Health, illness or addiction: social aspects Books

Book SynopsisA novel, that was originally published in 1963 under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas. It is partially based on the author's own life and descent into mental illness. It presents a portrait of the 1950s society.

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Book SynopsisI was supposed to be having the time of my life.When Esther Greenwood wins an internship on a New York fashion magazine in 1953, she is elated, believing she will finally realise her dream to become a writer. But in between the cocktail parties and piles of manuscripts, Esther''s life begins to slide out of control. She finds herself spiralling into serious depression as she grapples with difficult relationships and a society which refuses to take her aspirations seriously.The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath''s only novel, was originally published in 1963 under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas. The novel is partially based on Plath''s own life and descent into mental illness, and has become a modern classic.Trade Review"'In looking at the madness of the world and the world of madness [this book] forces us to consider the great question posed by all truly realistic fiction: what is reality and how can it be confronted?' New York Times Book Review"

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Book SynopsisI was supposed to be having the time of my life.When Esther Greenwood wins an internship on a New York fashion magazine in 1953, she is elated, believing she will finally realise her dream to become a writer.

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Book SynopsisObject Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things. You are what you eat. Never is this truer than when we use medications, from beta blockers and aspirin to Viagra and epiduralsand especially psychotropic pills that transform our minds as well as our bodies. Meditating on how modern medicine increasingly measures out human identity not in T. S. Eliot's proverbial coffee spoons but in 1mg-, 5mg-, or 300mg-doses, Pill traces the uncanny presence of psychiatric pills through science, medicine, autobiography, television, cinema, literature, and popular music. Robert Bennett reveals modern psychopharmacology to be a brave new world in which human identities thoughts, emotions, personalities, and selves themselvesare increasingly determined by the extraordinary powers of seemingly ordinary pills.Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.Trade ReviewBennett is great … in showing how the pill has pervaded popular culture and popular thinking. He coins the genre title of “psychopharmacological thriller,” a mouthful but apt: the film or TV show about not just drugs, but also their making, distribution, and effects. Under this last head, he unleashes a brilliant set piece on Carrie Mathison (played so well by Claire Danes in Homeland.) * The Philadelphia Inquirer *Robert Bennett's Pill, another volume in Bloomsbury's fine Object Lessons series … effectively looks at all areas of the history, understanding, and application of pills as maintenance tools (or presumed cures) in psychopharmacology … It's this careful, methodical journey Bennett takes through these medications and their effects as manifested through popular culture that makes Pill an effective, compelling book … Pill succinctly and comprehensively charts the enigmatic relationship humanity has had with wonder drugs of all sorts, particularly here Thorazine through Adderall. [Bennett] suggests, carefully, and with touching immediacy (especially through the final personal chapter), that there's still work to be done as we understand both the blessings and the curses of these drugs. * PopMatters *In this wide-ranging and readable book, Robert Bennett shows the many ways that our pills are us. Pill is a cautionary tale about putting our faith in easy cures, and necessary reading for anyone who wants to better understand our complex, anxious, and uncertain times. * Rachel Adams, Professor of English and Comparative Literature, Columbia University, and author of Raising Henry: A Memoir of Motherhood, Disability, and Discovery (2013) *Adept in its understanding of the relationship between pharmacology and culture, this book incisively demonstrates how psychotropic drugs engineer the modern self. Pill doesn’t invite us to ask our doctors about Zoloft but rather to ask ourselves how Zoloft defines us as individuals. * Lorenzo Servitje, Assistant Professor of Literature and Medicine, Lehigh University, USA, and co-editor of The Walking Med: Zombies and the Medical Image (2016) *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Pharmageddon 1 Thorazine (C17H19ClN2S): The Psychopharmacological Revolution 2 Valium (C16H13ClN2O): The Psychopharmacology of Everyday Life 3 Lithium (Li2CO3): The Psychopharmacological Thriller 4 Prozac (C17H18F3NO): Existential Quagmires 5 Adderall ((C9H13N)2H2SO4 + (C9H13N)2H2SO4 + (C9H13N)2C6H10O8 + (C9H13N)C4H7NO4H2O): Psychopharmacology Unbound Coda: Waiting for Brad Pitt Acknowledgements List of Figures Notes Index

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Book SynopsisDrawing on art, literature, and scientific research, scholar and therapist Kikan Massara delves into the Twelve Steps – the widely used and respected program of recovery. Developed in the early 20th century to address alcoholism, the Twelve Step program was later found to be an effective tool in aiding recovery for all types of addictions and compulsive behaviors.Now for the very first time, Twelve Step recovery is linked to a visual narrative. This inspiring edition features over 150 timeless and compelling works of art — from antiquity to the present day — to metaphorically describe a soulful path toward healing and transformation using these principles of recovery that continue to help millions.Featuring in-depth studies by leading experts in several converging fields, the book examines the history behind the Twelve Steps, from the program's origins in Depression-era America to building a foundation for recovery that incorporates concepts identified by psychologist C. G. Jung. The volume also offers relevant insight into the meaning of addiction in today's society. With striking imagery, literary quotations, and psychological references, the Twelve Step program is reintroduced to a wider audience as timely, accessible, and constructive. At a time of radical change and opportunity, this visual edition honors the transformative power of these universal principles and thoughtfully explores ways of aligning with them.Trade Review“In all chaos there is a cosmos, and in all disorder a secret order.” * C.G. Jung *

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Book SynopsisAl-Anon's latest, Courage to Be Me, is a treasure-trove of recovery stories specially written by and for Alateens. Every teen living with an alcoholic - recovering or not - should read this book.

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Book SynopsisPresident Obama's and President Biden's appointment as US Surgeon General 'The most important book you'll read this year' Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive 'Fascinating, moving and essential reading' - Atul Gawande 'This book is a gift for us all.' - Susan Cain, author, Quiet The world seems more connected than ever, and yet even before the world went into lockdown, loneliness was at epidemic levels. But what effect is it having on us, and how can we treat it - even at a distance? Murthy's prescient book reveals the importance of human connection, the hidden impact of loneliness on our health, and the social power of community. When Obama appointed him Surgeon General of the United States, Dr Vivek Murthy observed the growing health crisis of isolation first-hand. In this ground-breaking book, he traces the roots of the problem, and shows how loneliness lies behind some of our greatest personal and social challenges, from anxiety and depression to addiction and violence. But he also reveals the cure. His search led him to talk to doctors, scientists, parents and community members around the world. The solutions are deceptively simple and easily applicable - and the effects are transformative. And one thing is clear: real human connection is a medical necessity if we want to stay healthy, emotionally and physically. We can all create it, and benefit from it, and it is more urgent than ever that we start now.Trade ReviewFascinating, moving and essential reading -- Atul GawandeTogether stands with Atul Gawande's classic, Being Mortal. -- Malcolm GladwellThis book is a gift for us all. -- Susan Cain, author * Quiet *Compassionate and thought-provoking * Spectator *Powerful ... cogent and compassionate -- Siddhartha Mukherjee, author * The Emperor of All Maladies *Brilliant ... exactly what the doctor ordered. -- Angela Duckworth, author * Grit *The most important book you'll read this year. -- Daniel H. Pink, author of 'When' and 'Drive'Moving and well-evidenced ... shows how the deadly effects take hold and what we can all do to defeat this scourge of modern society. -- Lord Richard Layard, author * Happiness *A welcome beacon towards meaningful connection -- Arianna HuffingtonIf we could put Together in a capsule, it would be a blockbuster drug. -- Dan Buettner, National Geographic Fellow and Bestselling author of * The Blue Zones *With a compelling narrative, rigorous evidence, and a timely call to action, this book is a good omen for our mental health and social well-being. -- Adam Grant, bestselling author of ORIGINALS and GIVE AND TAKEBrilliantly diagnoses what ails us in our personal lives and in society, and offers a prescription for enriching each other's lives - and our own. -- Daniel Goleman, author * Emotional Intelligence *Profound, empathic, ultra-savvy ... This book is a balm and an inspiration just to read -- Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of MBSR, author of Full Catastrophe LivingVivek Murthy brings his medical expertise, his considerable travels and his intellectual curiosity to explore what is clearly a new frontier -- Abraham Verghese, author * Cutting for Stone *We need Murthy's book now more than ever. -- David A. Kessler, author of bestsellers 'The End of Overeating', 'Capture', and 'Fast Carbs, Slow Carbs'.A New Scientist 'Don't Miss' pick * New Scientist *What shines through most of all is the humanity. This, you can tell, is a man who practises what he preaches, who isn't afraid to expose his own vulnerability and who understands that kindness, like charity, starts at home. ... We also see in this inspirational book: the radical, transformative, creative power of compassion and hope. * The Times *Here's a book with much to say about our current trials of disconnection. ... In this engrossing book, Murthy offers solutions and inspiring case histories. * Daily Mirror *Engrossing... the scope of the book is impressive... Together makes a compelling case that we must maintain our collective capacity for connection long after we have vanquished the virus * Sunday Express *

