What an awfully written book. It is one of the worst books that I have ever read.
I was extremely disappointed as I had high hopes

Admittedly when I asked to read this book thought it would be about the Australian flying doctors but didn’t let the fact that it wasn’t put me off! Ok, I’ll read it anyway. Sadly though it wasn’t a great book. There are lots of very short anecdotes which weren’t the slightest bit amusing. There’s no feeling of getting to know the man who wrote this at all. None of the photos worked well on a kindle. On the other hand if anyone has lupus or knows someone who does, then the huge section covering this condition will be of interest.

I love it when I pick up a work of non-fiction and it makes me smile, this one deals with some very serious topics like medical science and the disease of lupus, after all the author is called the Father of Lupus in USA. It is a memoir of his experiences working with the disease, and the travels he undertakes during the same, starting from his days as a medical student and a senior doctor.
The book can be slightly dense due to the details about medical science, and the travel diary aspects can be slightly sparse, but that did not impact my experience reading the book.
Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC, without which I would have never even heard about this book!

Thank you to Netgalley for a pre publication copy. In return for an honest review! #talesofaflyingdoctor #netgalley

Graham Hughes researched and pushed the world of lupus and antiphospholopid syndrome forward for not only the UK and the world. This is his story!

I love memoirs particularly medical ones. Naively I saw the title on Netgalley which was simply "Tales of a flying doctor" and assumed this would be a medical memoir about a Dr who flew around the world or practiced in the air. Unfortunately I should have read the synopsis and to be honest would probably have stayed clear.

This book is well written and has some interesting information on board for those with an interest in medicine, immunology, rheumatology or even are a patient with lupus or Hughes syndrome.

However the chapters are ever so short and so I'd the book. There was a lot of room for Hughes to expand each anecdote, chapter and also the book. Which would have made it feel slightly less rushed and give some further insight.

Also this book as a lot of name dropping. Some paragraphs are full of names thrown in which may mean something to someone who works in the field. However likely mean not a lot to others. By all means Include names but I feel when most chapters are made up of names it is too much. Not only that it detracts from the flow of the read too.

Furthermore I know this book was about Hughes' successful career but this book had room to share some more situational experiences over Hughes' expert and 40 years in the NHS. It would have been nice to hear some more patient stories and maybe have some more depth to the anecdotes provided. Instead of just saying "i can't say any more." It needed supplementing with some stories that could be told. Even if details changed for confidentiality. I do think this would have helped highlight the points made and give image to the changes of clinical practice that came from Hughes research snd conferences.

Lastly the book came to an ubrupt stop. I actually had to check if half the book was missing or if it actually had just stopped like that. My kindle told me I was on 100% so that must be it. It would have been nice to have an ease out ending or some further information about lupus and Hughes syndrome st the back because there wasn't much explanation of these in the book. Just an assumption we knew more than the bate minimum.

However for a doctor interested in immunology, rheumatology, lupus or Hughes syndrome. No doubt you'd get a lot from it however the marketing originally on Netgalley was not clear but looking on goodreads rhat appears to have changed, title included.

Mostly about the author, Doctor Hughes and about his experience with the autoimmune disorder, Lupus.
The chapters are short as we follow the author around the world, at least half of the book is about the author and anecdotes that I couldn't really gel with, we follow him with him around the globe through training and experience,

I've read other medical books but this wasn't one I could really relate to or warm too, I just felt it was a bit too stiff and the anecdotes weren't funny or relatable. I think the book title is a little misleading because this doctor did travel around the world for his work but the title implies or reads as though he is a doctor and that flying is part of his job, like he works for HEMs or something.

May be of interest to those who suffer with Lupus.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC in return for my review.

A medical memoir. This book may be interesting to medical students or current professionals in the field looking to learn more about Dr. Graham Hughes.

An account of the author’s career, the colleagues and collaborators he met during his work on lupus. Might interest people who have a special interest in lupus.

Sadly I have to say it´s a terrible book. The first 40% of the book is all about the author, with whom I just wasn't able to connect. All the adventures and anecdotes were not funny at all, it was stiff and seemed to be snapped in a half.
The medical part was better, but still not good enough.
It breaks my heart to give one star only, but an honest review is an honest review.

If you're looking for a relatable medical memoir like 'This is going to hurt' or 'Unnatural Causes' then keep looking because that's not what this book is.

The adventures of Graham Hughes and his contributions to rheumatology are undoubtedly interesting but unfortunately I found this book somewhat repetitive and slightly disjointed in its writing in addition to sometimes verging on pretentious.

Personally I think the title 'Tales of a Flying Doctor' a bit misleading. Whilst Prof Hughes has obviously visited a fair few places the opening chapter alongside the title suggests more of an aeromedical theme and this is not the case.

This books is very heavy on the medicine and non-medics/healthcare professionals may find it too much. It is certainly informative but for me not an enjoyable read. If you have a specific interest in lupus or anti phospholipid syndrome then you may like this more.

The description did not match the book content, unfortunately, I feel as though the book is being sold as a medical memoir but does not read like one.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I generally enjoy this type of book, but didn't gel with this one. It felt quite self-congratulatory and was more focused on the research than patient stories, which is what interests me more.

