Autobiography: science, technology and medicine Books

Book SynopsisFrom the Sunday Times bestselling author Dr Amanda Brown.Insights into the world of a Prison Doctor, this time taking us deeper into the walls of Bronzefield, the UK's biggest women's prison.From the drug addicts who call Amanda the mother I never had' to the women who've pushed back at domestic abuse, to women close to release in their 70s, who just want to stay in the place that they've always known, these are stories that are heartbreaking, harrowing and heart-warming. Amanda listens, prescribes, and does what she can. After all, she's their doctor.Trade Review‘both heart-rending and socially revealing’. The Bookseller ‘compassion and commitment shine through’ The Observer ‘Heart-breaking … Brown lays bare the health and social challenges facing these women with brutal honesty, shining particular light on mothers behind bars, as well as those trying to come off drugs.’ PRESS ASSOCIATION ‘her love for her job shines through this book, and so does her humility’ The Daily Telegraph ‘lays bare the health and social challenges facing these women with brutal honesty’ Press Journal ‘It gave me goosebumps and has changed my views’. Woman & Home Praise for the Prison Doctor: ‘Written with both humour and deep concern for the lives of her incarcerated patients. It’s a poignant, compassionate read, giving an insight into the complicated and damaged lives of some of the offenders … a thoroughly enlightening and engaging book.’ Mail on Sunday ‘A fascinating, sometimes funny, often gruelling account of working behind bars.’ Observer ‘Not only features startling anecdotes but also the more rewarding aspects of her job – the prisoners who sent her letters of thanks, the ones for whom there remains hope.’ i newspaper ‘eye-opening … harrowing … Though so many of the tales are unbearably sad, and some details quite difficult to read without flinching, frequent moments of hope and humanity mitigate what could otherwise be a bleak look at life on the lowest rung of society’s ladder.’ The Telegraph ‘All of the highs and lows of prison life, with heart-warming honesty and anecdotes to make your sides split and your jaw drop in equal measure … Amanda has filled her book full of funny tales that both she and the inmates have had a good giggle at.’ Sunday Express S Magazine

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Book SynopsisCompelling and essential . . . will appeal to everyone who enjoyed Adam Kay's This Is Going to Hurt' Philippa PerryIn this powerful and deeply personal memoir, award-winning GP Dr Laura Marshall-Andrews introduces us to the patients who have shaped her radical approach to medicine.Over the course of a decade spent on the frontline of the NHS, Dr Laura witnessed lives being adversely affected by one-size-fits-all treatments. Determined to create change, she began to envisage a new way to care that prioritised the lived experience of her patients.Created with the help of doctors, artists and complementary health practitioners, Dr Laura's pioneering holistic approach was revelatory. From those whose lives were changed by ineffective' drugs, to those for whom alternative therapies, kindness and trust proved transformative, her patients began to flourish.What Seems To Be The Problem? is a heartfelt story of hope, and an urgent call for change in our NHS at a time when it is most in need.Trade Review‘Compelling and essential . . . will appeal to everyone who enjoyed Adam Kay’s This Is Going to Hurt’ Philippa Perry ‘Vital . . . the radical GP changing lives.’ The Observer ‘A wonderful and very important book which movingly describes how a GP both cared for and learned from her patients, and, as a result, opened up a new way for us to think about health and care.’ Lord Nigel Crisp, former NHS Chief Executive ‘This is the story of one brave GP’s fight with an often-soulless medical bureaucracy, to create the kind of doctor’s surgery that most of us wouldn’t dare dream of, and to champion a standard of care all our patients deserve. Adventure story, memoir, political call-to-arms, and heartfelt love letter to those she has spent her whole career looking after, WSTBTP is the most important book written by a doctor I’ve read in years.’ Gabriel Weston, surgeon and author of Direct Red: A Surgeon's Story ‘Offers fascinating insight into the day-to-day dramas of being a GP, as well as the incredible diversity of their patients’ Dr Amanda Brown, bestselling author of The Prison Doctor

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Book Synopsis One of the most remarkable memoirs ever written. The diary of Jean-Dominique Bauby who, with his left eyelid (the only surviving muscle after a massive stroke) dictated a remarkable book about his experiences locked inside his body. A masterpiece and a bestseller in France.Trade Review‘The most remarkable memoir of our time.’ Cynthia Ozick ‘Read this book and fall back in love with life.’ Edmund White ‘A staggering piece of work. It represents an almost inconceivable act of generosity, the gift of the mind and the spirit for which writing was designed.’ A. L. Kennedy ‘One of the great books of the century.’ Financial Times ‘Everyone in the country should own at least one copy.’ Guardian ‘We listen, because what he has to say goes to the core of what it means to be human.’ Robert McCrum, Observer ‘The most extraordinary book of the year.’ Daily Telegraph

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Book SynopsisNeuroscientist Eric R. Kandel recounts his remarkable career since receiving the Nobel in 2000. He takes readers through his lab’s scientific advances as well as his efforts to promote public understanding of science and to put brain science and art into conversation.Trade ReviewThis is an amazing book that gives us a peek inside the mind of one of the giants of contemporary neuroscience. While most of us struggle to succeed in a single discipline, Eric R. Kandel has excelled in three: first his discovery of the neural basis of memory—a discovery comparable to DNA; second, as an art historian successfully bridging art and neuroscience; and now, a parallel career, as a science writer of almost unparalleled excellence. -- V. S. Ramachandran, author of The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Quest for What Makes Us HumanOf course Eric Kandel didn’t stop doing experiments on learning and memory after he got a Nobel Prize; he would have had to become an entirely different person. But what did change, fortunately for the reader, is that he acquired the skill and confidence to convey deep scientific insights about the brain as they relate to a variety of subjects, such as abstract expressionist art, gender dysphoria, poverty, and morality. -- Margaret S. Livingstone, Takeda Professor of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical SchoolThis is an inspiring and unique story of creativity, perseverance, and humanity from the most influential neuroscientist of his generation. -- Larry W. Swanson, University Professor, Appleman Professor of Biological Sciences, and Professor of Biological Sciences and Psychology, University of Southern CaliforniaIn this slim but wide-ranging book, Eric R. Kandel—an escapee from Nazi Austria and a student of history and literature in college—reflects thoughtfully on his recent research as a benchtop neuroscientist, his experiences as a public communicator about brain and cognitive science, and his keen exploration of the arts. -- Howard Gardner, Hobbs Research Professor of Cognition and Education, Harvard Graduate School of EducationEric Kandel is a scientific giant. As in his other wonderful books, he has a fascinating tale to tell in this one, and does it well. A great story to read. -- Joseph E. LeDoux, Henry and Lucy Moses Professor of Science, New York University, and author of The Deep History of Ourselves: The Four-Billion-Year Story of How We Got Conscious BrainsA short, cheerful memoir from an energetic Nobel laureate. * Kirkus *In this remarkable recap of his post-prize career, Kandel’s intellect and passion are present on every page. Readers will be awed by the depth and breadth of Kandel’s work. * Publishers Weekly *Has Eric Kandel rested on his laurels? No. [This book] adds to Kandel’s respected literary oeuvre, which ranges from neuroscience textbooks to highly original popular science. * Nature *The 'great joy' that [he derives from] explaining science to the public can also be felt in Kandel's new book. * Austrian Press Agency *Accessible and interesting. . . . [Kandel has] a truly gifted mind with a facility for teaching, and a willingness to do so. Four stars. * Nonstop Reader *Table of ContentsIntroduction1. Moving to Columbia and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute2. Further Advances in Science3. Adventures in the Public Understanding of Science4. Introducing Brain Science to Art5. Return to Austria6. Columbia University and the Science of Mind, Brain, BehaviorConclusionAcknowledgmentsAppendix: AwardsNotesReferencesIndex