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR NONFICTION 2020WINNER OF THE WINDHAM-CAMPBELL PRIZE FOR NONFICTION 2020FINALIST FOR THE PEN / JEAN STEIN BOOK AWARD 2020''Profound and unforgettable'' Sally Rooney''A classic . . . I have long thought of Boyer as a genius'' Patricia Lockwood''An outraged, beautiful, and brilliant work of embodied critique'' Ben Lerner''Some of the most perceptive and beautiful writing about illness and pain that I have ever read'' Hari KunzruBlending memoir with critique, an award-winning poet and essayist''s devastating exploration of sickness and health, cancer and the cancer industry, in the modern worldA week after her 41st birthday, Anne Boyer was diagnosed with highly aggressive triple-negative breast cancer. For a single mother living payslip to payslip, the condition was both a crisis and an initiation into new ideas about mortality and the gendered politics of illness.In The Undying - at once her harrowing memoir of survival, and a 21st-century Illness as Metaphor - Boyer draws on sources from ancient Roman dream diarists to cancer vloggers to explore the experience of illness. She investigates the quackeries, casualties and ecological costs of cancer under capitalism, and dives into the long line of women writing about their own illnesses and deaths, among them Audre Lorde, Kathy Acker and Susan Sontag.Genre-bending, devastating and profoundly humane, The Undying is an unmissably insightful meditation on cancer, the cancer industry and the sicknesses and glories of contemporary life.Trade ReviewAnne Boyer is an essential voice, and this is an essential book: one body's urgent attempt at finding a language to tell us what it knows -- Jonathan Lethem, author of The Feral DetectiveThis is a powerful, timely, and troubling book. Boyer's unflinching account of the market-driven brutality of American cancer care sits beside some of the most perceptive and beautiful writing about illness and pain that I have ever read -- Hari Kunzru, author of White Tears

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Book SynopsisSontag wrote Illness as Metaphor in 1978, while suffering from breast cancer herself. In her study she reveals that the metaphors and myths surrounding certain illnesses, especially cancer, add greatly to the suffering of the patients and often inhibit them from seeking proper treatment. By demystifying the fantasies surrounding cancer, Sontag shows cancer for what it is - a disease; not a curse, not a punishment, certainly not an embarrassment, and highly curable, if good treatment is found early enough. Almost a decade later, with the outbreak of a new, stigmatized disease replete with mystifications and punitive metaphors, Sontag wrote Aids and Its Metaphors, extending the argument of the earlier book to the AIDS pandemic.

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Book SynopsisThe #1 New York Times bestselling author of Grain Brain and his physician son explore how modern culture threatens to rewire our brains and damage our health, offering a practical plan for healing.Contemporary life provides us with infinite opportunities, along with endless temptations. We can eat whatever we want, whenever we want. We can immerse ourselves in the vast, enticing world of digital media. We can buy goods and services with the touch of a button or the swipe of a finger. But living in this 24/7 hyper-reality poses serious risks to our physical and mental states, our connections to others and even to the world at large.Brain Wash builds from a simple premise: Our brains are being gravely manipulated, resulting in behaviours that leave us more lonely, anxious, depressed, distrustful, illness-prone and overweight than ever before. Based on the latest science, the book identifies the mental hijacking that undermines each and every one of us and presents the tools necessary to think more clearly, make better decisions, strengthen bonds with others and develop healthier habits. Featuring a 10-day boot camp program, including a meal plan and 40 delicious recipes, Brain Wash is the key to cultivating a more purposeful and fulfilling life.'By showing us how to consciously rewire our brains for connection, compassion, and better decisions, Brain Wash provides a framework for reclaiming joy and health in the modern world.'- Deepak Chopra, author of Metahuman'Brain Wash reveals how our day-to-day decisions are deeply influenced and actively manipulated by the modern world. But more importantly, it is a powerful manual that allows each of us to reclaim control of our choices and make better decisions that will pave the way for health and happiness. While we generally know what's best for ourselves, acting on this knowledge is a constant struggle. Brain Wash allows us to turn this knowledge into action. I highly recommend this innovative book.'- Daniel G. Amen, MD, founder, Amen Clinics and author of The End of Mental IllnessTrade Review'Brain Wash reveals how our day-to-day decisions are deeply influenced and actively manipulated by the modern world. But more importantly, it is a powerful manual that allows each of us to reclaim control of our choices and make better decisions that will pave the way for health and happiness. While we generally know what's best for ourselves, acting on this knowledge is a constant struggle. Brain Wash allows us to turn this knowledge into action. I highly recommend this innovative book.' * Daniel G. Amen, MD, founder, Amen Clinics and author of The End of Mental Illness *By showing us how to consciously rewire our brains for connection, compassion, and better decisions, Brain Wash provides a framework for reclaiming joy and health in the modern world. * Deepak Chopra, author of Metahuman *'Brain Wash presents a road map for the relationship between how we think, feel, and behave and our lifestyle and environment. It is an artful and compelling manifesto on how to improve our mood, mind, and memory.' * Jeffrey Bland, PhD, founder of the Institute for Functional Medicine and president and founder of Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institut *The message of Brain Wash couldn't be more urgent or timely. If everyone followed its advice, the world would be a happier and healthier place. * Catherine Price, author of How to Break Up with Your Phone and founder of Screen/Life Balance (screenlifebalance.com) *'In a world where most of us are feeling rushed, tired, and burned out, Brain Wash reveals how even small changes in your lifestyle choices can dramatically improve your day, your mood, and even your life.' * Melissa Hartwig Urban, Whole30 Co-Founder and CEO *'This book was a total surprise. A father and son representing entirely different generations arrive at the same conclusion: that wellness fosters connection and this creates a meaningful life. Beautifully scripted and a bit like an adventure story, I kept wanting to get to the 'final message' of how being well makes us more loving and lovable. This is the endpoint where well-being takes us, and this is especially critical in our disconnected digital age with its constant distractions. Do yourself a favor and get this book.' * ohn Ratey, MD, author of Spark *'Brain Wash shows us how our ability to make the best decisions is literally being hijacked every day. But more importantly, Drs. David and Austin Perlmutter empower the reader with the tools to regain control over our decision-making and implement strategies to allow health, empathy, and happiness to manifest. Brain Wash brings a healthy dose of compassion to the world.' * Dr. Josh Axe, bestselling author of Keto Diet *'Inflammation, enhanced by so many influences of our modern world, dramatically reduces our ability to make good decisions and feel content. Brain Wash not only explores how this is happening, on a global scale, but also shows what we can do right now to take back control. From spending time in nature to choosing to consume one plant-based meal a day, Brain Wash provides the tools to reclaim and rebuild your brain's ability to make better choices and allow health and happiness to flourish.' * Mark Hyman, MD, New York Times bestselling author of Food and director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine *We all know what it's like to feel distracted and overwhelmed. Brain Wash is an invaluable guide that's crammed with solutions for helping us to restore our focus, energize our bodies, and refresh our minds. * Gretchen Rubin, author of The Four Tendencies and The Happiness Project *Brain Wash provides the tools for each of us to live a happier, more contented life. Drs. David and Austin Perlmutter engage our most current understanding of neuroscience to reveal how the brain can be functionally reconfigured to distance ourselves from pervasive negativity and welcome empathy and compassion back into our lives. The choices we make each day in terms of what we eat, how well we sleep, and even how we interact with our digital world all contribute to our worldview. And central to the Brain Wash mission is maximizing these and other choices towards seeing and creating a better world. * Dr. Rudolph Tanzi, Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, and author of The Healing Self *

