No Time for Make Up (Elizabeth Green, Exisle)

Dr Elizabeth Green’s No Time for Make Up is a compelling memoir chronicling her life as a member of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). The book is told in four parts, starting with Green’s training as a GP in Melbourne and her becoming a junior doctor. Finding city doctoring unfulfilling, Green joins the RFDS, driven by a strong connection to the outback. Some of the situations Green details in the book are hair-raising — such as entering a partially collapsed mine to assist a critically injured, half-buried miner, and performing an emergency airway insertion on an accident victim while crouched on the back of an open truck. The memoir goes beyond personal storytelling as Green provides insightful first-hand observations about Australia’s rural health care system. Much like Sonia Henry’s reflections in her memoir, Put Your Feet In The Dirt, Girl, Green is equally horrified by the health conditions First Nations communities face and the alarming lack of progress in this area over the past 40 years. She also addresses systemic issues, such as the crushing workloads and severe fatigue faced by regional doctors, paediatricians, and nurses, and offers clear, actionable recommendations. One of the book’s greatest strengths is its vivid portrayal of the immense challenges and bravery involved in remote healthcare, offering readers unfamiliar with the RFDS a fascinating insight into life in regional Australia.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Katy Briggs is a marketer with a degree in English and history. She is an avid reader across myriad genres. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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