Author In Conversation: Michelle Johnston - Fifty Beating Wonders

Join us for an evening with Michelle Johnston as she discusses Fifty Beating Wonders, medicine, humanity and the wonder of the body. The Emergency Department, loud, chaotic and full of broken bodies - might seem an unlikely place to find wonder. But in Fifty Beating Wonders, emergency physician Michelle Johnston reveals that alongside trauma and urgency, there is also fascination, awe and joy; if only we know how to look for it. Drawing on more than thirty-five years in emergency medicine, Johnston takes readers behind the doors of an inner-city emergency department and deep into the astonishing complexity of the human body. Across the course of one shift, and one catastrophic motorcycle crash, she reflects on what happens when the body breaks down, how medicine attempts to repair it, and why the experience of working in emergency can be both confronting and profoundly moving. Part exploration of the human body, part meditation on medicine and humanity, Fifty Beating Wonders considers trauma, hope, inequity, failure, triumph and the question at the heart of it all: what makes us human? Insightful, absorbing and deeply compassionate, it is a powerful celebration of the fragility, resilience and wonder of being alive. Michelle's book will be available for purchase by courtesy of Dymocks Booksellers and Michelle will be happy to sign copies of her book. Please note: Wine will be served at this event About The Author Dr Michelle Johnston is a Western Australian author and consultant emergency physician. She works at an inner-city hospital and has built a parallel career as a writer. She is also the author of the novels Dustfall and Tiny Uncertain Miracles, bringing both medical insight and literary depth to her work.