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Book SynopsisFrom the author of Why We Get the Wrong Politicians, a gripping, provocative exploration of the NHS, told through the most critical moments in its 75-year history''The book the NHS has always deserved'' Andrew Marr''Funny, intelligent and so beautifully written . . . a much-needed book'' Chris van Tulleken''Brilliant'' Adam Kay________________Since its foundation in 1948, the NHS has come to define our national identity; it even topped the what makes Britain great poll in 2022. It has made history (and the headlines) again and again - from cutting edge discoveries like the first ''test tube baby'', to its heroic response to the Coronavirus crisis. But the NHS has also become a battleground for some of the fiercest political contests of our time, perceived either as a national treasure, or as a lumbering piece of state machinery in need of renovation.In Fighting for Life, bestselling journalist IsabTrade ReviewA compelling, deftly constructed and powerfully told narrative . . . Hardman is a meticulous journalist with a gift for storytelling. Necessary reading -- Rafael Behr * Guardian *Terrific . . . Every aspect of this history is informed and beautifully written -- Alan Johnson * Observer, Book of the Week *Vivid and fascinating, this is a beautifully cogent, balanced and human biography of a health service haunted by its own mythology . . . Hardman is impressively even-handed and unsentimental -- Melanie Reid * The Times, Book of the Week *It has by far the best analysis of where the health service came from, and where it's going . . . full of excellent stories -- Karol Sikora * The Telegraph *Brilliant -- Adam Kay * author of This is Going to Hurt and Undoctored *Passionate, deeply researched and page-turningly full of good stories, this is so good one is tempted to say it is the book the NHS has always deserved -- Andrew MarrThis is a sensational and much-needed book: funny, intelligent and so beautifully written that it doesn't read like normal non-fiction . . . thorough, scholarly and above all readable -- Chris van TullekenA kaleidoscopic history of the NHS -- Henry Marsh * New Statesman *Hardman's writing is breezily accessible, and her deeply researched book is full of colourful vignettes and an enjoyable spice of gossip . . . she is particularly good at locating the NHS within the wider social movements that have changed British life over the 75 years of its existence -- Sarah Neville * Financial Times *A brilliantly written and engrossing biography of the NHS . . . compelling and even-handed -- Kate Womersley * The Spectator *A superb, rollercoaster account of the NHS . . . This completely riveting and scrupulously researched book shows how, just like its patients, the NHS sways precariously between money, morality and mortality, and trust, trauma and triumph -- Juliet NicolsonA compelling thriller . . . Fighting for Life provides vivid and urgently needed context to the familiar daily news stories about the crises in the NHS -- Steve RichardsA must-read for anyone interested in how the NHS started and why we have ended up where we are. A thoroughly fascinating, comprehensive and critical analysis -- Dr Ranj SinghA fascinating, insightful and forensic history of the NHS by a journalist who understands the politics as well as the policy of the health service. Essential reading -- Rachel SylvesterThis remarkable and immensely readable book looks back at the highs and lows of the NHS's first 75 years, and asks critical questions about its future. Thought-provoking, despairing, eye-opening, and inspiring in equal measure -- Sir David HaslamHardman provides an admirable account of the struggles of the [health service] . . . She is lucid, fair and unpolemical -- Andrew Gimson * Conservative Home *

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Book SynopsisAn international bestseller and winner of the Stonewall Book Award, which inspired an award-winning film 'A heroic work of journalism on what must rank as one of the foremost catastrophes of modern history.' The New York Times 'Stunning ... An impressively researched and richly detailed narrative.' TIME Randy Shilts was the first openly gay journalist dealing with gay issues for the San Francisco Chronicle. In 1981, the year when AIDS came to international attention, he quickly devoted himself to reporting on the developing epidemic, one which devastated his community and eventually took his life as well. Shilts interviewed over 1,000 people, weaving together extensive research in the form of personal stories and political reportage. He was perfectly placed to understand the cultural, medical and political impact of the disease on the gay community and United States society as a whole. And the Band Played On exposes why AIDS was allowed to spread while the medical and political authorities ignored and even denied the threat. This book remains one of the great works of contemporary journalism and provides the foundation for continuing debates over governmental failure in handling lethal epidemics.Trade ReviewRivals in power and intensity, and in the brilliance of its reporting and writing, Truman Capote's In Cold Blood * Boston Globe *Stunning ... An impressively researched and richly detailed narrative. * TIME *A heroic work of journalism on what must rank as one of the foremost catastrophes of modern history. * The New York Times *

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Book SynopsisUnderstand the practical and emotional impact of your symptoms and learn to organise every step of your health management. If you’re dealing with a range of complicated and confusing health problems following a Covid vaccination, this guide is for you. An adverse reaction to a Covid vaccination can be a deeply distressing experience. It may leave you mystified as you attempt to deal with a range of physical, cognitive, and psychological symptoms that few seem able to explain, diagnose, treat, or even acknowledge. The Covid Vaccine Adverse Reaction Survival Guide is here to help, taking you through this stressful experience in a way that will help you feel more in control of your life. The CVARS Guide addresses key areas of recovery to maximise your healing potential. It is also essential reading for anyone providing personal or professional support to someone who is dealing with an adverse reaction. Packed with recipes, worksheets, symptom charts, appointment records, and diary pages, the CVARS Guide demystifies nutrition plans and advice and includes ways of keeping track of symptoms so that you can tackle them without feeling overwhelmed, while you develop your own unique recovery plan.

