Chasing the Surge

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A book review of Chasing the Surge: Life as a Travel Nurse in a Global Pandemic by Grover Nicodemus Street with Sandra De Abreu Guidry-Street, MD and Ja-Ne De Abreu

A book review of Chasing the Surge: Life as a Travel Nurse in a Global Pandemic by Grover Nicodemus Street with Sandra De Abreu Guidry-Street, MD and Ja-Ne De Abreu

Stars: *****

JMFDEA (2021)
Memoir>Medical Professional/COVID-19
276 pages

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.

Summary: Grover Nicodemus Street is a travel nurse who felt it necessary to help others in these turbulent times. He has gone to COVID hotspots in the US since the beginning of the pandemic to do so and also to help keep his wife, who is a cancer survivor safe from this deadly virus. He also encountered many unbelievable events, like being suddenly stuck in the middle of a Black Lives Matter protest in New York, the storms of Florida last summer, and the gigafire of California. Grover’s wife, Dr. Sandra de Abreu Guidry-Street stayed at home and researched the virus while he was working on the front lines. Even though he tried as hard as he could to keep COVID-19 away from his wife, it was not possible.

Grover felt compelled to write about his travels to share his experiences and shed light on the actual reality of the patients and healthcare workers who are behind the closed doors of hospitals. He did not know how to start. Ja-ne de Abreu, his sister-in-law just finished writing Sassy Food, about her polar opposite pandemic experience of quarantining while caregiving and growing food. As they discussed it, Ja-ne immediately was inspired as to how to construct his wild year. Chasing the Surge is a compelling story about this global pandemic but also to dispel misbeliefs about this virus and the vaccine.

Being a Black American, Grover is dedicating a portion of the proceeds towards educating minority communities about coronavirus and the safety of the vaccine.

Chasing the Surge

Wow! Just Wow! I’m on disability and don’t work. I’ve never worked in a medial facility and I’ve never worked during the COVID-19 pandemic. I have no idea what it is really like being a doctor or nurse during a pandemic. This book does the shocking job of making it all real. You will feel like you are standing in the middle of the Emergency Room (ER) or Intensive Care Unit (ICU) during the start of the pandemic.

This book was written in May 2021 but covers January 2020-January 2021. The beginning of the pandemic was worse than how they are doing now. They have learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t. Throughout the book the author shares the # of cases and # of deaths globally and in the US. You will quickly see that there were more deaths in the beginning.

Reading this book now will be different than anyone reading this book years from now when it’s (I hope!) over. The next generations will get to see what it was like in the trenches in 2020. I actually had tears in my eyes in parts. Anyone who thinks this is not a real pandemic needs to read this book. It might just change your mind. I’m so thankful I read this book. I understand a little what our front-line workers are going through now.

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About Kathleen

I've been a nonfiction lover for as long as I can remember. I love children's nonfiction as well and love to share my knowledge and the books I gained them from, with the world. I wish more people would give nonfiction a chance.