Book description
Now an AMC+ series starring Ben Whishaw
The acclaimed multimillion-copy bestseller, This Is Going to Hurt is Adam Kay’s equally "blisteringly funny" (Boston Globe) and “heartbreaking” (New Yorker) secret diaries of his years as a young doctor.
Welcome to 97-hour weeks. Welcome to life and death decisions. Welcome to a…
Why read it?
3 authors picked This Is Going to Hurt as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
I loved this memoir because it was humorous and it transported me back to my own days as a junior doctor in a District General hospital, in the mid-1980s.
The black humour of a medic combined with the real human stories made it very relatable. This, merged with an easy-to-read diary style, captured the true life experiences and dilemmas of a junior doctor working in the NHS perfectly.
It was a walk down memory lane for me and it would provide an amusing insight for non-medics.
From Rhona's list on medical memoirs which take you 'behind the scenes'.
One of my favourite books (ever). Death and dying feature briefly, and the remaining narrative is brimming with brilliantly dark medical humour - written by a doctor turned stand-up comedian and poised on the knife edge between laughter and tears.
It’s filled with pathos, wry observations on the human condition, and frankly hilarious anecdotes about the ridiculous things people do with their genitals in the name of fun. The overall comedic tone makes the occasional bad outcome much more stark and shocking, but my overwhelming emotion from reading this book is one of immense pride in the NHS and a…
From Nancy's list on on death and dying (without being terminally depressing).
How different is medical training in the UK under the National Health Service? Dr. Kay divulges the benefits (universal healthcare, free medical school) and harms (undervalued and overworked physicians and staff) in his passionate and jaunty memoir.
Most UK docs work for an inadequately funded public health system that neglects its exhausted medical staff, while a select few physicians cash in via a shadow private option that provides exclusive care to its wealthy elite. Dr. Kay exposes the rotten underbelly of the UK’s vaunted health system while extolling its promise.
From David's list on painfully honest training to become a doctor.
If you love This Is Going to Hurt...
These Blue Mountains
A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.
German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…
Want books like This Is Going to Hurt?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like This Is Going to Hurt.
Share your top 3 reads of 2025!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,367
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like This Is Going to Hurt, you might also like...
Pioneer Paddles of the Colonial South
Award-winning novelist William Auman, author of If Trees Could Testify..., takes the reader on a time-traveling odyssey featuring 345 bodies of water in six states within the historical context through which they unfold.
Journey into remaining Colonial-era wilderness with stories of pirate treasure, epic frontiersmen, Indigenous Peoples, and Revolutionary…
A Winter's Disgrace
Cyprian, a marquess’s heir, will not let his mother choose his next bride. Leaving a house party in a blizzard to avoid her stratagems, he finds a woman trudging half frozen toward the London road. Rosamund fled disgrace, hoping to reach the one person who might shelter her, but even…