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Book Synopsis''With this marvellous book, Ruby Wax has confirmed her position as one of the most readable, inspirational and engaging writers in the field of human mental health, happiness and fulfilment.'' Stephen Fry It took us 4 billion years to evolve to where we are now - completely brilliant and yet, some might say, emotionally dwarfed. The question is: can our more empathetic side catch up in time to save us and the world? I''ve got nothing against smarts, but it''s smarts without emotional awareness that got us into this position of being able to nuke each other into oblivion and rape the earth for oil.With a little help from a monk (who tells us how our mind works) and a neuroscientist (who tells us how our brain works), Ruby Wax answers every question you''ve ever had about: evolution, thoughts, emotions, the body, addictions, relationships, sex, kids, the future and compassion. Filled with witty anecdotes from Ruby''s own life, and backed up byTrade ReviewWith this marvellous book, Ruby Wax has confirmed her position as one of the most readable, inspirational and engaging writers in the field of human mental health, happiness and fulfilment. * Stephen Fry *A three way encounter between a Monk, a neuroscientist and Ruby Wax sounds like the set up for a joke. Instead it's produced one of the most fascinating, intriguing and informative books about minds and bodies and brains and mindfulness I've ever encountered. A triangulation on what it means to be human. Utterly readable and surprisingly wise. * Neil Gaiman *Ruby has beautifully fused neurology and spirituality and given us a means to cope with operating both a mind and a brain. If this mental upgrade works then all other books will become defunct as we repose in bliss. * Russell Brand *How to Be Human is, without exaggeration, a lifeline; wise, practical and funny, it is a handbook for those in despair. It is actually for everyone alive, for the curious, or disillusioned or muddled or just plain happy. Ruby, the Monk and the Neuroscientist are today's Magi. * Joanna Lumley *Ruby Wax is a stitch. And this stitch can make you laugh while showing you some exceedingly useful things to heal and transform your life. What she is pointing to is way too serious to take too seriously. Seriously! * Jon kabat-Zinn *As I expected its funny and thoroughly readable but what I hadn't expected was that it would change the way I think about how I think. Remarkable work from Miss Wax * Jennifer Saunders *Ready to laugh and cry as you dive deeply into what it means to be human? Guiding us across evolution, from the far past into the present and even preparing us for the future, Ruby Wax and her neuroscientist and meditating monk colleagues provide us with a science-informed, practical, and humorous guide that is as hysterical as it is profound. Be prepared to feel your way into well-being with this magnificent blending of entertainment and education into the nature of our minds' thoughts, feelings, and identity as you explore and expand who really you are. * Daniel J. Siegel *Ruby Wax has spent a lifetime trying to be human.... with this book, she's so very nearly there... * Dawn French *This is a present for your head and your heart. Do yourself a favour and read it, you'll love it * Davina McCall *A guide to mindfulness that's as hilarious as it is useful -- Arianna Huffington on 'A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled'A wonderful book full of passion and verve -- Prof. Mark Williams on 'A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled'Enchanting, educational, enlightening * David Eagleman *How to Be Human reveals how to banish the devil on your shoulder and feel truly human again * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewAn astonishingly fine book * Dublin Review of Books *Light on its feet and goes in deep * Deborah Levy *Wry, shocking, winningly frank . . . What is most striking about the collection is its universality. [These stories] urgently need to be told. Pine does so with an honesty and vigour that are always uplifting * Guardian *This compelling memoir crystallises the human experience and gives words to the feelings you never knew you had * Sunday Times Style *A truly brilliant writer . . . A great book * Evening Standard *A brilliant collection * David Nicholls *An exceptional collection of essays . . . Pine's sharp, unadorned writing style allows the unobscured truths to rise to the surface * Refinery29 *What resonates is Pine's articulation of the small, cumulative frustrations of life as a woman * FT *

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Book SynopsisRoxanne Pink and Richard Pink are the couple behind @ADHD_Love, an online platform that supports people with ADHD and those who love them with candid and releateable advice and stories. Rox was diagnosed with ADHD in 2021 - a life-changing discovery that inspired the couple to help others with ADHD reach the same acceptance that she has found. Rich and Rox live in Sevenoaks with Rich's two children

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Book Synopsis'A thoughtful exploration of humanity ... Fabes is great company and makes riding bicycles seem like the best way to see and understand the world' - Guardian They say that being a good doctor boils down to just four things: Shut up, listen, know something, care. The same could be said for life on the road, too. When Stephen Fabes left his job as a junior doctor and set out to cycle around the world, frontline medicine quickly faded from his mind. Of more pressing concern were the daily challenges of life as an unfit rider on an overloaded bike, helplessly in thrall to pastries. But leaving medicine behind is not as easy as it seems. As he roves continents, he finds people whose health has suffered through exile, stigma or circumstance, and others, whose lives have been saved through kindness and community. After encountering a frozen body of a monk in the Himalayas, he is drawn ever more to healthcare at the margins of the world, to crumbling sanitoriums and refugee camps, to city dumps and war-torn hospital wards. And as he learns the value of listening to lives - not just solving diagnostic puzzles - Stephen challenges us to see care for the sick as a duty born of our humanity, and our compassion.Trade Reviewa thoughtful exploration of humanity ... Fabes is great company and makes riding bicycles seem like the best way to see and understand the world -- Guardiana poignant, funny memoir... Fabes is a winning storyteller * Star Tribune *The pages, and the turns, are a constant surprise and a wonder... Fabes writes beautifully, poetically, transportingly, about his journey * Life in the Fast Lane *an intrepid cyclist and doctor recounts an epic journey... A brisk, panoramic view of peoples and lands. * Kirkus Reviews *Witty and wild, intrepid and inspirational, the book chronicles two parallel journeys: Fabes' physical cycling tour of many countries and his look at health across the globe ... An entertaining and epic chronicle of a journey of extremes. * Booklist *Signs of Life is the kind of book we need right now. It is heart-warming. It is hopeful. It shows us that despite all the guns and guerrillas the world is also full of people who press presents and hospitality on travellers. It is also a very readable travelogue, a thoughtful one. * The BookBag *A dizzying, headlong, hilarious grand tour... deserves to become a classic. -- Gavin FrancisAn inspirational journey of humanity and humility. Fabes has redefined the medical memoir. -- Nathan FilerA clever and entertaining book, never veering too far from either the practicalities of bike-touring or Fabes's work as a medic and often using metaphors that connect the two * TLS *A charming, human story of resilience, adversity and compassion, all told with a good dose of dry British humour -- Lois Pryce author of * Revolutionary Ride *'I absolutely loved this book - a six-year, wheel-spinning, page-turning pedal around the world. Full of rich, vivid descriptions of people and landscapes, interwoven with wisdom, compassion, humanity and a playful Panglossian humour... he allows us to see how everything is connected. If Stephen is half as talented a doctor as he is a writer, then lucky patients I say. A worthy addition to the cycle-touring canon -- Mike Carter

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Book SynopsisA powerful work of non-fiction and the natural sequel to The Shock of the Fall.

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Book SynopsisExamining historical, clinical, and artistic material, in both written and visual form, this book traces the figure of the contemporary hysteric as she rebels against the impossible demands made upon her.Exploring five traits that commonly characterise the hysteric as an archetype â a specific body, mimetic abilities, a shroud of mystery, a propensity to disappear, and a particular relationship to voice â the authors shed light on what it means to be hysterical, as a form of rebellion and resistance.This is important reading for scholars of sociology, gender studies, cultural studies, and visual studies with interests in psychoanalysis, art, and the characterisation of mental illness.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A Foreign Affairs Best of Books""Readers will appreciate the care that went into this work as well as the depth of the authors’ findings, which highlight just how extensively partisanship shaped the public’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This book is destined to end up on the shelf of anyone interested in public health and public opinion."---Matthew S. Levendusky, Science"A solid work of history attempting to assess one of the most historic events of the 21st century."---Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Review

