A collection of true narratives from nurses and their careers.  From their first birth, to their first death – to what they deal with as well as what they see on a day-to-day basis.  Stories that are at times life changing, overstepping boundaries with an AIDS patient, and the nurse who was the only one who showed up at the funeral of one of her patients.

So this particular listen is both right up my alley – and not.  I do enjoy a good non fiction read.  At the same time I knew this one would be a bit touchy for me on a personal level and I was nervous going into this listen.  While there were moments that hit a little too close to home, this audio was not only doable – but interesting.

This book of short personal stories of these nurses is both enlightening and heartbreaking.  Yes there were moments for me that were harder to listen to than others.  I suspect that would be the case for many in such a read.  When talking about the different things that nurses do and the types of patients they encounter, I suspect it is easy to touch the reader/listener personally in many ways.

Adding to the mix is of course the narration of Tania Gilbert, who I have enjoyed listening to many times and this book was no exception.  Her diversity in the stories is once again a powerful performance and a narrator I always smile abut when I see her name on audio books I wish to listen to.

My overall thoughts are that this is an interesting listen and while I am probably not the best audience for this, I am still glad I had a chance to experience it and get a little insight to what it is really like to live out your career as a nurse.

Tavia Gilbert, narrator of I Wasn’t Strong Like This Before is nominated for an Audie Award. 

• Written by: Lee Gutkind
• Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
• Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins 
• Unabridged Audiobook
• Release Date:08-04-15
• Publisher: Tantor Audio