Patrice D'amato is a nurse with a lot of experience under her belt, working across a wide range of services throughout her career. But it's her experiences working in an abortion clinic that she has chosen to share with the world.

I wanted so badly to enjoy this book, the controversy surrounding abortion is at an all time high and this had the potential to humanise what is seen as a very taboo subject.

It's a lot of information all at once, there are a lot of lovely anecdotes however it doesn't seem to flow for me, it seemed a bit disjointed and struggled to keep my attention. It just wasn't for me.

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book. I thought it was well written. I think it is a good read that stays pretty unbiased with a controversial topic. I would have liked to have more stories or first hand accounts but I thought it was good.

The View from the Clinic is such and incredibly well written and interesting book. I found it hard to put down, and I highly recommend it

It's an incredible achievement to write about such a divisive topic, from such close quarters, with the clarity that Patrice D'Amato brings to every page. This book throws out all the myths and the hysteria and treats the reader - no matter their views on birth control - with the same compassion as the patients whose stories are told with a rare tenderness.

What an insightful read. I enjoyed reading about this topic - something I have never read into much before so this was the perfect introduction.

Interesting read.
Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free, it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

Patrice D'Amato has been an American nurse for almost four decades, playing many different roles both as a clinical nurse and also a teacher. She has seen a wide range of patients from all sorts of social groups and has filled the role of University mentor and educator. This ‘mosaic memoir’ is far reaching and full of empathy. Patrice has been there and worn the Tee shirt. There is no doubt that she is a great nurse, acts proficiently, and is both professional and passionate about her calling.
In the United States the issue of abortion is a thorny, heated and diverse topic. It generates debate in many ways: religion, law, the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political and social rights and opportunities and a particular system of values and principles of conduct. The ethos that a pregnant woman should have the right to decide what she wants to do with her embryo is just not acceptable for many different reasons in a society. The subject then is deeply tricky and in many areas in America abortion is unlawful and banned. Never mind the twelve-year- old who was raped, and is already deeply traumatised. Or the lady with mental health issues who cannot rear a child and is deeply disturbed. There are so many other examples I could mention as well, but what is right for one circumstance is not necessarily right for someone else.
I found the first part of the memoir was very slow going and without form. It was not what I had expected whereby Patrice would tell the truth of her patient and her experience in a regular way, perhaps in chapters or even together in a chapter by similarity of their experiences. I found myself frustrated and struggling to get into the memoir. Reading on and now in part two, fictionalised content was delivered, I thought I would start getting along with the stories but once again I struggled with the form of this section too. There were stories that were never completed. It was all over the place.
The myths and truths section was quite interesting and yes I did learn facts that I didn’t know, however I thought the organisation of this part was lacking. My opinion is that Patrice is without doubt a caring multi-talented nurse. She has expertise in many medical disciplines and is hardworking and full of compassion. This is obvious throughout the memoir. Her special devotion to the medical profession is both commendable and heart-warming.
I received a complimentary copy of this memoire from Fan Blade Publishing, through my membership of NetGalley. Thank you for my copy sent in return for an honest and unbiased review. This book is full of information about Patrice and her nursing career.

Fresh take on a hot button topic!

Everyone knows nurses are the backbone of healthcare, and this nurse brings humanity to the topic of abortion. Though pro-choice in her personal views, she presents cases and information from neither a prolife,, pro-choice nor pro-abortion perspectives.

Patrice D’Amato pens a novel from her courageous 38 year nursing career immersed in a women’s clinic and being a nursing educator that allows the reader to view women’s health from the view of very personal choices and very real people. She provides further reading and material for the reader to research for themselves to further educate yourself on how and why women make such difficult choices, the myths and misinformation that’s spread, and how each decision is unique for the person, their beliefs, their religion and cultural beliefs and constrains as well as shining a light on those unsung heroes that show up to work everyday to help educate and provide outstanding care and compassion for people in all stages and situations in life.

Perfect for anyone who likes memoirs, nursing tales, or anyone who would like to further their insights or perspectives on the topic of abortions.

Thank you so much to #NetGalley, the publisher and author for this amazing ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Nursing memoirs allow you to see first hand the internal as well as external struggles each nurse goes through despite showing up with brave and neutral faces. This is one not to miss.

The View from the Clinic: One Nurse's Journey in Abortion Care by Patrice D'Amato is a 'compassionate mosaic memoir,' as the author labels it, presenting medical cases and giving an overview of clinical procedures during an abortion.

Part one of the book was really boring. Very hard to get into. The sentences were long and took forever to get to the actual story. I was waiting for the actual stories of the women, but that never came in part one.

Part two were the stories of actual patients. The stories were boring and some didn’t make any sense.

This is an excellent book about a very polarizing topic. The author does not take sides, this is merely her account of a smattering of patients she worked with during her time at an abortion clinic. She writes with compassion and sometimes a bit of judgement but for the most part it is a clinical account of what transpires and some imaginative stories about circumstances patients find themselves in when they find themselves in need of this service.

I sincerely doubt anyone would likely change their stance on this topic from reading this book but from a nurse's perspective it was an informative read. I finished it in 2 sittings.

The View from the Clinic by Patrice D'Amato

Throughout her nearly four-decades-long nursing career, Patrice D’Amato has seen the most diverse cross section of the human population inside abortion clinics. A compassionate mosaic memoir, The View from the Clinic normalizes and humanizes abortion through the experiences of patients, families, and staff inside a clinic—from the eyes and heart of a nurse who worked there.
A very interesting perspective from the author on her working career of working in a U.S abortion clinic.
I found Patrice a professional , and caring sounding person who saw the patient not just the predicament these women ( and sadly girls ) found themselves in .