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Book Synopsis''A remarkably honest memoir of a life spent pulling people back from death'' - Adam KayIn these stories, Dr Jim Down brings us to the very heart of the intensive care unit - the section of the hospital where the sickest patients are brought to be cared for until their condition improves. With honesty, humility and a streak of dark humour, Dr Down describes the quietly heroic work of doctors and nurses on the ICU, a place which sits at the cutting edge of medical technology and where a split-second decision can make the difference between life and death.From headline-grabbing cases like that of Alexander Litvinenko, poisoned by Russian agents and admitted to Down''s ward, to the appalling aftermath of a train crash, Life in the Balance offers an inside glimpse of intensive care medicine, its immense challenges, deleterious effects on doctors'' mental health and enormous rewards. Its profundity will make you reconsider the fragility of life and reframe y

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Book SynopsisA renowned scientist and environmental advocate looks back on a life that has straddled the worlds of science and politicsTrade Review“[A] frank, polyphonic autobiography.”—Nature“More gripping than a thrilling novel, Paul Ehrlich’s autobiography beats novels by being true. Colorful and no-holds-barred, it’s what you’d hope from the greatest living population biologist, who has thrived in science and policy controversies for 70 years.”—Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel “Paul Ehrlich is one of the supreme citizen-scientists of our time. His eventful and exemplary life is an inspiration not only for a new generation of scientists, but for citizens everywhere.”—Partha Dasgupta, author of Time and the Generations: Population Ethics for a Diminishing Planet, and Frank Ramsey Professor Emeritus of Economics, University of Cambridge “Paul Ehrlich has stirred up plenty of controversy over the decades and remains one of the world’s most provocative thinkers and truth-tellers. In this compellingly readable, rich book, a great human being takes us on the road that led to his view of life.”—Carl Safina, author of Becoming Wild “An irresistible read. Paul Ehrlich captivates us with his adventures and his love for butterflies, biology, family, and humanity, all interwoven with his irrepressible passion to defend nature—and us.”—Diana Wall, Colorado State University“Two books sat side by side on our family bookshelf while I was growing up in the early 1970s, alerting me to the growing threat to our environment. One of them was Paul Ehrlich’s The Population Bomb—a prescient, early warning of our collision course with environmental sustainability. It is a delight, a half century later, to read Paul’s wide-ranging, wondrous, and pleasantly amusing account of his amazing life—as a scientist, thinker, communicator, influencer, and champion for a sustainable world. Read Life and be emboldened to join the defining battle of our time—the battle to preserve a livable planet.”—Michael Mann, author of The New Climate War“In this adventure-filled book, one of the leading biologists of the last hundred years shares the stories of his fully lived life, a life in which he discovered many new details of the obscure biology of butterflies, reshaped the fields of evolutionary biology and conservation, and unapologetically sought to remake the world. It is a fascinating, funny, provocative book about a fascinating, funny, provocative man.”—Rob Dunn, author of A Natural History of the Future

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Book SynopsisThe life and career of the legendary developer celebrated as the "godfather of computer gaming" and creator of Civilization.Trade Review"… enjoyable… the book serves as a pocket history of game development itself…" -- Alex Hern - The Guardian"An entertaining autobiography... Where some games are more like films, gorgeous to look at but where many of the artistic decisions have been taken for you, Meier’s games are more like novels, inviting the reader to fill in the gaps. His maxims." -- Ed Cumming - The Independent"[Meier is] the master of turn-based gaming." -- Will Wright, developer of The Sims"Any game designer who tries to tell you that he hasn’t taken anything away from a Sid Meier game is akin to a film director saying he has never watched a Hitchcock movie. For Sid is our Hitchcock, our Spielberg, our Ellington." -- Gamespot.com"A growing pile of video-game histories… suggest that the medium has always had collective effort at its heart, from its academic beginnings to its ascent into everyday life. In Meier’s memoir, we discover that he was a good game-maker when he fought this essential fact, but that he became great when he learned to embrace it." -- Neima Jahromi - The New Yorker

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Book Synopsis**NOW INCLUDING THE FIRST CHAPTER OF DEMON COPPERHEAD**TWICE WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION FROM THE WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTIONTHE MULTI-MILLION COPY SELLING AUTHORWith the eyes of a scientist and the vision of a poet, Barbara Kingsolver explores her trademark themes of family, community and the natural world. Defiant, funny and courageously honest, High Tide in Tucson is an engaging and immensely readable collection from one of the most original voices in contemporary literature.''Possessed of an extravagantly gifted narrative voice, Kingsolver blends a fierce and abiding moral vision with benevolent and concise humour. Her medicine is meant for the head, the heart, and the soul.'' New York Times

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year""An inspiring anthology of writings by trailblazing female astronomers from 1960 to today."---Simon Ings, New Scientist"The particulars of each woman’s experience are unique, which is part of what makes their stories compelling. . . . As I read through the book, no single essay stood out to me. Instead, I was affected (sometimes deeply) by each woman’s story in a different way, and I often felt compelled to take note of some phrase or piece of sage advice."---Nicolle Zellner, American Scientist"Trimble and Weintraub bring together essays by women who reached for the stars in this uplifting anthology. . . . Filled with moving testimonies and awe-inspiring discoveries, this is a wonderful tribute to the joys of science and the tough road many women had on the way to forging their careers." * Publishers Weekly *"The essays in The Sky Is for Everyone illustrate the progress women have made in the field, although that push to equality is not complete."---Jeff Foust, Space Review"This anthology of 37 short autobiographies covers more than six decades of astronomy and shows the varied paths of female astronomers and the roadblocks that can slow or sideline their success."---Ashley Yeager, Science News"These stories will absolutely inspire our next generation of female scientists. . . . [The Sky Is for Everyone] is an absolute must-read for any young lady who is thinking of starting a career in astronomy. The same applies to anybody who is interested in the history of women in astronomy."---​​​​​​​Mary McIntyre, Journal of the British Astronomical Association"[These autobiographical essays] provide a rich portrait of the experiences, ranging from triumphs to heartbreaks, that constitute the lives of women in contemporary astronomy. . . .They demonstrate that a rewarding career in astronomy is possible for anyone who gives it a try and succeeds at overcoming the many hurdles that confront us all regardless of gender."---David H. DeVorkin, Quest"A communal love letter to astronomy and the broader sciences. . . . The Sky Is for Everyone is a valuable read for astronomers and those interested in the status of women in science, but also for department heads and policymakers who should take note of how institutional barriers can be broken down and accommodations made to improve the astronomy community."---Joanna Behrman, Physics Today"[The] essays are universally well written."---H.D. Wong, Choice

