I am very proud of my friend and colleague, Marian as she followed her dream of writing a book that would share real nursing stories and experiences. 
Front Line Nursing Stories is an excellent collection of personal real-life stories which covers a variety of nursing roles, responsibilities and experiences. Marian provides a personal touch as she writes about the various nurses who provided stories to her as well as her own personal experiences in the many years of her own nursing career. It provides a look at the nursing profession and what nurses face and experience during their workday/week. The stories will have you smile, laugh and cry at times. She includes stories from different nurses working in hospitals, care homes, prisons, home care and public health. Nursing students would benefit from having this book as part of the reading list as it provides a realistic view of the nursing profession. Nurses face a lot of different challenging situations but what is always there is care, compassion and advocacy. It reminds many of us why we went into nursing and shows the public why people chose nursing as a profession. It keeps your interest and wanting more.

– Eloise Bonin

I would strongly encourage anyone contemplating a career path in Nursing to read this uncomplicated easy to read book, Front Line Nursing Stories by Marian Facciolo. It covers all facets of life as a nurse in a variety of professional roles. The nurses courageously shared their unique perspectives and experiences without a lot of health jargon.
At times the emotions cover all aspects of life and death, Kleenex needing events of sadness, accomplishments as simply” a job well done”. It is a book filled with real lived experiences. This should be a MUST read book for anyone thinking of entering any Care of Patient/Client Programmes but more importantly University Nursing Programmes. Thank you Marian for your dedication to bring these lived personal experiences to life.

– Anonymous 

Loved this book, takes you on a journey of the nursing profession without making it too technical. Love the different short stories from different nurses’ perspectives in different eras. Inspiring and uplifting stories, thought-provoking ethical explorations, the challenges and rewards and insights into the nursing profession.

– Diane Joyce

I wish when I was a nursing student, I would have had a book like this to read. It’s real, it’s impactful and it’s empowering. It would have given me that push required to reach so deep to get what was needed when it was so tough. Pack your kleenex when you dive into this. True beauty.

– Michelle Aspden

I enjoyed reading this book immensely as it covers all facets of nursing. I never have given much thought to all the different situations that nurses get involved in. You realize how much nurses put themselves out to care for people and at the same time keeping up with new technology. The book lets you know how good supervisors can make a bad situation better by being supportive and providing good advice. I found the stories of nurses working in the community most fascinating. These stories are a little frightening because the nurse is often travelling alone. They do not know what difficulty they will get themselves into travelling through a rural area searching for a cabin for example. I will always remember the story of the nurse who was able to reach a dying man who lived in a forested area. She not only helped him by calling in reinforcements but found out his dying wish was to reach his family in Germany who he had not spoken to in many years. This nurse with some frustration arranged to telephone his family in Germany whom he was able to spoke to. I recommend reading this book which gives you so much insight into the working lives of nurses

– Maureen Dawson

Since the advent of Covid in particular, there has been an increased public curiosity into what nurses do. These pages hold a magnifying glass up to the many and diverse nursing environments with all their unique knowledge and skill requirements. Anyone who thinks that healthcare may be a career path choice, or just wants to understand more about the nursing profession, would do well to read this book. Every two to three pages begins a new conversation with another nurse, and Marian herself shares her own personal story along with her professional one, and the reader is drawn intimately into these pages. I saw myself in some of these other nurses’ experiences. The nursing profession requires public support, and it is only in being aware of the true multifaceted value of nurses that this support will come about. This book is another step in that direction.

– Pat Mitchell