurate and engaging and I can now say the same about this book。 The medical jargon was minimal and when it was there it was explained really well。Regarding politics， there were some parts which gave some little hint of a White-Saviour Complex （some would say that the cover itself is very annoying in that way） but he mostly steered clear of talking too much about politics or his opinions on them， whether that was intentional or not on his part but it can be said that this is also a reason that so many people have been mostly welcoming about the book。All in all， I liked the book and it managed to spike some interest in humanitarian medicine in me！ 。。。more

Janae Mast ，

Wow what an incredible life and story。 The lives David Nott saved and the risks he took and the things he suffered from， combine for an amazing book of miracle stories。 Parts of it did drag a little for me， but overall， I really liked it， though some parts were gruesome and really hard to read。

Livia ，

Ehehe， not for me to read at the moment。 Extremely graphic and way too real with everything going on。 Will come back to at some point。

Flapper72 ，

Fantastic。 I have been at a medical conference discussing resilience etc and Dr Nott presented。 He seemed pretty unassuming， didn't refer to any of the details of his work in war zones， just that he'd been there and had some challenges with adjustment and his own mental health after returning。 Dr Nott is obviously an amazing man。 He is completely honest and graphic about some of the situations he has found himself in， performing surgery in war zones and， literally， having people die in front of Fantastic。 I have been at a medical conference discussing resilience etc and Dr Nott presented。 He seemed pretty unassuming， didn't refer to any of the details of his work in war zones， just that he'd been there and had some challenges with adjustment and his own mental health after returning。 Dr Nott is obviously an amazing man。 He is completely honest and graphic about some of the situations he has found himself in， performing surgery in war zones and， literally， having people die in front of you whilst you're operating and the anaesthetist and everyone else in the theatre has run， to take cover， leaving you alone in the dark with a patient bleeding to death。 Awful， awful situations。 And also the work he did to try and get his medical friends he'd met whilst working in Syria out to safety along with their patients。 It must have been completely absorbing and exhausting physically and mentally。 I can't recommend this book enough。 It will shock you and appall you but is a fantastic read。 。。。more

Karin Jenkins ，

A fascinating insight into surgery in war zones and other disaster areas。 For much of the book Nott comes over as confident to the point of being a little arrogant which is a common and possibly necessary characteristic of surgeons and I liked him better when he showed his weaknesses。 He was refreshingly honest about the fact that， while he genuinely wanted to help people， he also did the work because it was exciting to visit these places that would otherwise be off limits。 I found his descripti A fascinating insight into surgery in war zones and other disaster areas。 For much of the book Nott comes over as confident to the point of being a little arrogant which is a common and possibly necessary characteristic of surgeons and I liked him better when he showed his weaknesses。 He was refreshingly honest about the fact that， while he genuinely wanted to help people， he also did the work because it was exciting to visit these places that would otherwise be off limits。 I found his descriptions of surgery interesting but I have a medical background - if you don’t have a reasonable knowledge of anatomy they might be hard to follow and it’s definitely not a book for the squeamish。 I was pleased that he was concentrating more and more on training local surgeons as this will have a greater impact in the long run and I enjoyed the afterword from his wife’s perspective。 Recommended if you can cope with descriptions of injuries and operations and with someone who is occasionally a bit full of himself。 。。。more

Taylor Aldeghi ，

This book is great for what it is。 Meaning， it’s hard for me to get through nonfiction in general， but I got what I wanted/expected from this book。 I appreciate that Dr。 Nott gave descriptions of some of the surgeries they performed， since I am interested in surgery myself。 I can’t imagine the horrors they have faced， and I’m very grateful for the people in the world who are brave enough to do missions like the ones described。

