When the Nurse Becomes a Patient: A
Story in Words and Images, published
by the Kent State University Press, was
recognized with a 2015 gold Living Now
Book Award.

A book published by the Kent State University Press, When the Nurse Becomes a Patient: A Story in Words and Images, by Cortney Davis, was recognized with a 2015 gold Living Now Book Award.

The seventh annual Living Now Book Awards are a subcategory of the Independent Publisher Book (IPPY) Awards, which “celebrate the innovation and creativity of books that enhance the quality of life,” according to the awards’ website. The Kent State University Press has received several IPPY Awards in the past.

“The awards are a validation of our decision as publishers to take on the book,” says William Underwood, director of the Kent State University Press. “Obviously, it’s great to be recognized by our peers, and Cortney Davis is an exceptional author.”

Davis’ book details her transformative experience as a surgical patient who went through severe complications.

Underwood says that, as a nurse practitioner, Davis offers a unique perspective about the relationship between caregivers and patients in the healthcare system. The importance of illness empathy and patient knowledge through personal suffering is at the forefront of her book.

“This is a new area for her because she is a caregiver, but in this book she is on the receiving side,” says Underwood. “That was an unusual event for her, which she’s expressed very eloquently in the book through her pictures and writing.”

Davis’ book, The Heart’s Truth: Essays on the Art of Nursing, also won a bronze Living Now Evergreen Book Award for Health and Wellness in 2013.

For more information about the Kent State University Press, visit www.kentstateuniversitypress.com.

For more information about the Living Now Book Awards, visit www.livingnowawards.com.