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Book SynopsisAs a psychiatrist-in-training fresh from medical school, Carl Erik Fisher came face to face with his own addiction crisis, one that nearly cost him everything. Here, he investigates the history of this age-old condition. Humans have struggled to define, treat, and control addictive behaviour for most of recorded history, including well before the advent of modern science and medicine. The Urge is a rich, sweeping history that probes not only medicine and science but also literature, religion, philosophy, and sociology, illuminating the extent to which the story of addiction has persistently reflected broader questions of what it means to be human and care for one another. Fisher introduces us to the people who have endeavoured to address this complex condition through the ages: physicians and politicians, activists and artists, researchers and writers, and of course the legions of people who have struggled with their own addictions. He also examines the treatments and strategies that have produced hope and relief. The Urge is at once an eye-opening history of ideas, a riveting personal story of addiction and recovery, and a clinician’s urgent call for a more expansive, nuanced, and compassionate view of one of society’s most intractable challenges.Trade Review‘The Urge is an absolutely brilliant exploration of humanity’s ever-present struggle with addiction, or what psychiatrist Carl Erik Fisher calls "the terrifying breakdown of reason." Dr Fisher’s firsthand experience, as both a doctor and a patient, gives The Urge a layer of insight that deepens its historical focus. Readers will walk away with a nuanced grasp of the high stakes of our broken medical system and the bias baked into our understanding of addiction and mental illness in general. This book is special — as edifying as it is electrifying, as meaningful as it is humane.’ -- Susannah Cahalan, author of Brain on Fire‘Carl Erik Fisher expertly weaves his own story of addiction into a comprehensive and fascinating narrative. The Urge is an engaging read that also helps us gain a fuller picture of our own nature and how society has capitalised on it to drive addiction. Even as an addiction psychiatrist and researcher, I learned a great deal from this book.’ -- Dr Judson Brewer, PhD, author of Unwinding Anxiety‘Thoughtful, moving, and wonderfully informative, Carl Erik Fisher’s The Urge arrives just in time to help us, as a nation, rethink our failed war on drugs. In telling his own story, that of a young physician wrestling with both alcohol and rehab, Dr. Fisher humanises the struggles that ensnare so many of us. Addiction, this marvellous book makes clear, is confounding, seductive, and elusive. In facing it without prejudice, we can learn a lot about ourselves.’ -- Dr Mark Epstein, author of The Trauma of Everyday Life and Advice Not Given‘This thoughtful, wise, and thoroughly researched book is sure to be a crucial contribution to our understanding of addiction — a crisis that demands a deeper, more truthful conversation.’ -- Johann Hari, author of Chasing the Scream‘Carl Erik Fisher’s The Urge is the best-written and most incisive book I've read on the history of addiction. In the midst of an overdose crisis that grows worse by the hour and has vexed America for centuries, Fisher has given us the best prescription of all: understanding. He seamlessly blends a gripping historical narrative with memoir that doesn't self-aggrandise; the result is a full-throated argument against blaming people with substance use disorder. The Urge is a propulsive tour de force that is as healing as it is enjoyable to read.’ -- Beth Macy, author of Dopesick‘The Urge is an insightful, thought-provoking, and beautifully written book that stands to revolutionise our understanding of one of medicine’s — and society’s — most challenging problems. Carl Erik Fisher is a masterful physician-writer who is equally attentive to the grand sweep of history and the subtleties of each individual’s experience of addiction. A remarkable achievement.’ -- Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of The Emperor of All Maladies ‘This courageous, urgent book tells the story of addiction, narrating its history, the author's own mêlées with alcohol and stimulants, and the narrative of other people’s struggles, which he has grappled with as a clinician. In poignant, episodic accounts, he describes historical conflicts that remain alive today, when we view addiction sometimes as a social circumstance, sometimes as a biological disease, and sometimes as a personal failure. Fisher has undertaken the difficult but necessary job of reconciling these multiple points of view.’ -- Andrew Solomon, author of Far from the Tree and The Noonday Demon‘This is a brilliant, fascinating, important book. Combining riveting cultural history and cutting-edge neuroscience with his own searing experiences with (and recovery from) substance abuse, Carl Erik Fisher has produced a work that deserves a place alongside volumes by fellow physician-writers Oliver Sacks, Kay Redfield Jamison, Siddhartha Mukherjee, and Abraham Verghese. Full of insight and wisdom, this is a profound meditation on the nature of addiction and what it means to be human.’ -- Scott Stossel, author of My Age of Anxiety‘Fisher … makes a striking debut by skillfully combining a cultural history of addiction with his own story of recovery. He first looks to ancient philosophers and thinkers … Along the way, he shares plenty of moving stories of the scientists, preachers, and patients on the front lines of addiction and movingly recounts his own struggle with alcohol and Adderall addiction while he was a physician in Columbia's psychiatry residency program … There’s as much history here as there is heart.’ * Publishers Weekly, starred review *‘Fisher, a psychiatrist and a patient recovering from addiction, wonders, “Is everyone somewhere on the addiction spectrum?” What factors — biological, psychological, social, cultural — play a role? A unique perspective on a frustrating, often devastating problem.’ * Booklist *‘A compelling history … Fisher, an addiction physician and a recovering addict, illustrates the ‘terrifying breakdown of reason’ that accompanies the condition by drawing on patients’ anecdotes and on his own experience.’ * The New Yorker *‘Doggedly researched, layered with empathy, The Urge pulls back multiple curtains at once in examining an ailment that will likely never go away … The Urge contains a wealth of such research and insight, rendered with a gimlet eye and a physician’s care. Addicts who make it to the other side often feel they have survived to fulfill a higher purpose. The Urge qualifies as just such an accomplishment, an inspired dive into a condition that, in one way or another, touches us all.’ * The Boston Globe *‘Eye-opening, humane, and meticulously researched.’ -- Caitlin Allen * Reaction *‘Carl Erik Fisher takes the reader on a vivid tour over several thousand years of multiple cycles of science, medicine and literature, woven together by the thread of the author’s own alcohol and amphetamine addiction and treatment. It is made even more emphatic and moving because he is also a psychiatrist who treats such patients … [The Urge] is thorough and revealing … [and is] a mature view of the topic from someone with immense experience of it.’ -- David Nutt * The Guardian *‘This compassionate history urges us to leave behind moral panic and the temptation to stigmatise drug victims, and find more than one solution to a very human problem.’ -- Robyn Douglass * SA Weekend *‘Thought-provoking.’ -- John Meagher * Irish Independent *‘I devoured [The Urge] … Drawing on his experience with addiction, as well as his training in medicine and bioethics, Fisher has produced a meticulous history of addictions — exploring why, across time and place, we pursue our compulsions and obsessions unto grave consequences.’ -- Zachary Siegel * The Baffler *‘[A] marvellous gift of hope … Fisher’s work is a challenge and an invitation to discard narrow conceptions, abandon punitive strategies, and “free ourselves to look instead at the full variety of interventions available to help.” … We are fortunate that his book is here, now, within reach of policymakers, prosecutors, family members, people who are suffering from addiction, and those in recovery.’ * American Scholar *‘Fisher’s writing glows with compassion … The Urge is an ambitious book.’ -- Catherine DeMayo * The South Sydney Herald *‘Addiction is variously described as a brain disease, a personal demon, and an epidemic. This compelling history holds that it is simply “part of humanity.” Fisher, an addiction physician and a recovering addict, illustrates the “terrifying breakdown of reason” that accompanies the condition by drawing on patients’ anecdotes and on his own experience. He also highlights the ways in which stigmas — such as the “firewater” myth, which held that Native Americans were uniquely vulnerable to alcohol addiction — have provided “ideological cover” for policing certain groups.’ * The New Yorker *‘Dr Carl Erik Fisher’s impressive debut tackles the cultural history of addiction, offering a nuanced, personal perspective on a health crisis that remains stigmatised and misunderstood … The Urge is several excellent books in one: a complete and sweeping history of addiction, a compassionate doctor’s approach to treating people with addictions, and a blistering critique of outdated, draconian government policies around drug use and addiction.’ -- BookPage, starred review

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Book SynopsisA retired career anorexic' examines herself and her, and our, culture in a masterpiece of confessional literature.At the age of four Marya Hornbacher looked in a mirror and decided she was fat. At nine, she was bulimic. At twelve, she was anorexic. By the time she was eighteen, she'd been hospitalized five times, once in the loony bin. Her doctors and her parents had given up on her; they were watching her die. But Marya decided to live. Four years on, now 22, here is her harrowing tale, powerfully told in a virtuoso mix of memoir, cultural criticism and psychological examination.Here is the amazingly articulate fury of a clever woman made stupid by her culture, who threw away her teenage years in a continuous cycle of bingeing and vomiting or just plain starvation.The first book to explore, from the inside, the intimate relationship between eating disorders and 1990s culture's historically unprecedented obsession with body, diet and gender; not a testimony to a miracle cure, but the s