Jodie McPherson ，

🌿BOOK REVIEW🌿War Doctor by David Nott “Is the practice of medicine a business or is it a vocation？ Where does the balance lie between doing well and doing good？”Everyone please stand for my new favourite medical memoir！ This one has sat on my shelf for the better part of two years and I am kicking myself that I have only just picked it up。 Dr David Nott recalls his experiences working all over the world as a war doctor， working in the most perilous of conditions and often with next to no resourc 🌿BOOK REVIEW🌿War Doctor by David Nott “Is the practice of medicine a business or is it a vocation？ Where does the balance lie between doing well and doing good？”Everyone please stand for my new favourite medical memoir！ This one has sat on my shelf for the better part of two years and I am kicking myself that I have only just picked it up。 Dr David Nott recalls his experiences working all over the world as a war doctor， working in the most perilous of conditions and often with next to no resources。 I will say that as a medical student （and a complete nerd） I loved all of the medical talk in this book and often I could picture exactly what was happening。 Even if you don’t have any medical experience this book is just as immersive as Nott breaks down all the jargon so you can fully appreciate the complexities of the matter。 I thought his discussion of these extremely vulnerable civilians often caught in the crossfire of callous fighting was extremely emotive。 Again and again Nott recalls the most innocent of patients that landed on his operating table and the impact that each of them had on his future work。 If you can， I would highly recommend reading this as an audiobook as Nott’s narration brings a whole new level of emotion to this book。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5⚠️CW// medical trauma， child death， violence， miscarriage， panic disorders， war 。。。more

Maurmaur ，

Really good， very insightful and pretty cool。

Rose ，

Simply in awe of this man’s achievements and service to the medical field

Vijay ，

Highly engaging and incredibly interesting story。 It is heartwarming to know that there are good souls in the world， but they do not get the attention they deserve。 Instead， we focus on the devils in Putin， Assad， Xi， etc。 This man's life should be used as a benchmark for mankind。 This is who we should judges ourselves against。His life experiences， and he's still young， is probably what most of us will experience over more than one lifetime。 This made should be highly accoladed for his humanitar Highly engaging and incredibly interesting story。 It is heartwarming to know that there are good souls in the world， but they do not get the attention they deserve。 Instead， we focus on the devils in Putin， Assad， Xi， etc。 This man's life should be used as a benchmark for mankind。 This is who we should judges ourselves against。His life experiences， and he's still young， is probably what most of us will experience over more than one lifetime。 This made should be highly accoladed for his humanitarian contributions towards the world and we all should hold him in the highest of respects。David Nott Foundation also deserves to be supported。 。。。more

Lama Hossam ，

The life of David Nott cannot be described as anything short of a series of acts of heroism。 Surgeons alone are considered heroes， but choosing to perform surgery under the most brutal circumstances: exhausted， traumatized， with your life under constant threat， should be given special credit。 However， David did strike me as arrogant at times， always thinking he knows more or has more experience than the doctor in front of him， even though it could very much not be the case given that these docto The life of David Nott cannot be described as anything short of a series of acts of heroism。 Surgeons alone are considered heroes， but choosing to perform surgery under the most brutal circumstances: exhausted， traumatized， with your life under constant threat， should be given special credit。 However， David did strike me as arrogant at times， always thinking he knows more or has more experience than the doctor in front of him， even though it could very much not be the case given that these doctors all came from different parts of the world and had different experiences。 What I found especially disturbing， however， was the way he’d constantly describe his missions as ‘exhilarating’ or a source of adrenaline in contrast to his slow mundane non-life saving life in the UK。 It’s naive to think that acts of heroism are purely selfless acts; however， I wish he would’ve refrained from making it blatantly obvious that he’s an ‘adrenaline junkie’ who just can’t stay away from being the *white* knight amid all the destruction。 It not only tended to shine the light on him rather than on the victims of war， but also tended to undermine their plight， as I’m sure to them， bullets aren’t ‘exhilarating’， they’re terrifying。 Having said this， I really did enjoy the book。 David Nott， whether or not his intentions may be contaminated by a bit of a white savior complex， is an undeniable hero， and has done and continues to do so much for victims， when the majority of people who might have the same privileges he does， choose their slow， mundane lives instead。 。。。more

Keith Bhebhe ，

Exceptional

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=War Doctor: Surgery on the Front Line

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=War Doctor: Surgery on the Front Line&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,War Doctor: Surgery on the Front Line&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0