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Title:	On Call
Authors:	Meredith, Ineke
Genre:	Non Fiction: New Zealand
Pages:	304
Year:	2024
Language:	English
Description:	Studying medicine in New Zealand was Ineke Meredith's path to a future beyond a predictable life in Samoa. Awarded a scholarship at 17, and no stranger to hard work, or ambition, she set about becoming a doctor, then a general surgeon. Balancing the compelling stories of patients and their care with the poignant threads of her own life, including an abusive father and being solo mum, this is an absorbing memoir and a blisteringly honest account of what it takes to wield a scalpel.
Categories:	Non-fiction NZ, Non-fiction, Feminism, Gender Issues, Grief/loss, Medical/Health, Morals/Ethics, Relationships, Social commentary/perspectives, Samoa, 2026 Titles

Reviews

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By: STEW 001		2026-03-09 13:51:29

The whole group enjoyed this read. Easy to read, informative and relatable.

By: CHCH 324		2026-01-01 14:24:07

Interesting, and confronting at times; most read the book and it led to interesting discussion.

By: CHCH 294		2025-11-28 14:02:56

Very interesting read. Enjoyed by most. Some felt too much operation detail. She is an amazing woman!

By: DUNED 117		2025-11-02 16:10:11

All enjoyed the book - fascinating stories. the brief nature of the anecdotes was often a little frustrating and often could have been more fleshed out. We agreed the author was an incredible and inspiring person, and the group felt a deeper respect for doctors and surgeons after reading this book.

By: AUCK 037		2025-10-12 17:31:11

This was an easy read about being a female surgeon, the response from some of the male doctors, and how being a trainee doctor and a single mother at the same time can be done when there is family support, but that the relentlessness of the work Ineke could only do for so long. There were varying views about how Ineke coped but it was a good insight into life in the hospital.

By: NAP 005		2025-08-16 19:26:12

Easy reading. Light writing style. The group found it a good explanation on the training of our doctors and specialists and how the system works. Aspects of racism, sexism and the challenges faced by women were well presented. One member said that it was a comment on our society - Why are we losing all these people? Lots of discussion including about the documentary recently aired on TV about young doctors at Middlemore.

By: HIKUR 001		2025-05-26 10:17:18

Easy enjoyable read, very interesting and extremely honest. Very topical; some of the stories were also very funny.

By: CHCH 155		2025-04-10 17:41:46

I think we all enjoyed the book although there were some varying views in as much as she jumped around in time. We learned a lot about the life of a General Surgeon and don't think she could have done it without her family.

By: CHCH 317		2025-03-17 10:40:31

The group had mixed reactions to this book. The ex-nurses found it confronting. The remainder found the cases interesting, and the Samoan background was enlightening.