Small by Small: Becoming a Doctor in 1990s Nigeria

This is the compelling story of Nigerian physician Ike Anya’s path to becoming a doctor, from his intensely demanding studies to his beginnings as a newly qualified doctor. Moving, often humorous and always revealing, his account lays bare the challenges and rewards of his vocation.

Ike’s compassion for his patients and their struggles develops against a background of huge political unrest in 1990s Nigeria. As student protests erupt, and universities are closed for weeks, democracy is threatened and at times crushed. From the small, longed-for baby of a rural couple, to the brother of a Lagos ‘Big Man’ who arrives at hospital with a gunshot wound, Ike learns about his patients and the society they live in as he learns how to be a doctor.

Full of fascinating stories from the hospitals where he studied and worked, in a society becoming modern, but hampered by failing infrastructure and bound by ancient traditions, this is a uniquely arresting book.