The author, an American nurse five years out of nursing school, shares humorously and at times irreverently her thoughts and opinions intermingled with stories of her professional journey. Exposing the reader to nursing in its truest stripped down form at the coal face and the bedside is somewhat distressing, disappointing, enlightening and encouraging all at the same time. Nurse Schwartzbach light-heartedly provides heartfelt clarity to newbie nurses through hints, guidance and reflections on what real nursing is and points out that there are times when we all question our decision to take up nursing as our career pathway whatever stage of the journey we are on. Despite the book title there is very little use of profanity by the author and should not discourage those of us who are more easily offended from reading this nurses work. This book is a GEM!!!!! It’s just as valuable to the student or newly graduated as it is to the battle-weary nurse that we become through long-term exposure to the system. It is apparent that the experiences nurses face are the same across the globe whether the USA, Australia or New Zealand.