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Book SynopsisThe essays inHow Not to Be a Doctorcombine erudition with humour, candour, and the human touch. They show how, in medicine, you cannot separate personal experiences from professional ones, in short stories and reflections that will inform and entertain readers on both ends of the stethoscope.Trade Review‘An all-round excellent book, which would appeal to a wide range of healthcare professionals and students… a light-hearted way of looking at serious subjects’ BMA Panel of Judges'Witty and wise. Shows how important it is that doctors are allowed to be human' Kit Wharton, author of Emergency Admissions: Memoirs of an Ambulance Driver'I raced through this book, laughing, nodding, highlighting and then read some favourite bits again. Every chapter has a gem of wisdom as well as being so very elegantly written and entertaining. I shall be recommending it to my fellow coaches as virtually all of it applies to us as much as to clinicians' Jenny Rogers, Co-Author of Coaching for Health‘This collection is warm, wise, generous, thoughtful and thought-provoking… imbued with a moving humanity which offers inspiration and reassurance in equal measure. The reflections and questions posed in these essays are infused with curiosity, rigour and compassion’ Dr. Deborah Bowman, MBE, BBC Broadcaster and Professor of Medical Ethics and Law‘Launer uses his voracious curiosity to sift wisdom from the ordinary events of a doctor’s life. Bursting with wonder and wisdom, this seductively readable book imparts courage and joy in equal measure’ Dr. Iona Heath, CBE. Former President, Royal College of General Practitioners and author of The Mystery of General Practice‘Genuine, patient-centred care in a world of evidence, guidelines, policy and directives can seem anything but straightforward: these essays show how it is possible. It should be top of the reading list for senior students and all doctors – and indeed for patients too. An essential read… It is a gem’ Dr. Fiona Moss, CBE, Dean of the Royal Society of Medicine‘Gets to the heart and soul of current medical practice. Written by a doctor, but incorporates life experience and wisdom, making it an easy, thought provoking read. A worthwhile resource for anyone currently in medical practice, or contemplating a career as a doctor’ Professor Jane Dacre, President of the Royal College of Physicians

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Book SynopsisThe remarkable story of George Daniels, the master craftsman who was born into poverty but raised himself to become the greatest watchmaker of the twentieth century.George Daniels (1926-2011) stands alone in modern times as the inventor of the revolutionary co-axial escapement, the first substantial advance in portable mechanical timekeeping over the lever escapement, which has dominated ever since its invention in 1759. Daniels''s love of mechanics embraced not only the minute, however - he was also a passionate collector and driver of historic motorcars.This revised and expanded edition of his autobiography also contains a new section that illustrates and discusses over thirty of the pocket and wrist-watches Daniels himself made over the years.Witness here the triumph of intelligence, ingenuity, matchless skill and singularity of purpose over the most unpromising of beginnings.Trade ReviewIt is a fascinating read about a truly fascinating man, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in horology, or even the tale of rags to riches through hard work and dedication. * Great British Watch Company *This is incredibly interesting to read through, and there are a great multitude of photographs in the book of various timepieces and diagrams of horological components. [...] I found George Daniels’ autobiography to be a truly engaging read and a wonderful insight into the mind of one of the greatest watchmakers of all time, and I would highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in horology. * Watch Affinity *Table of ContentsIntroduction Publisher’s Note Foreword 1. All in Good Time 2. Introduction to Watches 3. A Change of Careers 4. Watches Versus Bentleys 5. Introduction to Breguet 6. The First Daniels Watch 7. Developing the Co-axial Escapement 8. Not Too Technical 9. Alfa and Omega 10. Wheels Postscript Working with George Afterword Complete Watch and Clock Production

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Book SynopsisJames Herriot grew up in Glasgow and qualified as a veterinary surgeon at Glasgow Veterinary College. Shortly afterwards he took up a position as an assistant in a North Yorkshire practice where he remained, with the exception of his wartime service in the RAF, until his death in 1995. He wrote many books about Yorkshire country life, including some for children, but he is best known for his memoirs, beginning with If Only They Could Talk. The books were televised in the enormously popular series All Creatures Great and Small.Trade ReviewI grew up reading James Herriot's books and I'm delighted that thirty years on, they are still every bit as charming, heartwarming and laugh-out-loud funny as they were then -- Kate HumbleHerriot’s enchanting tales of life in the Dales are deservedly classics. Full of extraordinary characters, animal and human, the books never fail to delight -- Amanda Owen, bestselling author of The Yorkshire ShepherdessThe attraction of Herriot’s ever popular memoirs of a country vet . . . is their alternating highs and lows, humour and pathos, and gripping anecdotes about delivering lambs, grumpy farmers, hypochondriac pet-owners, stroppy cows and blunt Yorkshire characters. And, of course, there’s a powerful nostalgia element in these stories about our green and pleasant land in the day before the ravages of ribbon development * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisJames Herriot grew up in Glasgow and qualified as a veterinary surgeon at Glasgow Veterinary College. Shortly afterwards he took up a position as an assistant in a North Yorkshire practice where he remained, with the exception of his wartime service in the RAF, until his death in 1995. He wrote many books about Yorkshire country life, including some for children, but he is best known for his memoirs, beginning with If Only They Could Talk. The books were televised in the enormously popular series All Creatures Great and Small.Trade ReviewBulls with sunstroke, pigs on the run and a cake-eating Peke with a betting habit . . . I grew up reading James Herriot’s book and I’m delighted that thirty years on they are still every bit as charming, heartwarming and laugh-out-loud funny as they were then -- Kate HumbleHerriot’s enchanting tales of life in the Dales are deservedly classics. Full of extraordinary characters, animal and human, the books never fail to delight -- Amanda Owen, bestselling author of The Yorkshire ShepherdessThe attraction of Herriot’s ever popular memoirs of a country vet . . . is their alternating highs and lows, humour and pathos, and gripping anecdotes about delivering lambs, grumpy farmers, hypochondriac pet-owners, stroppy cows and blunt Yorkshire characters. * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisThe fourth volume of memoirs from the author who inspired the BBC and Channel 5 series All Creatures Great and Small. Finally home from London after his wartime service in the RAF, James Herriot is settling back into life as a country vet. While the world has changed after the war, the blunt Yorkshire clients and menagerie of beasts with weird and wonderful ailments remain the same. But between his young son, Jimmy, trailing him around copying his every move, stubborn farmers refusing to try his ‘new-fangled’ treatments and a goat that has eaten 293 tomatoes, Darrowby is far from quiet. And with another baby on the way, life is about to get even more chaotic . . . Since they were first published, James Herriot’s memoirs have sold millions of copies and entranced generations of animal lovers. Charming, funny and touching, The Lord God Made Them All is a heart-warming story of determination, love and companionship from one of B

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Book SynopsisJames Herriot grew up in Glasgow and qualified as a veterinary surgeon at Glasgow Veterinary College. Shortly afterwards he took up a position as an assistant in a North Yorkshire practice where he remained, with the exception of his wartime service in the RAF, until his death in 1995. He wrote many books about Yorkshire country life, including some for children, but he is best known for his memoirs, beginning with If Only They Could Talk. The books were televised in the enormously popular series All Creatures Great and Small.Trade ReviewBulls with sunstroke, pigs on the run and a cake-eating Peke with a betting habit . . . I grew up reading James Herriot's book and I'm delighted that thirty years on they are still every bit as charming, heartwarming and laugh-out-loud funny as they were then. -- Kate HumbleHerriot's enchanting tales of life in the Dales are deservedly classics. Full of extraordinary characters, animal and human, the books never fail to delight. -- Amanda Owen, bestselling author of The Yorkshire Shepherdess

