Tag Archives: True Crime

The Prison Doctor by Dr. Amanda Brown

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: The Prison Doctor
Author: Dr. Amanda Brown
Series: The Prison Doctor #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Medical, Memoirs, True crime
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2019

Thoughts

I haven’t actually read this trilogy of memoirs in order – I read Women Inside (the second book) first. So it was really good to see just how Brown ended up in her chosen career as a prison doctor. I mean, it’s a pretty big leap to go from a GP to a prison doctor. And I’d imagine a pretty steep learning curve, both mentally and emotionally. It was definitely interesting reading just how Brown was able to make this leap and how she processed all of the extreme changes that such a change bought about in her life.

I found, aside from how interesting all of Brown’s anecdotes were, that this was a great reminder to stop, take a deep breath and just appreciate what you have. I mean, how could stories of people who have to spend a good portion of their lives incarcerated not make you stop and think? Or maybe that’s just me… there is so much compassion and sympathy throughout this story, it’s definitely a humbling read.

This is an amazing journey and a humbling tale. I want to help people, but this is a whole other level of assistance and giving that I can’t really fathom. I mean, helping people is one thing, being in a situation that can feel potentially dangerous to do so? A whole other level. And, there is a whole lot of surprising stories throughout that make you feel even more strongly for those who are battling to carve out their own lives.

I honestly expected a whole heap of danger and violence from this memoir. I mean, it’s about a woman who goes and works in prisons. But there is almost none of that. Yes, the violence is touched upon. And the challenges faced. But mostly this is a story about the triumph of humanity. The ways in which we are able to fight against all odds and come out on top. At least, that’s how it read to me.

<- More Dr. Amanda BrownThe Prison Doctor: Women Inside ->

Image source: Amazon

The Prison Doctor: Women Inside by Dr. Amanda Brown

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: The Prison Doctor: Women Inside
Author: Dr. Amanda Brown
Series: The Prison Doctor #2
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Medical, Memoirs, True crime
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2020

Thoughts

This was one of those memoirs that I did have to stop and start a little. Mostly because the topic was pretty emotionally dense. But, on the flipside, I also couldn’t wait to pick this up all the time because Brown does such an amazing job of writing about this. She deals with some incredibly complex and intense issues in a frank and open matter. And she does so with an amazing amount of respect.

I must admit, some of the stories told in this book made me seriously think about my own preconceptions and biases. I’m pretty open minded, but there were a few moments that made me sit back and rethink my approach to criminality and jail. Particularly when Brown very simply states the facts and highlights the damn injustices and inequalities in the world. There was a lot of this novel that made me pause and think.

Each chapter of this story is filled with experiences and anecdotes. And unlike many of the other medical memoirs that I’ve read, there isn’t always a satisfactory conclusion to the story. After all, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of women that Brown sees once. And never again. It’s somehow a lot more realistic and got my right in the feels.

I love that there is a key theme throughout all of the stories that Brown picks to create this memoir. I didn’t actually see it until I got to the final chapter, and Brown completely laid it bare. But once she explains that underlying theme, there is a huge penny drop moment. It brings all of the individual tales together and made me stop and think about the same issues that we face down here in Australia.

<- The Prison DoctorThe Prison Doctor: Foreign Bodies ->

Image source: Amazon

Know My Name by Chanel Miller

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: Know My Name: The Survivor of the Stanford Sexual Assault Case Tells Her Story
Author: Chanel Miller
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Feminism, Memoirs, True crime
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2019

Thoughts

I knew that this was going to be one of the most emotional and confronting reads of my life. And I was completely right. But holy crap, this was amazing. I actually remember when this case went viral and Miller’s victim statement. It was a moment that made me (like many others) realise that we’re all fed up with this crap. But this review is about the book, not my soap box… so yes, holy crap, amazing book.

Know My Name made me cry multiple times throughout. And for so many reasons. To start with it’s just horrifying what Miller experienced throughout her whole ordeal. The legal system failed her again and again. As did so many other systems that are supposed to be there to assist, but instead retraumatised Miller again and again.

But then there’s the amazing love and support she received throughout the battle. Where at the beginning of the book I cried because of pain, then I started crying because of the beauty and hope that surrounds Miller. The amount of support she is surrounded by is phenomenal and reminds us in this shit storm that not everyone is a piece of crap. There is beautiful hope and light in even the darkest hours.

This is a terrible and tragic story, but there is a great sense of triumph and hope. I think this is a book that everyone needs to read. Something that can help people gain insight and understanding into a survivor’s journey. Into the toll that sexual assault takes on everyone, not just the victim. A phenomenal, life changing book that I want to read again. Just maybe not for a while yet, I need to emotionally recover.

<- The Beekeeper of SinjarRadium Girls ->

Image source: Penguin Books Australia