A <b>compelling, deftly constructed </b>and <b>powerfully told </b>narrative . . . Hardman is a <b>meticulous </b>journalist with a <b>gift for storytelling. Necessary reading</b>
- Rafael Behr, Guardian
<b>Terrific </b>. . . Every aspect of this history is <b>informed and beautifully written</b>
- Alan Johnson, Observer, Book of the Week
<b>Vivid and fascinating</b>, this is a <b>beautifully cogent, balanced and human</b> biography of a health service haunted by its own mythology . . . Hardman is <b>impressively even-handed and unsentimental</b>
- Melanie Reid, The Times, Book of the Week
It has by far <b>the best analysis of where the health service came from, and where it's going</b> . . . <b>full of excellent stories</b>
- Karol Sikora, The Telegraph
<b>Brilliant</b>
- Adam Kay, author of This is Going to Hurt and Undoctored
<b>Passionate, deeply researched and page-turningly full of good stories, this is so good one is tempted to say it is the book the NHS has always deserved</b>
- Andrew Marr,
<b>This is a sensational and much-needed book: funny, intelligent and so beautifully written that it doesn't read like normal non-fiction . . . thorough, scholarly and above all readable</b>
- Chris van Tulleken,
A <b>kaleidoscopic </b>history of the NHS
- Henry Marsh, New Statesman
Hardman's writing is breezily <b>accessible</b>, and her <b>deeply researched</b> book is <b>full of colourful vignettes </b>and an <b>enjoyable spice of gossip</b> . . . she is particularly good at locating the NHS within the wider social movements that have changed British life over the 75 years of its existence
- Sarah Neville, Financial Times
A <b>brilliantly written</b> and <b>engrossing </b>biography of the NHS . . . <b>compelling </b>and even-handed
- Kate Womersley, The Spectator
'The book the NHS has always deserved' Andrew Marr
'A sensational and much-needed book . . . thorough, scholarly and above all readable' Chris van Tulleken
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How does our National Health Service really work, and what does that mean for our future?
Since its foundation in 1948, the NHS has come to define our national identity, making history (and the headlines) again and again - from cutting edge discoveries like the first 'test tube baby', to its heroic response to the Coronavirus crisis. But the NHS has also become a battleground for some of the fiercest political contests of our time, perceived either as a national treasure, or as a lumbering piece of state machinery in need of renovation.
In Fighting for Life, bestselling journalist Isabel Hardman cuts through the sentimentality and sloganeering on all sides of the political spectrum. Packed with gripping stories from the people at the beating heart of this venerated institution - its nurses, its doctors, its patients and the politicians who decide its fate - this is the essential book for understanding our NHS, and who we are as a nation.