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Book SynopsisJourney into the world of intensive care medicine and the lives of people who have forever been changed by it.   ‘A very special book filled with stories of survival, hope and loss.’Adam Kay '[Morgan's] wit and compassion are everywhere evident in this enlightening book, and he makes a welcome contribution to our understanding of these extraordinary times.'Sunday Times There is no room for error in the ICU. Full focus is required at all times. It can be the difference between life and death.   Through the remarkable stories of his patients, Dr Matt Morgan guides you through the body and its organs. He explains how various critical conditions arise, and all that goes into treating them – from the science, research and technology, to the tireless efforts of the doctors and nurses. This book gives you powerful insights about intensive carTrade Review'Matt Morgan is an engaging, honest and perceptive doctor who has managed to pack an awful lot into his career. This book promises to offer a real insight into an area of life and death medicine that many of us will have seen dramatised on television.’ -- Dr Michael Mosley, bestselling author of The Fast Diet, The 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet and The Clever Guts Diet'Matt Morgan writes beautifully and movingly about the edges of life. Through vivid encounters and pitch-perfect insights, he shines a light on the human experience at the frontiers of healthcare.' -- Ganesh Suntharalingam, President, Intensive Care Society‘A very special book filled with stories of survival, hope and loss.' -- Adam Kay, author of the best-selling book This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor‘I loved it. So carefully written and obviously as a doctor, I could totally get behind the stories of Gram and the origin of ICU, but the patients…just so touching. I love the exploration of what it means to survive, at what cost and so on. A lovely book.’ -- Dr Nikki Stamp FRACS, Cardiothoracic and Transplant Surgeon and author of Can You Die of a Broken Heart? A Heart Surgeon's Insight Into What Makes Us Tick‘A gripping realism of life in intensive care that reminds us how fragile is life. Written with humility and insight this is an intriguing glimpse into a world of life-saving decisions. It is life affirming and hugely reassuring.’ -- Professor Dame Sue Black, author of All That Remains: A Life in Death‘This book is marvellous: buy it, share it, recommend it....We are fortunate to have dedicated, caring and humble folks such as Doc Morgan on the Critical Care front line. We are even better off when a writer can capture all that this exciting, mad, glorious and even exasperating job means. If you work in healthcare, know somebody that does, or simply inhabit a body then this book is for you: in fact it's critical.’ -- Peter Brindley MD FRCP Can FRCP Edin FRCP Lond, Professor of Critical Care Medicine, Anesthesiology, Medical Ethics, University of Alberta'Compassionate and moving… Morgan provides a rich array of stories and characters. Alongside the cases studies, he details the development of the medical practices and technology – from the iron lung to ultrasound – that have helped make such life-saving procedures possible.' * The Observer *‘An illuminating, compassionate insight into the fascinating world of intensive care.’ -- Leah Hazzard, author of Hard Pushed

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Book SynopsisIt all started with a Hob Nob. As Dr Matt Morgan, an intensive care consultant, examined a patient who had suffered a cardiac arrest after inhaling some biscuit crumbs, he saw a flock of birds fly past the window. They must inhale objects all the time when flying, how do they survive? he thought to himself. This began an investigation that spanned continents, species and millennia.   For animal science has so much to teach us about human medicine. While some of the overlaps and parallels are obvious – we know how much DNA we share with primates, the first pig heart has been transplanted into a human – there is so much more that we have learnt from the animal world. For example, studying kangaroos, in particular the female’s three vaginas, has improved in-vitro fertilisation success rates. Watching how a giraffe breathes can help save the life of someone struggling with asthma. Investigating why birds that live in the frozen Arctic circle don&rsTrade Review'290 pages of inspiration doctors can either take from animals or already have' * The Times *‘Funny, fascinating and beautifully written. More than that it is moving and awe inspiring… I can’t think of a more important topic for everyone on the planet to engage with right now' -- Dr Xand van Tulleken'Morgan draws on the similarities between humans and animals to show how much we can learn from them by understanding them better' -- Peter Singer'A fun and fascinating dive into the physiology of the animal kingdom and what it means for the medicine we practise' -- Kevin Fong'In humanity's quest to tackle some of our biggest health challenges, the animal kingdom can provide a rich and often surprising source of inspiration. In this dazzling book, full of extraordinary revelations, the reader is transported on an intriguing journey through the natural world and how it is helping to inspire doctors around the world on the frontiers of medicine' -- David Cox'Anyone interested in a One Medicine approach will find this book an interesting introduction. Reciprocity is not just what animals can do for humans, but what humans can do for animals. We are stronger together and that is why Dr Morgan’s book is a wonderful step in that direction' -- Joe Bailey, CEO, Humanimal Trust

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Book Synopsis''A profound meditation on a problem many of us will face; worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Atul Gawande''s Being Mortal'' KirkusAs the American born daughter of immigrants, Dr. Sunita Puri knew from a young age that the gulf between her parents'' experiences and her own was impossible to bridge, save for two elements: medicine and spirituality. Between days spent waiting for her mother, an anesthesiologist, to exit the OR, and evenings spent in conversation with her parents about their faith, Puri witnessed the tension between medicine''s impulse to preserve life at all costs and a spiritual embrace of life''s temporality. And it was that tension that eventually drew Puri, a passionate but unsatisfied medical student, to palliative medicine - a new specialty attempting to translate the border between medical intervention and quality-of-life care.Interweaving evocative stories of Puri''s family and the patients she cares for, ThTrade ReviewThis is a powerful memoir, which Puri narrates with honesty, poise, and empathy * Publishers Weekly *Moving memoir . . . an impressive debut . . . A profound meditation on a problem many of us will face; worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Atul Gawande's Being Mortal * Kirkus *Spiritually grounded, poetic, and brilliant . . . Puri has claimed her place in the ranks of illustrious physician-writers * Katy Butler, author of Knocking on Heaven's Door *That Good Night is a timely and important work: an insider's view of caring for the sickest patients and a moving exploration of life's impermanence. Sunita Puri's deft attention to language, both in her writing and in her work as a doctor, is a testament to the power of story, narrative, and context to help us make sense of life and its end * Lucy Kalanithi, MD, widow of Paul Kalanithi, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling book When Breath Becomes Air *Rich with piercing insights about life and death in modern medicine, Dr. Sunita Puri's memoir braids together beautifully written narratives of her patients with her quest to understand her place in her family and her path as a doctor * Ira Byock, MD, author of Dying Well and The Best Care Possible *With exquisite prose, keen insight, and endless intellectual curiosity, Puri shows us the ways that dying is woven into living and, as such, deserves not just acceptance but close attention, deep respect, even celebration. This is a lively and fascinating book that will be a crucial part of the expanding cultural conversation about how we think about death. Everyone alive should read it * Meghan Daum, author of The Unspeakable *The face of the new generation of physicians, Dr. Sunita Puri's book reflects the art and craft of practicing medicine. There's no harder diagnosis to process than a fatal illness, and when it happens you need a doctor with the space, time, and desire to extend empathy. Without that, it doesn't matter what we mandate, legislate, propose or discuss. With that, Dr. Puri implicitly suggests, we can find out what our patients need to make their dying-and so also their living-easier, better, richer * Victoria Sweet, author of Slow Medicine and God’s Hotel *This thoughtful treatise on life, death, and medicine should make readers feel more grateful for every day they have because, as Puri and her colleagues come to realize, no one knows what's coming or when to their loved ones or themselves * Booklist *

