Best or Favourite Caretakers

Hello and welcome to this week's Top 5 Wednesday post where I will be considering my Top 5 Best or Favourite caregivers in fictional books which I have read. This was made slightly more difficult by being limited to fictional books because I have read so many non-fiction books that mainly show the incredible work of the NHS and those qualified in medicine. I have managed this post, though! Although the prompt takes a narrow view of those who take care of individuals who are sick or injured, I have taken a bit of a wider interpretation by considering anyone who cares for someone else. Let's get straight into my Top 5 Best or Favourite caretakers!

1. Shell by Paula Rawsthorne

This week, I start with this book, which I read a few years ago, which is about a girl, Lucy, who is diagnosed with terminal cancer but wakes up in a new cancer-free body. However, she feels trapped in a new body which she did not choose and feels, to an extent, like an outsider. This book actually touches on the topics of two of the other books on this list, with the next book also being about a teenage girl with cancer, and another book on this list has a major focus on medical care and consent. Anyway, on the face of this book it shows a medical team who have Lucy's best interests at heart as a young teenage girl who has her whole life ahead of her. They, alongside Lucy's parents, just wanted to give Lucy the chance to live her life. Therefore, putting the issue of consent and ethics to one side gives us an incredible example of what caregivers should be like, going above and beyond to help someone live their life to the fullest!

2. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

The second book on this list features a teenage girl with cancer and is most likely a much more upsetting and emotionally touching book than the first. Here, Hazel's parents and medical team again do everything in their power to try and allow Hazel to live the brightest life possible despite her cancer diagnosis and the prospect of death on the horizon. Hazel's medical team were particularly good when they made it possible for her to visit Amsterdam to visit her favourite author. But her parents were also good at saving her life on many occasions when Hazel couldn't breathe by getting her to the hospital.

3. The Children Act by Ian McEwan

This is another incredible book that explores the issue of consent and medical care very interestingly. I should warn you that I may be biased about how good this book is as a law student, as this is very much a legal book that focuses on medical law in a fictional environment. In this book, Adam's medical team do an excellent job of caring for Adam. They have his best interests at heart, and when he and his parents refuse life-saving treatment, they do not force the treatment but make him as comfortable as they can while the court hearing is happening. Even with the court's decision, this does not show the medical team not acting according to the wishes of Adam and his family but essentially trying to ensure that Adam, who is a child, can go on to live a fulfilling life. Throughout the book, the main theme is Adam's best interests while he is a child on the verge of adulthood. 

4. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

We now move away from books featuring caregivers caring for the ill or injured and move to general caregiving with Lee's excellent novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. Atticus provides good care for his children at the basic level by addressing their needs and going much further. I think this is largely due to his role as a lawyer. Atticus teaches Scout and Dill about some of the bigger issues in life, which touches on morality, ethics and equality with the central message that people should not be treated differently because of the colour of their skin. This is even referred to indirectly with all that Atticus says, particularly in the famous quote, "You can kill all the bluejays you like, but remember, it's a sin to kill a mockingbird". This quote shows how it is sinful to kill something which is beautiful and pure and has done nothing wrong simply because it is different.

5. A Study in Chocolate by Amber Royer

Finally, we go back to Felicity et al. in Galveston for more examples of what appears to be, if not a perfect, life and a good example of how one should live one's life. Felicity always takes great care not only of her friends, who have their best interests at heart, but also of her bunny Knightley, which is lovely to read about. Logan also shows signs of being a good caretaker both in his previous role as a bodyguard but also in his friendship with Felicity. He always protects felicity and takes care of her in whichever way he can.

Well, that is all for this week's post, and I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed both thinking about these books and writing this post. As always, it would be great to hear from you, so please leave a comment. Maybe let me know some of your best or favourite caretakers! If some of these books sounded interesting, why not check out my blog and some of my reviews! I hope you look forward to the next Top 5 Wednesday blog post as much as I look forward to writing it! See you soon!
 

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