Not sure the title fits the book really on this one, but don't let that put you off. In fact it's possibly a bonus that this isn't your usual medical emergencies at 20,000ft book as there are many of those around and some done much better than others.
This is a relatively simple exploration of some incredibly complex medical conditions and it is a credit to the author that he makes it extremely accessible for the reader with no medical knowledge.
If you've ever wondered how and why medical research happens and what goes on behind the scenes ( including the rule breaking over snacks!) or how specific charities form or magazines which focus on generally 'hidden' diseases come to be written then this is certainly a good book to pick up.
The international elements of the book bring additional interest and for anyone who has a connection to Lupus, Hughes syndrome and other associated conditions it is a must read to see how critical this gentleman's work was in bringing the knowledge and understanding forward in leaps and bounds.

Thank you for the opportunity to read 'Tales of a Flying Doctor'.

Like other reviewers, I thought this would be a book about an Australian outback doctor. However, I soon realised that this was actually tales from the life of Dr Graham Hughes. I enjoyed reading how Dr Hughes landed in medical school and his journey to becoming one of the world's leading experts on Lupus.

Only after reading the book did I check out the other reviews left for "Tales of a Flying Doctor" - perhaps had I perused them first I would have learned that this book is not, in fact, a memoir or tale of a member of Australia's Royal Flying Doctor Service.

I'm quite sorry to say that this book did absolutely nothing for me. The writing was a bit too simplistic and I never really felt like I got down to understanding the point of the book. I gave it a solid go, hoping that something might pique my interest somewhere in the book, but it just held practically zero interest for me. Thankfully it was a rather quick read. It truly pains me to say it, because I have no doubt that the author is a wonderful human with myriad incredible experiences that are actually fascinating, but this particular book reads like a manuscript that someone was told to write towards the end of his career/life, not one that the author chose to write on his own.

"Tales of a Flying Doctor" was far more focused on the medical ins and outs of the doctor's experiences while traveling than about his travels. Although my education and professional backgrounds are not in medicine, I have studied and worked in fields that work closely with the medical profession and many of the stories in this book still didn't hold my attention. I would not recommend this for the general population, but it might do well at a medical school's bookstore. I do believe the audience for this book is quite narrow but have no doubt that someone will find it interesting.

For those who do choose to read it, it will help immensely if you're already familiar with Britishisms and life/schooling in the UK.

I was looking for a travel memoir to read during my holidays, and thought this might be interesting. I blame myself entirely for not fully reading/comprehending the synopsis about this. I somehow managed to think it would be about Australia's flying doctors, but thought I'd give it a shot because if you don't read outside your comfort zone occasionally you can do yourself a real disservice sometimes.

This was one of those times, unfortunately, where my choice wasn't a good one. It's more suited to medical students, or those with a medical background of sorts. It's presented anecdotally, with little snippets of personal details - a bit like a diary, along with information about Lupus and the discovery of the resultant Hughes syndrome - of life in New York, Jamaica, London and Sydney.

Just not for me, I'm afraid, although it's well-written and the timeline is clear.

The autobiography, Tales of a Flying Doctor, follows the adventures experienced by Dr. Graham Hughes. Dr. Graham Hughes is well known for his discoveries about Lupus and Hughes Syndrome. This book details his medical achievements, as well as, his travel experiences. One of the most notable travel experiences detailed in the book, is when he saved a pilot (mid air) in cardiac arrest. While the book was interesting, I would have enjoyed more detail regarding medical emergencies or detailed procedures that he encountered. This book may be interesting to medical students or current professionals in the field looking to learn more about Dr. Graham Hughes. I found it slightly uninteresting although I really wanted to enjoy it, as I love books about the medical field. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an interesting book.

I imagine the translation is why it reads a bit odd to me. The book is written in a mostly linear way as we follow Dr. Hughes through his training and around the world. Each "chapter" is fairly short and covers a period of time or an experience. Dr. Hughes shares his studies and his experience working with lupus across the glove. Some of the information is very medical focused, other language is accessible to laypeople.

I feel like this book really focuses on Dr. Hughes as a person and gives us a peak into his life.

I'll admit: I picked up this book for the travel aspect, not the medical one. :D

I work for a computer-software company that publishes evidence-based healthcare guidelines (which get a general, tongue-in-cheek call-out in the book, amusingly enough--not our company specifically, but the guidelines in general), so that was a secondary point of intrigue with this read.

Hughes writes _very_ well, bringing lupus (and his studies of it therein) to life for layperson and medical personnel alike. Another confession: my eyes did glaze over at times, even with that, but again, that's me not being clinical, not any fault of the author! I did really enjoy reading it and found myself literally LOLing at times. His adventures (going to the wrong airport, anyone?) were hilarious, and his dry British humor was spot on.

A few bits of humor (and medical terminology) got lost in translation a bit for me, as an American; some potentially hot-button terms used (innocuously) in one context occasionally read in another, but once I got myself sorted, all was well.

I also found Hughes' examination of various healthcare programs incredibly interesting--most notably, of course, the British NIH and American systems. Every one has its strengths and weaknesses, and seeing them at street level from someone who spent 40+ years in the industry was entirely fascinating.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.