Kathryn Kyker used to faint at the sight of blood. But after three decades as an ER social worker, blood no longer phased her—and neither did anything else.

Kathryn took her job at a regional Georgia hospital because she was desperate for health insurance. Although she found the work meaningful and became the hospital’s first ER social work manager, the high-stakes environment left her unable to cry, hypervigilant about safety, and detached from family and friends.

With her inner emotional landscape sabotaged, Kathryn set out on a quest to regain her relationship with curiosity, joy, and the bonds that make us human. The result is a reflective interrogation of the US health care system, a meditation on social work, and a thoughtful inquiry into the emotional responsibilities we have to ourselves—and each other.

Full of compassion and humorous insight, Surprised by Nothing is a compelling reminder of how to live a creative and nurturing life, even in the face of the world’s random, devastating hardships.