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Book SynopsisAs a practising mortician, Caitlin Doughty has long been fascinated by our pervasive terror of dead bodies. In From Here to Eternity she sets out in search of cultures unburdened by such fears. With curiosity and morbid humour, Doughty introduces us to inspiring death-care innovators, participates in powerful death practices almost entirely unknown in the West and explores new spaces for mourning - including a futuristic glowing-Buddha columbarium in Japan, a candlelit Mexican cemetery, and America''s only open-air pyre. In doing so she expands our sense of what it means to treat the dead with ''dignity'' and reveals unexpected possibilities for our own death rituals.Trade ReviewEach chapter covers a culture with a highly distinctive and apparently ghastly approach to their dearly departed . . . Think Bill Bryson doing an underworld special. This humane book gently provokes you to wonder: what exactly is your ideal funeral? * THE TIMES *Caitlin Doughty, joyful member of the death-positive movement, describes what happens to our mortal remains with relish . . . Jaunty, boisterous and unsentimental, Doughty believes that we in the West have made death and its aftermath into a corporate, perfunctory affair, in which the meaning of an ending is denied. Her mission is to 'reclaim public understanding of dying' and to bring individuality and joy back into our dealings with the dead -- Nicci Gerard * OBSERVER *Compelling . . . Doughty's writing will give you the giggles as well as send a chill down your spine * GUARDIAN *From Here To Eternity is fascinating, thought-provoking and - who would have guessed? - sometimes funny. Put it on your bucket list -- Neil Armstrong * MAIL ON SUNDAY *Doughty's lively (and charmingly illustrated) cascade of anecdotes about how various cultures handle death spells out how contemporary Western fastidiousness about dead bodies is by no means universally shared. We are introduced to a variety of startling practices . . . and pervading the book is Doughty's ferocious critique of the industrialisation of death and burial that is standard in the United States and spreading rapidly elsewhere. Doughty invites us to look at and contemplate alternatives . . . we have choices beyond the conventional; we can think about how we want our dead bodies to be treated as part of a natural physical cycle -- Rowan Williams * NEW STATESMAN *Doughty is fun, with an eye for the bizarre and the absurd. She hits the road in quest of cultures untroubled by the western taboos surrounding mortality -- Robert McCrum * SPECTATOR *Doughty is a relentlessly curious and chipper tour guide to the underworld . . . a likable, witty companion. It is a difficult high-wire act: to make death interesting and funny enough that we'll drop our fears and read, without losing sight of the gravity of the topic. I couldn't help thinking that her dispatches from the dark side were doing us all a kindness * NEW YORK TIMES *From Here to Eternity is Doughty's tour of the death ways of other peoples, from Bolivia to Barcelona . . . [she] chronicles each of these practices with tenderheartedness, a technician's fascination, and an unsentimental respect for grief * THE NEW YORKER *Doughty finds the humanity in other cultures' relationship with death that seems to be lacking in ours * VICE *From Indonesia to Mexico and all points in between, Doughty talks to a wide array of professionals, handling the topic with curiosity, frankness and no small amount of humour -- Doug Johnstone * THE BIG ISSUE *Both sensitive and light, and thoroughly researched, written by an author who genuinely wanted to learn from, not fetishise, other customs * GUARDIAN *Really fascinating -- Alice Waters * NEW YORK TIMES *In her jocular but reverential tone . . . Doughty doesn't offer a simple morbid travelogue; instead, she digs into diverse death experiences with deep veneration and examines ties to socioeconomic, status, female identity and religion * BOOKLIST *A study in cultures, places and profound moments - and with a necessary slice of morbid humour too * WANDERLUST *Moving and inspiring * BELFAST TELEGRAPH *Written with great humour and respect, this book will undoubtedly educate, entertain, and leave you dying to learn more * GEOGRAPHICAL *Far from morbid, but moving * WOMAN'S WAY *[Doughty's] fascinating tour of rituals contains liturgies that readers will surely observe as rare, macabre, unbelievable, ancient, and precious - sometimes simultaneously * KIRKUS *

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Book SynopsisWhat do you do when you wake up in your mid-forties and realize you've been living a lie your whole life? Do you tell? Or do you keep it to yourself?Laura James found out that she was autistic as an adult, after she had forged a career for herself, married twice and raised four children. This book tracks the year of Laura's life after she receives a definitive diagnosis from her doctor, as she learns that 'different' doesn't need to mean 'less' and how there is a place for all of us, and it's never too late to find it.Laura draws on her professional and personal experiences and reflects on her life in the light of her diagnosis, which for her explains some of her differences; why, as a child, she felt happier spinning in circles than standing still and why she has always found it difficult to work in places with a lot of ambient noise.Although this is a personal story, the book has a wider focus too, exploring reasons for the lower rate of diagnosed autism in women and a wide range of topics including eating disorders and autism, marriage and motherhood.Odd Girl Out gives a timely account from a woman negotiating the autistic spectrum, from a poignant and personal perspective.Trade ReviewThere are so many myths about what it means to be autistic and Laura tells her story beautifully and truthfully. You will live every moment with her, feel her pain and want to right the wrongs. Some books make a big difference, this is one of them. It should be read by everyone -- Natasha Harding, the SunA moving, lucid account of feeling different and ‘other’, Odd Girl Out is an invaluable insight that allows you to see the world through autistic eyes -- Get the GlossAn important, touching and incredibly honest book with a wry sense of humour, which challenges the preconceived ideas people have about autistic life -- Rachael Lucas, author of Sealed With a Kiss and The State of GraceLaura James has dug deep into her 'differentness' and emerged with a book of breathtaking honesty, humour and insight. Odd Girl Out is a brilliant antidote to all the cliches and misinformation surrounding autism -- Stephen Sackur, journalist and presenter of BBC HARDtalk

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Book SynopsisA Major BBC Series Starring Ben Whishaw. The multi-million copy bestseller and Book of the Year at The National Book Awards.‘Painfully funny. The pain and the funniness somehow add up to something entirely good, entirely noble and entirely loveable.' - Stephen FryWelcome to the life of a junior doctor: 97-hour weeks, life and death decisions, a constant tsunami of bodily fluids, and the hospital parking meter earns more than you.Scribbled in secret after endless days, sleepless nights and missed weekends, Adam Kay's This is Going to Hurt provides a no-holds-barred account of his time on the NHS front line. Hilarious, horrifying and heartbreaking, this diary is everything you wanted to know – and more than a few things you didn't – about life on and off the hospital ward.Sunday Times Number One Bestseller for over eight months and winner of a record FOUR National Book Awards: Book of the Year, Non-Fiction Book of the Year, New Writer of the Year and Zoe Ball Book Club Book of the Year.This edition includes extra diary entries and an afterword by the author.Trade ReviewI’d prescribe this book to anyone and everyone. It's laugh-out-loud funny, heartbreakingly sad and gives you the lowdown on what it’s like to be holding it together while serving on the front line of our beloved but beleaguered NHS. It’s wonderful -- Jonathan RossPainfully funny. The pain and the funniness somehow add up to something entirely good, entirely noble and entirely loveable. -- Stephen FrySo clinically funny and politically important for supporters of the NHS that it should be given out on prescription * Guardian *Finally a true picture of the harrowing, hilarious and ultimately chaotic life of the junior doctor in all its gory glory, dark comedy and unavoidable sadness. A blisteringly funny account shot through with harrowing detail, many pertinent truths and the humanity we all hope doctors conceal behind their unflappable exteriors -- Jo BrandAs hilarious as it is heartbreaking – and it IS heartbreaking (also hilarious) -- Charlie BrookerBlisteringly funny, politically enraging and often heartbreaking . . . hilarious . . . brimming not just with humour but with humanity . . . This should be a wake-up call to all who value the NHS -- Hannah Beckerman * Sunday Express *A funny, excoriatingly revealing, beautiful book -- Dawn FrenchHorrifyingly hilarious and hilariously horrifying -- Danny WallaceA ferociously funny book -- Mark WatsonSuperb -- Pam AyresAs a hypochondriac I was worried about reading Adam Kay’s book. Luckily it’s incredibly funny – so funny, in fact, that it gave me a hernia from laughing -- Joe LycettBy turns witty, gruesome, alarming, and touching. Always illuminating and searingly honest -- Jonathan DimblebyBrilliant -- Mark HaddonTable of ContentsIntroduction - i: Introduction Chapter - 1: House Officer Chapter - 2: Senior House Officer Post 1 Chapter - 3: Senior House Officer Post 2 Chapter - 4: Senior House Officer Post 3 Chapter - 5: Registrar Post 1 Chapter - 6: Registrar Post 2 Chapter - 7: Registrar Post 3 Chapter - 8: Registrar Post 4 Chapter - 9: Senior Registrar Chapter - 10: Aftermath Section - ii: An Open Letter to the Secretary of State for Health Acknowledgements - iii: Acknowledgements