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Book SynopsisA practical guide for understanding how palliative care can improve quality of life for patients and their caregivers. Robin Bennett Kanarek was a registered nurse working with patients suffering from chronic medical conditions when her ten-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia. As her son endured grueling treatments, Robin realized how often medical professionals overlook critical psychological, emotional, and spiritual support for people with life-threatening illnesses. Living Well with a Serious Illness is the culmination of decades of Robin's work to advance the field of palliative care. Although palliative care is often associated with hospice and end-of-life planning, Kanarek argues for a more expanded definition that incorporates palliative care earlier in patients' journeys. Living Well with a Serious Illness helps patients and their caregivers understand what palliative care entails how to access the support they need when going through a serious illness what questions Table of ContentsForeword by Sunita Puri, MDIntroduction: David's Story1. What is Palliative Care?2. Barriers to Palliative Care: Taking Care of the Person Versus Fighting the Disease3. How We Want to Die: Palliative Care's Benefits for Patients and Their Loved Ones4. How to Get the Care You Want: Knowing What to Ask For, What to Expect, and What to Demand5. How to Cope When Illness Changes Everything: Quality-of-Life Care Includes the Family6. Putting it All Together: Creating an Action Plan for When the End is Near7. Spirituality and Well-Being: Care of the Spirit Matters Too8. Grief: Tapping into Restorative Sources After Goodbye9. Making Palliative Care Mainstream: What Legislators, Philanthropists, Educators, and You Can DoEpilogue: David's Legacy—The Kanarek Family FoundationResourcesAcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorIndex

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Book SynopsisSince February 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic has strained health systems worldwide. Despite several measures adopted, including the deployment of emergency funds to sustain health service transformations and investment in vaccine development, the crisis has taken over a year to be controlled. The consequences are still affecting the capacity and capabilities of health systems. In light of the ongoing pandemic, this book explores the factors determining the ability of health systems to cope with and recover from a crisis, and therefore their level of resilience. The term resilience has gained momentum in health systems research, with several scholars contributing to the definition of the concept. Providing a comprehensive health system resilience agenda, policy-makers, public health specialists, health managers, scholars and practitioners will find in this work both a grounded framework for the assessment of the level of resilience of healthcare systems and organizations, and specific actionable changes that should be pursued to consolidate and improve that level of resilience. Ultimately, this work identifies desirable paths of action through the investigation of real-world cases to improve health systems and organizations capacity and capability to face any future dramatic crisis.Table of ContentsChapter 1. If You Stay Ready, You Won’t Have to Get Ready Chapter 2. Naming and Framing Health System Resilience Chapter 3. Key Ingredients for a Resilient Health System Chapter 4. A Framework for Action Chapter 5. Case Study. Lessons from the Italian NHS Chapter 6. Making Things Happen

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Book SynopsisIt is often claimed that the UK is unusually attached to its National Health Service, and the last decade has seen increasingly visible displays of gratitude and love. This book offers a timely critique of both the potential, and the dysfunctions, of Britain's complex love affair with its healthcare system.Table of Contents1. On loving the NHS 2. Public opinion and the NHS 3. Fundraising for the NHS 4. Volunteering in the NHS 5. Campaigning for the NHS 6. Using and loving the NHS 7. What we can do with love: the future of the NHS in public

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Book SynopsisA groundbreaking new book about the misogynistic nineteenth century obsession with hysteria, focusing on the renowned Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris.''Fascinating and beautifully written'' Guardian''Fascinating ... gives us a disturbing insight into the extent to which doctors, patients and diseases, both then and now, are products of their time'' Sunday TimesIn 1862 the Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris became the epicenter of the study of hysteria, the mysterious illness then thought to affect half of all women.There, prominent neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot''s contentious methods caused furore within the church and divided the medical community. Treatments included hypnosis, piercing and the evocation of demons and, despite the controversy they caused, the experiments became a fascinating and fashionable public spectacle.Medical Muses tells the stories of the women institutionalised in the Salpêtrière. Theirs is a tale of scTrade ReviewFascinating and beautifully written * Guardian *Fascinating ... gives us a disturbing insight into the extent to which doctors, patients and diseases, both then and now, are products of their time * Daisy Goodwin, Sunday Times *Thoughtful and engrossing * Miranda Seymour, Daily Telegraph *The thoroughly researched, very readable material brings to life their strange and remarkable stories, told in meticulous detail, as well as the brilliance and brutality of the great physician * Independent *Consistently enthralling * Kathryn Harrison, New York Times *Fascinating ... This account of psychiatry in its infancy is unforgettable -- Lesley McDowell * Independent on Sunday *Asti Hustvedt has tapped into a deeply fascinating seam of medical history here ... Her descriptions of patients, and of Jean-Martin Charcot, the doctor who treated them, are peerless -- William Leith * Scotsman *

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Book Synopsis'The life-affirming expression of an artist engaged in living to the full' The Times Smiling in Slow Motion is Derek Jarman's last journal, stretching from May 1991 until a fortnight before his death in February 1994. Jarman writes with his trademark humour and candour about friends and enemies, as he races through his final years of film-making, gardening and radical political protest. Written from Jarman's Charing Cross Road flat, his famed garden at Dungeness, and finally from his bed in St Bartholomew's Hospital, Jarman meditates on his own deteriorating health and the loss of his contemporaries. Yet Smiling in Slow Motion is not simply a chronicle of illness and regret: it is, at its heart, one of endeavour, determination and pride.WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY NEIL BARTLETTTrade ReviewGossipy, candid, funny, and, as Jarman’s illness takes hold, powerfully moving * Choice Magazine *Present on every page is the creative sparkle and compellingly generous spirit of a man who was in every way an uncompromising individual * The Times *In these diaries... the artist and film director emerges as a down-to-earth visionary... this perceptive and enjoyable work is something of a miracle * Independent *For all his anger, Jarman never seems brutalised. He retains his humanity and his good humour. His is a wonderfully garrulous, mercurial, polymathic daemon * Literary Review *Jarman [is] the sort of troublemaking visionary who one day may be compared with Blake -- John Gill * Time Out *

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Book Synopsis'Affecting and engaging' COLM TÓIBÍN'A wistful, witty meditation on a gay man's twilight years and the twilight of America' GuardianOut in the drought-struck backwaters of rural Florida, The Kingdom of Sand's nameless narrator lives a life of semi-solitude, enjoying the odd, fleeting sexual encounter and the friendship of a few.His world is ageing, and the memories of another time flash, then fade - visions of parties filled with handsome young men, the parents whom he chose to spend his life besides, the generation he once knew, struck down by AIDS. But, when forced to watch the slow demise of a close neighbour, he is drawn back to the here and now, and his own borrowed time in this kingdom of sand.'Bracingly honest and wise' The Times, Books of the Year'Both melancholy and hilarious' New York TimesTrade Review[Holleran's] new novel is all the more affecting and engaging because the images of isolation and old age here are haunted . . . in 1978 Holleran wrote the quintessential novel about gay abandon, the sheer, careless pleasure of it: Dancer From the Dance. Now, at almost 80 years of age, he has produced a novel remarkable for its integrity, for its readiness to embrace difficult truths and for its complex way of paying homage to the passing of time -- Colm Tóibín * New York Times *Bracingly honest and wise... A beautiful way to describe how we fade away. * The Times, *Books of the Year* *Holleran's fifth novel - both melancholy and hilarious - finds the protagonist living out his days in his late mother's Florida home, navigating loneliness, a changing world and a life post-cruising. The book's image of isolation and old age is all the more haunting because in 1978 Holleran wrote the quintessential novel about the sheer, careless pleasure of gay abandon, Dancer From the Dance. * New York Times *[With] grim wit and flashes of sanctity from above... Holleran's writing is as calmly compelling as the repetitive tasks that occupy a monastic day. * Observer *Holleran renders an elegiac and very funny contemplation of not just ageing but an age... A wistful, witty meditation on a gay man's twilight years and the twilight of America. -- Jeremy Atherton Lin * Guardian *[Holleran's] new novel is all the more affecting and engaging because the images of isolation and old age here are haunted . . . in 1978 Holleran wrote the quintessential novel about gay abandon, the sheer, careless pleasure of it: Dancer From the Dance. Now, at almost 80 years of age, he has produced a novel remarkable for its integrity, for its readiness to embrace difficult truths and for its complex way of paying homage to the passing of time -- Colm Tóibín * New York Times *Bracingly honest and wise... A beautiful way to describe how we fade away. * The Times, *Books of the Year* *Holleran's fifth novel - both melancholy and hilarious - finds the protagonist living out his days in his late mother's Florida home, navigating loneliness, a changing world and a life post-cruising. The book's image of isolation and old age is all the more haunting because in 1978 Holleran wrote the quintessential novel about the sheer, careless pleasure of gay abandon, Dancer From the Dance. * New York Times *[With] grim wit and flashes of sanctity from above... Holleran's writing is as calmly compelling as the repetitive tasks that occupy a monastic day. * Observer *Holleran renders an elegiac and very funny contemplation of not just ageing but an age... A wistful, witty meditation on a gay man's twilight years and the twilight of America. -- Jeremy Atherton Lin * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisPulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist James Ball takes us into the depths of the internet to trace the origins and rapid ascent of QAnon, the movement that mutated from a niche online conspiracy theory into the world's first digital pandemic.Imagine a deadly pathogen that, once created, could infect any person in any part of the globe within seconds. No need to wait for travellers, trains, or air traffic to spread it, all you need is an internet connection. In this gripping investigation, Pulitzer Prize winner James Ball decodes the cryptic language of the online right and with a surgeon's precision tracks the spread of QAnon, the world's first digital pandemic.QAnon began as an internet community dedicated to supporting President Trump and intent on outing a global cabal of human traffickers. A short, cryptic message posted by an anonymous user to a niche internet forum in 2017 was the spark that ignited a global movement. What started as a macabre

