What We're Reading: Heather Recommends

Mary J. MacLeod is an English nurse who moved her family to a remote Scottish island in the 1970s. Her memoir Call the Nurse: True Stories of a Country Nurse on a Scottish Isle is a glimpse into a unique way of life bound by utterly human characters.

I've always been a fan of time-travel stories and this is a real-world version.

Many technological advancements had not crossed the waters to the island at the time. In fact, most homes lacked running water and electricity. It’s a huge culture shock, but she dives right into the adventure and propels us along with her.

The book is comprised of vignettes of medical stories and cultural anecdotes. MacLeod describes medical emergencies where survival is dependent upon weather allowing a mainland helicopter to make the voyage, intoxicated characters who somehow survive a night in a snowy ditch, and dealing with mental health quandaries that rely on her own quick thinking and intuition.

But it’s not entirely a recounting of medical issues. There are numerous stories about the traditions being kept alive and the closeness of these people for whom the world is a very small place indeed.