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Book Synopsis'No other person who has flown in space has captured the experience so vividly' - New York Times Book Review In July 1969, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins piloted the Apollo 11 spacecraft to the moon. Fifty years later, it is still one of the greatest achievements in human history.In this remarkable memoir, Michael Collins conveys, in a very personal way, the drama, beauty, and humour of that adventure. He also traces his development from his first flight experiences in the air force, through his days as a test pilot, to his involvement in Project Gemini and his first spaceflight on Gemini 10. He presents an evocative picture of the famous Apollo 11 spacewalk, detailing the joys of flight and a new perspective on time, light, and movement from someone who has seen the fragile Earth from the other side of the moon.Updated with a new preface to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon-landing, Carrying the Fire by Michael Collins is the utterly absorbing and truly compelling classic account of what it was like to be a member of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon.Trade ReviewCollins tells what his space journeys meant to him as a human being [and] discusses the role of man amid the multitudinous mechanical marvels . . . Profoundly affecting * The New Yorker *Michael Collins can write . . . No other person who has flown in space has captured the experience so vividly * The New York Times Book Review *A splendid and affirmative book . . . A magnificent piece of exposition alive with humour, candid in its anxiety, very sensitive in its appreciation of the men involved. -- Edward Weeks * The Atlantic Monthly *

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Book SynopsisThe number one Sunday Times bestseller, Adam Kay's festive hospital diaries, Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas, is the perfect stocking filler from the author of multi-million-copy bestseller This is Going to Hurt – now a major BBC TV series. Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat . . . but 1.4 million NHS staff are heading off to work. In this perfect present for anyone who has ever set foot in a hospital, Adam Kay delves back into his diaries for a hilarious, horrifying and sometimes heartbreaking peek behind the blue curtain at Christmastime.This is a love letter to all those who spend their festive season on the front line, removing babies and baubles from the various places they get stuck, at the most wonderful time of the year.‘The perfect surgical stocking-filler’ – The TimesTrade ReviewSunday Times humour book of the year * Sunday Times *The perfect surgical stocking filler. Jokes galore. This little book will no doubt cheer up the many readers who find it under their tree * The Times *Very, very funny -- Graham NortonBeyond hilarious . . . A small-but-perfectly formed follow-up to This is Going to Hurt, this Christmas-themed delight continues to capture the dark humour and dedicated work of NHS professionals everywhere * Stylist *A funny, poignant snapshot of humanity * Radio Times *Will have you crying with laughter * Good Housekeeping *Contains Kay’s unique alchemy of medical insight and cynical wit * Daily Mirror *Hilarious and heartbreaking * Irish Times *The funniest book of 2019 * The Mail *Kay's fans will be delighted to discover that it is entirely as revolting, funny and moving as the first * i-news *Matchless stories . . . funny, disgusting and moving * Guardian *

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Book Synopsis'A SUPERB ACHIEVEMENT' IAN MCEWAN* * * * *What is it like to be a brain surgeon?How does it feel to hold someone's life in your hands, to cut through the stuff that creates thought, feeling and reason?How do you live with the consequences when it all goes wrong?DO NO HARM offers an unforgettable insight into the highs and lows of a life dedicated to operating on the human brain, in all its exquisite complexity. With astonishing candour and compassion, Henry Marsh reveals the exhilarating drama of surgery, the chaos and confusion of a busy modern hospital, and above all the need for hope when faced with life's most agonising decisions.* * * * *Winner:PEN Ackerley Prize South Bank Sky Arts Award for LiteratureShortlisted:Costa Biography AwardDuff Cooper PrizeWellcome Book PrizeGuardian First Book AwardSlightly Foxed Best First Biography PrizeLonglisted:Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-FictionTrade ReviewNeurosurgery has met its Boswell in Henry Marsh. Painfully honest about the mistakes that can 'wreck' a brain, exquisitely attuned to the tense and transient bond between doctor and patient, and hilariously impatient of hospital management, Marsh draws us deep into medicine's most difficult art and lifts our spirits. It's a superb achievement * Ian McEwan *An enthralling read . . . a testimony of wonder . . . Marsh's style is admirably clear, concise and precise . . There is no forcing of a narrative arc or a happy ending, just the quotidian frustrations, sorrows, regrets and successes of neurosurgical life -- Gavin Francis * GUARDIAN *An elegant series of meditations at the closing of a long career. Many of the stories are moving enough to raise tears, but at the heart this is a book about wisdom and experience -- Nicholas Blincoe * DAILY TELEGRAPH *[Do No Harm] simply tells the stories, with great tenderness, insight and self-doubt . . . Why haven't more surgeons written books, especially of this prosaic beauty? Well, thank God for Henry Marsh . . . What a bloody, splendid book: commas optional -- Euan Ferguson * OBSERVER *Incredibly absorbing . . . an astonishingly candid insight -- Bill BrysonRiveting . . . extraordinarily intimate, compassionate and sometimes frightening . . . [Marsh] writes with uncommon power and frankness * NEW YORK TIMES *Offers an astonishing glimpse into this stressful career. This is a wonderful book, passionate and frank. If Marsh is even a tenth as good a neurosurgeon as he is a writer, I'd let him open my skull any time -- Leyla Sanai * INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY *Henry Marsh . . . sets a new standard for telling it like it is . . . His love for brain surgery and his patients shines through, but the specialty - shrouded in secrecy and mystique when he entered it - has now firmly had the rug pulled out from under it. We should thank Henry Marsh for that -- Phil Hammond * THE TIMES *When a book opens like this: "I often have to cut into the brain and it is something I hate doing" - you can't let it go, you have to read on, don't you? . . . I trust completely the skills of those who practise [brain surgery], and tend to forget the human element, which is failures, misunderstandings, mistakes, luck and bad luck . . . Do No Harm by Henry Marsh reveals all of this, in the midst of life-threatening situations, and that's one reason to read it; true honesty in an unexpected place -- Karl Ove Knausgard * FINANCIAL TIMES *As gripping and engrossing as the best medical drama, only with the added piquancy of being entirely true, this compelling account of what it's really like to be a brain surgeon will have you on the edge of your sunlounger -- Sandra Parsons * DAILY MAIL *A mesmerising, at times painful journey through a neurosurgeon's extraordinary career. As delicate as he can be brutal, Marsh's account of himself is always honest and moving. Human frailty at its strongest -- Jessie Burton, author of THE MINIATURISTA strikingly honest and humane account of what it means to hold the power of life and death in your hands . . . elegant, edifying and necessary -- Erica Wagner * NEW STATESMAN 'Books of the Year' *Marsh has written a book about a love affair, and one cannot help feeling similarly smitten . . . 'Elegant, delicate, dangerous and full of profound meaning'. All four of those epithets might describe this book -- Ed Caesar * THE SUNDAY TIMES *A fascinating look inside the head of a man whose job it is to fiddle around in ours. He acknowledges that surgeons are arrogant, that they play God, but that they are also afflicted by despair, sorrow and doubt. He is scathing on NHS bureaucracy and his picture of doctors doing their best but basically flailing in the dark made me respect the profession more -- Nick Curtis * EVENING STANDARD *

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Book SynopsisIn the dark years of apartheid, a boy grew up in a household with a terrible secret: although they were all of mixed origins, they had managed to `pass as white’. Young Winston Wicomb, however, was far too dark to fit in, and had to be hidden whenever someone knocked on their door. After struggling through school and even managing to obtain an university degree, he still remained unemployed due to his skin colour. To make ends meet, he serviced cars in their backyard, but never stopped dreaming about escaping the restraints of Apartheid. Then fate intervened. While distributing pamphlets advertising his mechanical skills, he found Professor Chris Barnard stranded next to the road. He offered to help even though he had no experience with the new Mercedes the professor drove. Barnard, surprised at the success of Winston’s efforts and impulsive as ever, offered Winston a job in his research lab. It is here that Winston applied his knowledge and experience of matters mechanical to eventually produce the world’s first apparatus to transport a living heart over long distances. `Vital Remains’ tells to story of an unlikely hero, a huge risk, achievement … and love.