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Book SynopsisAlice could be anyone - she could be someone you know, or someone you love - and Alice is in trouble ...Being fifteen is hard, but Alice seems fine. But the big difference between Alice and a lot of other kids on drugs is that Alice kept a diary .Trade ReviewA book that all teenagers and parents of teenagers should really read * Boston Globe *An extraordinary work- a document of horrifying reality * The New York Times Book Review *It shows the awful pressures which plague even the 15-year-old who needs all her energies to cope with growing; the isolation of one who wanders off the track and, alone, finds it impossible to fight her way back * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisSub-Saharan Africa is a region devastated by HIV/AIDS. The extent of the epidemic is only now becoming clear, as increasing numbers of people with HIV are becoming ill. In the absence of massively expanded prevention, treatment and care efforts, the AIDS death toll on the continent is set to escalate rapidly. Despite progress being achieved in localized settings, the alarming statistics reflect the continuing failure of advanced countries to mount a response that matches the scale and severity of the African HIV/AIDS crisis. Over and above the colossal personal suffering, the dire social and economic consequences for fragile nation-states are already being felt, not only in health but in education, industry, agriculture, transport, human resources and economies in general. Countries already crippled by drought, poverty, debt, forced migration and civil war must now contend with massive deterioration in child survival rates and life expectancy, the erosion of the economic family base, massive and insupportable demands on health and public services, chronic labour shortages and volatile national security. Through a critical and detailed exploration of specific case studies, this invaluable volume brings together an unparalleled array of international contributors to redefine the political and economic contours of this calamitous epidemic. It examines the impact of the shortfalls in the 'Global Fund' allocation, the slow pace of administrative processing of aid and the weaknesses of institutional responses to the crisis from African countries and their partners in the global health community. It is essential reading for all concerned with public health, epidemiology, HIV/AIDS research, globalization, development, Africa and indeed our shared future. Features include: â Unique assessments of HIV/AIDS and its impact on democracy and governance in African states â Wide-ranging regional and country studies by the foremost thinkers in their fields â Multi-disciplinary contributions from areas including: Politics, Sociology, Public Health and Development Studies â Compelling and convincing evidence, thematic in approach â Innovative and culturally specific insights for long-term planning, care and supportTrade Review'Apart from delineating the vulnerability of the communities most affected by HIV/AIDS, the volume does an excellent job in detailing the ramifications of the epidemic in causing a livelihood crisis with many faces: demographic, nutritional, economic and political...the volume is a welcome addition to the body of knowledge attempting to shed light on the most complex development problem facing Africa.' International AffairsTable of ContentsContents: Introduction: Africa's HIV/AIDS crisis, Nana K. Poku and Alan Whiteside; Responding to AIDS in crisis situations, Alan Whiteside; Legitimate actors? the future roles for NGOs against HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, Douglas Webb; Confronting AIDS with debt: Africa's silent crisis, Nana K. Poku; AIDS-related famine in Africa: questioning assumptions and developing frameworks, Alex de Waal; Cultural hazards facing young people in the era of HIV/AIDS: specificity and change, Carolyn Baylies; HIV/AIDS: the Nigerian response, Morenike Folayan; Between State security and State collapse: HIV/AIDS and South Africa's national security, Robert L. Ostergard, Jr. and Matthew R. Tubin; What people really believe about HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa, Alan Whiteside, Robert Mattes, Samantha Willan and Ryann Manning; The HIV/AIDS pandemic in Botswana: implications for the 'African Miracle', Ian Taylor; Uganda and the challenge of HIV/AIDS, Daniel Low-Beer and Rand Stoneburner; The impact of HIV/AIDS on democracy in Southern Africa: what do we know, what need to know, and why?, Robert Mattes and Ryann Manning; Conclusion, Alan Whiteside and Nana K. Poku; Index.

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Book SynopsisStop smoking. Stop vaping. Start living.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewMarnell recounts parties and drugs and sex in writing that mirrors the experience of being on drugs – sometimes fizzing ... and, just as often, cold and blunt and brutal * Guardian *A marvel of a book...Through the highs, lows and lols, the self-loathing, self-tan and self-medicating, How to Murder Your Life is possibly the best book ever written by a recovering drug addict about the beauty industry. * i-D (Vice) *Marnell is a great storyteller. Funny, with the clever hustler’s knack for an energetically spun tall tale, she has an upbeat tone that hardly falters, even when she recounts the most harrowing episodes of her life. * The New Yorker *[Marnell] writes about her life with a candor and self-awareness that is unexpected...I read this book in two wide-eyed sittings, cringing and laughing the whole way through. * BuzzFeed *The book is as compelling — and as problematic — as her magazine writing: vivid, maddening, heartbreaking, very funny, chaotic and repetitive, as benders are. * New York Times *If you're captivated by the irresistible trio of beauty, success, and addiction, surrender to Cat Marnell's How to Murder Your Life. The xoJane columnist dishes on her previous wild-child ways, from shoplifting to party hopping to spiritual groveling, to finding a measure of humor and grace. * Elle *[Marnell's] memoir brims with all the intoxicating intrigue of a thriller and yet all the sobering pathos of a gifted writer's true-life journey to recover her former health, happiness, ambitions and identity. * Harper's Bazaar *Fantastically entertaining. * Glamour *A gifted memoirist ... [She displays] a willingness to tell unflattering truths about herself that reminded me of Elizabeth Wurtzel, author of Prozac Nation * New York Times Magazine *Challenging ... captivating and controversial * The Atlantic Wire *Marnell is arguably the Internet’s most divisive writer ... reading about a drug addict’s life while she’s an active addict, especially in real time, is fascinating and a little bit scary * The Daily Beast *With her divisive mix of ego, honesty, sordidness and humor, Ms. Marnell is becoming the latest online lightning rod * Wall Street Journal *Jaw-dropping. * New York Post *

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Book SynopsisThe twentieth century saw a remarkable upsurge of research on drugs, with major advances in the treatment of bacterial and viral infections, heart disease, stomach ulcers, cancer, and mental illnesses. These, along with the introduction of the oral contraceptive, have altered all of our lives. There has also been an increase in the recreational use and abuse of drugs in the Western world. This Very Short Introduction, in its second edition, gives a non-technical account of how drugs work in the body. Reviewing both legal (alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine) and illegal drugs, Les Iversen discusses why some are addictive, and whether drug laws need reform. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of ContentsLIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS; REFERENCES; FURTHER READING; INDEX

