Official Review: Not Just A little Prick by Peter Desmarais

Kelebogile Mbangi · Post by **Kelebogile Mbangi** » 24 Feb 2020, 12:18

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Not Just A little Prick" by Peter Desmarais.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Not Just a Little Prick is a hilarious non-fiction book by Peter Desmarais that will have you in stitches! It contains stories of funny encounters and experiences he had as a young doctor in South Africa.

Number 17 Scott Street in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, served as home to a young, very nerdy Peter Desmarais and his family. While other children were out playing in the sun, what was young Peter up to? He was tucked away indoors, intrigued and mystified by the world of science. Yes, he was mixing up chemicals, making his own chloroform, and dissecting unsuspecting frogs! Despite the poverty his family endured, such was the promise and potential displayed by the future doctor. In Not Just a Little Prick, Peter Desmarais relates how he became a doctor, shares tales of medical school, being an intern (or houseman), and working as a general practitioner.

The author is someone who has achieved quite a lot – like passing medicine with a distinction and receiving the gold medal. Yet, he uses quite a lot of self-deprecating humour when narrating his tales – which makes him relatable and less aloof. However, there are moments in the book when he playfully teases his readers for knowledge they might lack which he considers to be basic or easy to grasp. Far from being offended, I loved those moments! They made me feel as though I am actually in the presence of the author. I was also very amused by his pop-culture references which, in my opinion, helped to create the feeling of sharing things in common with him, and I loved how cleverly they were articulated without unduly distracting one from the narration of events. The bottom line is – the author has successfully established a good rapport with his readers.

I cannot fully communicate just how funny the stories contained in this book are. However, I am going to try to create a mental picture of the type of tales you can expect to find. Imagine cooking a dead cat’s head in a sweet old lady’s pressure cooker, unwittingly sending your parents to the ER, or foolishly trapping yourself in a tiny toilet with a married woman. These are just a few of the many amusing scenes to be found in Not Just a Little Prick.

The only thing that slowed down my reading experience is all the medical terms he uses in his narration of scenes which involved him carrying out medical procedures. Although it did not completely mar my ability to play out those scenes in my head, it did leave some details unclear. However, all is not lost as you can simply google those terms when you do come across them.

I recommend this to anyone in search of an entertaining, light read or to anyone looking to have a good laugh. It contains very little profanity (the author admits to trying to keep the curse words found in the book to a minimum, even going to the extent of cutting out some of his military experiences to achieve this goal). Thus, I feel it is an appropriate read for both young and old. It has been well edited, and I found very few errors. I loved the cover and the matching formatting found throughout the book; it really did the contents of the book justice. The author has successfully created a hilariously entertaining book. And so, I see no reason to rob it of a perfect rating. I rate it 4 out of 4 stars. I really enjoyed this book!

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Not Just A little Prick
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Miller56 · Post by **Miller56** » 28 Feb 2020, 15:15

This sounds like an entertaining book that would brighten a reader's day. I wouldn't think that a book with this subject matter would be as funny. Thanks for the review. I am glad you enjoyed this book.