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Book Synopsis'ASTONISHING AND ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING' - LYNDA LA PLANTE'Engrossing, emotionally honest and forensically fascinating' - Dr Richard Shepherd, author of Unnatural CausesEVERY BODY LEAVES A MARKIn Traces, Professor Patricia Wiltshire will take you on a journey through the fascinating edgeland where nature and crime are intertwined. She'll take you searching for bodies of loved ones - through woodlands and plantations, along hedgerows and field-edges, from ditches to living rooms - solving time since death and how remains were disposed of. She will show you how pollen from a jacket led to a confession and how two pairs of trainers, a car and a garden fork led to the location of a murdered girl. She will give you glimpses of her own history: her loves, her losses, and the narrow little valley in Wales where she first woke up to the wonders of the natural world.From flowers, fungi, tree trunks to walking boots, carpets and corpses' hair, Traces is a fascinating and unique book on life, death, and one's indelible link with nature.Trade ReviewAstonishing ... absolutely fascinating. * Lynda La Plante *One of those extraordinary books that will appeal to almost everyone. * The Washington Post *There is so much excellent crime, crime scene and laboratory detail in this engrossing book, but also warmth and emotion, which combined with Pat's immense forensic academic work, meant that I found Traces very difficult indeed to put down. It's truly forensically fascinating (even for someone in the field!) while also being emotionally honest and challenging at times. Pat is really to be congratulated for an excellent and engrossing book. * Dr Richard Shepherd, author of Unnatural Causes *Traces is proof that real-life can be more startling than fiction. The insights into the natural world are every bit as absorbing as the behind-the-scenes details of forensic investigation, while Patricia Wiltshire's own story is as remarkable as any of the cases she's worked on. Poignant, frank and utterly fascinating. * Simon Beckett *This is a fascinating combination of a moving and human personal story with a real insight into the value of a lesser known area of forensic science. In telling her story Pat makes little of her remarkable academic achievements and her contribution to the Criminal Justice System. An inspiring and interesting read. * Dr Ann Priston, OBE, FCSFS *

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Book SynopsisExplore Nora Franglen's insights derived from decades of practice as a five element acupuncturist in this new collection. Covering tips on patient care and the patient-practitioner relationship to advice on a deeper understanding of the elements, of the healing practice, and of humanity's links to nature, the book also touches on the spiritual aspects of the work and the need for self-awareness in the practitioner. For acupuncturists and Chinese medicine practitioners, or anyone interested in the healing arts, this book is full of useful guidance.Trade ReviewWeaving together intellect, heart and soul, this is not only the story of mastery but offers a path to achieving it. There is much here to inspire, whatever the endeavour. -- Dr. Mark J. Langweiler, DC, DAAPM, University of South WalesNora Franglen writes with wisdom and heart and touches on the most profound aspects of life. This book is an inspiring and insightful account by an acupuncturist, teacher, and most of all, an ever-searching human being. -- Stefanie Sachsenmaier, Senior Lecturer in Theatre Arts, Middlesex University, and Tai Chi PractitionerThe spirit of five element acupuncture chose well when it met Nora Franglen. Nora writes about her life in acupuncture through the window of the elements with genuineness, joy, passion, humility, and a wry sense of humour. This, her seventh book, is not just a masterclass for acupuncturists but also for psychotherapists and indeed any student of human nature. -- Jean Ransome, Person-Centred PsychotherapistThe art of Chinese medicine, and much of classical Chinese thinking, lies in the subtle observation of things. Nora's many years of acupuncture practice, plus a variety of other life skills, have contributed to making her an expert in the art of observation. This delightful book provides both great pleasure and wise instruction; written more specifically with five element acupuncturists in mind, it can nevertheless be enjoyed equally by practitioners of any kind, and by anyone interested in the observation of life. -- Sandra Hill, Acupuncturist, Co-Founder of Monkey Press, and Author of Chinese Medicine from the ClassicsTable of ContentsIntroduction. SECTION I. A Lifetime of Five Element Acupuncture. 1 Becoming a five element acupuncturist; 2. The different phases of my acupuncture life; 3. Starting to teach; 4. Difficulties in running a college; 5. Teaching five element acupuncture; 6. An acupuncturist's inheritance; 7. Mastery; SECTION II. Immersion in the Elements. 8. The five fingers of a giant hand; 9. The elusive guardian element; 10 The cycle of the elements; 11. Shaking elements out of their comfort zone; SECTION III. Being a Reflective Practitioner. 12 We are instruments of nature; 13 "Practitioner, know thyself"; 14. The mysterious realm of the soul; 15. The three levels of the human being; 16. Getting to know our patients; 17. Allowing our feelings to guide us; 18. Taking our time; 19. Tailoring treatment to a patient's needs; 20. The outcome of treatment; 21. We can fall into bad habits; 22. Not demanding too much of ourselves; 23. Nobody likes getting things wrong; 24. More on the patient-practitioner relationship; SECTION IV. Teaching Other Practitioners. 25 The courage to become a five element practitioner; 26. The lack of teachers; 27. Adapting to a Chinese context; 28. Why I enjoy teaching so much in China; 29. Significance of my teaching in China