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Book SynopsisA trenchant look at how the coronavirus reveals the dangerous fault lines of contemporary societyTrade Review“A stirring alarm addressed to an unsettled world.”—Kirkus Reviews“This is an important work— one that offers a powerful challenge as to where our political leaders have taken us in the past few months. The voice of Bernard-Henri Levy must be heard.”—Stephen Leah, Methodist RecorderPraise for the Author “Bernard-Henri Lévy does nothing that goes unnoticed. He is an intellectual adventurer who brings publicity to unfashionable political causes.”—New York Times “Only France could produce a phenomenon like Bernard-Henri Lévy, . . . As celebrated as any rock star, he speaks uncomfortable truths.”—Vanity Fair “We need Mr. Lévy’s voice—clear, unconstructed, unconstrained, real—to help us.”—Wall Street Journal “A writer of enormous power and vitality.”—San Francisco Chronicle “Bernard-Henri Lévy, perhaps the most prominent intellectual in France today, [speaks] truth to power.”— Boston Globe

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Book SynopsisThe Quarantine Atlas is a poignant and deeply human collection of more than 65 homemade maps created by people around the globe that reveal how the coronavirus pandemic has transformed our physical and emotional worlds, in ways both universal and unique. Along with eight original essays, it is a vivid celebration of wayfinding through a crisis that irrevocably altered the way we experience our environment.In April 2020, Bloomberg CityLab journalists Laura Bliss and Jessica Lee Martin asked readers to submit homemade maps of their lives during the coronavirus pandemic. The response was illuminating and inspiring. The 400+ maps and accompanying stories received served as windows into what individuals around the world were experiencing during the crisis and its resonant social consequences. Collectively, these works showed how coronavirus has transformed the places we live, and our relationships to them.In The Quarantine Atlas, Bliss distills these stunning submissions and pairs them with essays by journalists and authors, as well as notes from the original mapmakers. The result is an enduring visual record of this unprecedented moment in human history. It is also a celebration of the act of mapping and the ways maps can help us connect and heal from our shared experience.

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Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2019A devastating portrait of America's opioid painkiller epidemic - the deadliest drug crisis in US history. One hundred and fifty Americans are killed each day by the opioid epidemic. But, as Chris McGreal reveals it was an avoidable tragedy driven by bad science, corporate greed and a corrupted medical system. He tells the stories of the families devastated by painkillers they thought would heal, and the physicians and scientists who took on the drug companies behind the epidemic. American Overdose is a powerful account of the terrible human cost of the crisis, and a stark warning of the consequences of running a health care system as a business, not a service.

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Book SynopsisAs seen on Good Morning America A darkly humorous and inspiring first-person account of the larger-than-life exploits and ultimate redemption of an Irish gangster-turned-actor-turned-sober-storyteller—written in collaboration with the creators of Silicon Valley.Richie Stephens is an actor who often plays hardened gangsters and criminals. This is easy for him because he was a drug trafficker, kidnapper, drug addict, alcoholic, and all-around criminal himself. His life twisted and turned in harrowing self-destructive adventures that took him from his native Ireland to San Francisco, Australia, and finally, Los Angeles, coalescing into a classic tale of a man trying to run from his problems by moving to new and more exotic locations—a hard and painful realization that comes at a point in which he’s about to take his own life. The only reason there is a story to tell is because he did not. Instead, he found help, and in doing so, found himself. More than that, he found that help comes in different forms, and oftentimes it just takes the right thought to hit at the right time for it all to make sense. The Gangster’s Guide to Sobriety chronicles Richie’s descent into the abyss of crime and dependency, and how his personal understanding of freedom allowed him to become the functioning positive force he is today. Richie’s story is sprawling and epic, but the key to the book is the same key to his recovery: the 12 Steps. With his own flair and original understanding of life and the world, he followed the 12 Steps to find the clarity he needed to save his own life and evolve into a positive force for others. As Richie says, “Hopefully if people see that someone as fucked up as me could change their life, then there is hope for anyone.” The Gangster’s Guide to Sobriety is gripping in its honesty and openness. Even at its darkest moments, there is a keen understanding of the absurd nature of life as the author comes to grips with his failings and his faith, while also entering a place of self-acceptance. This is a story of redemption and the power of the human spirit, and how sometimes you have to turn to something greater than yourself.

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Book SynopsisExtraordinarily powerful' Emma ThompsonThere are a million love stories, and a million stories of addiction. This one is transcendent.Louisa Young met Robert Lockhart when they were both 17. Their stop-start romance lasted decades, in which time he became a celebrated composer and she, an acclaimed novelist.This is both a compelling portrait of a lifelong love affair, and an incredibly affecting guide to how the partner of a ''charismatic, infuriating, adorable, self-sabotaging' alcoholic can find the strength to survive when the disease rips both their lives apart.Rich and moving and beautifully written' The TimesSpectacular. I can't stop thinking about it' Cathy RentzenbrinkExtraordinarily candid' Evening StandardBeautiful, and heartbreaking, and true' Sam Baker, The PoolMoving, harrowing and tirelessly empathetic' Daily ExpressTrade Review‘Rich and moving and beautifully written’ The Times ‘Bloody hell. It is an extraordinarily powerful and moving work – for all. Especially those of us who know alcoholics who can’t not be that. An achingly beautiful book which I devoured in two sittings. Amazing’ Emma Thompson ‘Spectacular. I can’t stop thinking about it. Louisa Young is a beautiful, beautiful writer and there is great courage and love in the way she addresses her subject. It’s the portrait of a man and his times and his illness told with love but also with an unflinching honesty that feels like a great gift to the reader’Cathy Rentzenbrink, author of The Last Act of Love ‘Beautiful but, yes, sobering story … it is, at heart, an old-fashioned love’ Daily Mail ‘An extraordinarily candid bereavement memoir… As much as it’s an overwhelming love letter, Young’s book is also a sobering reminder of the devastating effects of alcoholism, not just on an individual’s life, but on everyone else around them’ Evening Standard ‘The most riveting, heartbreaking book I've ever read about addiction, but above all about the nature of love. Already one of my books of the year’ Linda Grant ‘Brave, honest and beautiful’ Nicholas Lezard, Evening Standard ‘Louisa Young's memoir of her long, bruising love for musical genius Robert Lockhart is as honest as the morning after and the best account of loving against all sense since Penelope Mortimer’s The Pumpkin Eater’ Patrick Gale ‘I’m still fucking crying. And it’s such a great work of art. I wish I'd read it before I worked as a drug and alcohol counsellor’ Philippa Perry ‘Oh my God, it’s so beautiful, and heartbreaking, and true’Sam Baker, The Pool 'Had me weeping into my pillow… Anyone who has ever loved an addict will recognise most of what she has to say’ iNews ‘An important book, one that demands we rethink a culture of blame around alcoholism … moving, harrowing and tirelessly empathetic’ Daily Express

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Book SynopsisThis book is the first of its kind to examine key topics in death, dying, and bereavement through a critical lens, highlighting how the understanding and experience of death can vary considerably, based on social, cultural, historical, political, and medical contexts. It looks at the complex ways in which death and dying are managed, from the political level down to end- of- life care, and the inequalities that surround and impact experiences of death, dying, and bereavement.Readers are introduced to key theories, such as the medicalisation of dying, as well as contemporary issues, such as social movements, pandemics, and assisted dying. The book stresses how death is not only a biological process or event but rather shaped by a range of intersecting factors. Issues of inequalities in health, inequities in support, and intersectional analyses are brought to the fore, and each chapter is dedicated to an issue that has interdisciplinary resonance, thus showcasing the wider soci

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