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Book SynopsisThe long-awaited memoir of a trailblazer and role model who is telling her story for the first time. Eileen Collins was an aviation pioneer her entire career, from her crowning achievements as the first woman to command an American space mission as well as the first to pilot the space shuttle to her early years as one of the Air Force’s first female pilots. She was in the first class of women to earn pilot’s wings at Vance Air Force Base and was their first female instructor pilot. She was only the second woman admitted to the Air Force’s elite Test Pilot Program at Edwards Air Force Base. NASA had such confidence in her skills as a leader and pilot that she was entrusted to command the first shuttle mission after the Columbia disaster, returning the US to spaceflight after a two-year hiatus. Since retiring from the Air Force and NASA, she has served on numerous corporate boards and is an inspirational speaker about space exploration and leadership. Eileen Collins is among the most recognized and admired women in the world, yet this is the first time she has told her story in a book. It is a story not only of achievement and overcoming obstacles but of profound personal transformation. The shy, quiet child of an alcoholic father and struggling single mother, who grew up in modest circumstances and was an unremarkable student, she had few prospects when she graduated from high school, but she changed her life to pursue her secret dream of becoming an astronaut. She shares her leadership and life lessons throughout the book with the aim of inspiring and passing on her legacy to a new generation.Trade Review"This is one of the essential astronaut autobiographies."—National Space Society“Well worth waiting for . . . She became famous for breaking the glass ceilings of the book’s title by being the first woman to be a shuttle pilot and a commander, but her accounts of the missions themselves are fascinating as well.”—Space Review “Given the chance, I would long ponder trading places with Eileen Collins. Her book with Jonathan Ward is a grand collection of simple, yet sensational moments she experienced—in Outer Space!—and in much that led to her getting there. What a read!"—Tom Hanks “I wrote the song ‘Beyond the Sky’ and sang it at Cape Canaveral for Eileen Collins’s maiden command voyage: ‘Once there was a girl with a dream in her heart, wild as the wind was her hope.’ This woman with the dream has turned into a serious heroine of the centuries who has taken her place among other men and women in the startling adventure of circling the Earth and leaving it behind. You will love her book: it is exciting, personal, detailed, a good thriller, suspenseful as a Stephen King mystery, and full of hope—that rare quality we all search for. Yeehaw, Commander Collins! What a life you have led and what a tale you have told! Brava!”—Judy Collins, singer, songwriter, author"Eileen Collins is a living legend and an inspiration to young people all over the world. We both began our journeys in Elmira, NY, with dreams of doing something extraordinary. Nurturing a dream is rarely ever easy, and Eileen certainly didn’t have a clear path to pursuing hers. Despite being met with challenges at every step, she was tenacious in chasing her ambition of becoming an astronaut—one who would go on to make history as the first female pilot and commander of an American space shuttle. When you come across a story of such determination, it is a reminder that once you set your mind to something, even the sky is not the limit.”—Tommy Hilfiger“I hope that a young explorer who reads Eileen’s book will be inspired to become the first human on Mars. Eileen proves that there is no limit to what we can do if we stay true to our goals and keep moving forward.”—Buzz Aldrin “Eileen is living proof to youngsters and young ladies that you can do anything you want to do with your life.”—Wally Funk, Mercury 13 pilot “Eileen Collins and I trained for the shuttle together, flew jets together, and waited together for that first chance to rocket into space. In Through the Glass Ceiling, Eileen tells the inspiring story of how she rose through hard work and determination to become a rare exemplar of the ‘right stuff,’ leading her crews to success in orbit and commanding the first shuttle launch after the Columbia disaster. Read, be amazed, then get this book into the hands of young explorers.”—Thomas D. Jones, astronaut and author of Skywalking“Reading Eileen’s story will not only help you get to know this extraordinary woman (mother, wife, survivor, USAF colonel, mathematician, professor, astronaut), but I bet it will help you think about facing life’s challenges with a greater sense of strength and determination. She is an inspiration.”—Gwynne Shotwell, president and COO, SpaceX “This book is endlessly inspiring!Eileen Collins is a trailblazer not only of space but of life. Her story of overcoming adversity to achieve her dream of flying in space will make your spirit soar.”—Andrew Chaikin, author of A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts “In the dark days in the aftermath of the Columbia tragedy, we looked no further than Eileen Collins to lead us down the long road with the Return to Flight crew to help NASA and the nation believe in ourselves again and resume the human quest to explore. This new book, with the help of master storyteller Jonathan Ward, captures Eileen’s thoughtful reflections and compelling story, which serves to inspire us all to reach our greatest potential.” —Sean O’Keefe, NASA Administrator, 2001–2005“As the commander of first space shuttle flight after the loss of Columbia, Eileen Collins lived, worked, and led her crew through a critical phase of history. How she got there is a story as interesting as the events themselves, one that is as inspirational as any in the pantheon of American aerospace heroes. This book takes you inside the life and times of one of NASA’s—America’s—best.”—Michael Griffin, NASA Administrator, 2005–2009“Exciting, motivating, and inspirational are only a few words to describe this story of Eileen Collins and her incredible journey to space. Her tenacity, resilience and persistence come through with each chapter.”—Charlie Bolden, Major General, USMC, Retired, former astronaut, former NASA Administrator, 2009–2017 “Eileen Collins has finally written the book people have been asking for. Growing up on welfare in a fractured family, Eileen's chance to live her own life took form in her long-held love of airplanes; her deep love of flying comes across on every page. Despite numerous obstacles in her path, she turned setbacks into advantages. We're with her in the pilot’s seat from page one. This inspiring book takes you into the challenges, the risks, the rewards—the heart of what it took to be first.”—Francis French, space historian; former Director of Events, Sally Ride Science "Eileen Collins is an unsung American hero. Her memoir should be ‘must reading’ for all young girls and boys in school, and indeed for every aspiring student at all levels. She has been a pioneer in everything she tried. The fact that NASA named Eileen as pilot on her first space shuttle flight tells you everything about the trust and confidence she inspires. I have had the honor of working with Eileen in her post-astronaut activities on several boards as well as the White House’s National Space Council. That same trust and confidence, combined with just being a natural leader who cares for people, are evident everywhere.”—General Lester L. Lyles, United States Air Force, retired, former Air Force Vice Chief of Staff, and Chairman NASA Advisory Council "“[This book] is both an inspiring tale of the career of Col. Eileen Collins and an acknowledgment of the proud contributions of female Airmen who have performed valiantly in service to America.”—General C. Q. Brown, Jr., Air Force Chief of Staff.

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Book SynopsisHow do medical staff offer care and hope to patients and families when faced with the mayhem and lottery of a broken healthcare system?''Terrifying, whistleblowing'' DAILY MAIL''Compelling... gripping'' GUARDIAN''Fascinating and beautifully written... reminds us what we have with our NHS - and what we stand to lose'' CHRISTIE WATSONThe People''s Hospital is the story of how Ben Taub Hospital strives to provide healthcare to Houston''s most vulnerable population, against the background of the chaos of American healthcare. By telling the frequently heartbreaking stories of patients who have had to battle their desperate financial circumstances as well as life-threatening illness - from Rogelio, a twenty-something, undocumented immigrant from Mexico recently diagnosed with kidney disease, to Roxana, a Salvadoran woman who appears in ER after a life-saving surgery resulted in her developing potenti

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Book SynopsisIn this inspiring coming-of-age memoir, a world-renowned astrophysicist emerges from an impoverished childhood and crime-filled adolescence to ascend through the top ranks of research physics.Navigating poverty, violence, and instability, a young James Plummer had two guiding stars-a genius IQ and a love of science. But a bookish nerd was a soft target in his community, where James faced years of bullying and abuse. As he struggled to survive his childhood in some of the country''s toughest urban neighborhoods in New Orleans, Houston, and LA, and later in the equally poor backwoods of Mississippi, he adopted the persona of gangsta nerd-dealing weed in juke joints while winning state science fairs with computer programs that model Einstein''s theory of relativity. Once admitted to the elite physics PhD program at Stanford University, James found himself pulled between the promise of a bright future and a dangerous crack cocaine habit he developed in college. WTrade ReviewAn epic personal and scientific journey through a system stacked against him. Haunting and heroic -- Professor Sara Seager, author of THE SMALLEST LIGHTS IN THE UNIVERSEHakeem Oluseyi's journey to adulthood is not only lyrical but immensely expansive and powerful. Moving across the American west and south, A Quantum Life encompasses with equal grace matters of particle physics and matters of a fractured family, challenges that are self-wrought and challenges inflicted by racism, triumphs over an academic landscape engineered against poor African-Americans and triumphs of the human heart -- Jeff Hobbs, New York Times bestselling author of THE SHORT AND TRAGIC LIFE OF ROBERT PEACEA physicist works with the statistical nature of the cosmos to predict the future - possible outcomes and unlikely ones. In A Quantum Life, you'll encounter one extraordinary turn of events after another, as the extraordinary chess player, puzzle solver, and occasional grifter, works his way from grinding poverty and deep despair to worldwide acclaim as a physicist. As you turn each page, you may not believe this outcome was possible. Read on -- Bill Nye, CEO of The Planetary SocietyA Black astrophysicist delivers a memoir that demonstrates the unstoppable strength of intelligence and the human spirit ... A sharp, relatable book about self-reinvention and a loving nod to anyone who has ever believed in the potential of another * Kirkus (Starred Review) *This illuminating and candid memoir ... is a testament to human fortitude ... Fans of Neil deGrasse Tyson will embrace this invigorating account of a life devoted to science * Booklist (Starred Review) *Inspiring. His story serves as a reminder that barriers can be broken regardless of one's background and that there is no one way to be a scientist * Science *

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Book Synopsis

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