True stories of survival of abuse and injustice Books

Book SynopsisHe'd been her friend for years. He said he loved her. Then she realised she didn't know him at allWhen everything seemed to be falling apart in Sophie's life, she was thankful for her friend Kas, who was always at the end of a phone, ready to listen and to offer comfort and advice.Her father's cold dislike of her and then her parents' divorce had left her with a deep distrust of men. But, gradually, Kas made her believe there was at least one man who truly cared about her.But she was wrong.At first when Sophie went to stay for a few days with Kas in Italy, he was kind and caring, as he'd always been. But three days after she arrived, everything changed.His eyes were cold as he described the things he expected her to do for love'. But soon Sophie's bewilderment turned to fear as he punched and shouted at her and threatened to kill her adored younger brothers if she didn't do exactly as she was toldto sell her body on the streets to pay off Kas's debts.Terrified of Kas, the police and the men whose pleasures she was forced to satisfy, Sophie worked seven nights a week for the next six months on the dark and lonely streets of a town in northern Italy.Subjected regularly to Kas's verbal, mental and physical abuse, she knew she would never escape.And then, one day, after she'd been admitted to hospital with stomach pains and knowing that Kas would kill her if he found out she dared to phone her mother.But who would reach her first?

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Book SynopsisIn the much-anticipated follow-up to Sunday Times bestseller Trapped, foster carer Rosie Lewis tells the heartbreaking true story of 13-year-old Zadie. When the young teenage girl runs away from home and is discovered hiding on the city streets by the police, it is clear that all is not as it should be.

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Book SynopsisFourteen-year-old Adrianna arrives on Casey's doorstep with no possessions, no English, and no explanation. It will be a few weeks before Casey starts getting the shocking answers to her questions.Brought to Casey as a short-term emergency placement, fourteen-year-old Adrianna arrives with nothing but her gratitude. Having turned herself in' to a social services office some hundred miles away, she has no possessions, no English and, apparently, no history not that she's willing to share, anyway. She is a beautiful young Polish girl, with the bearing of a ballerina, but is terrified, malnourished and unwell. And, having slept rough for some time (the little they do know about her) she spends much of her first days with Watsons asleep in bed.Growing concerned about Adrianna's wellbeing, and her persistent high temperature, Casey decides to call in the GP. But, to her surprise, Adrianna becomes almost hysterical about being examined and, given her refusal to talk even via the interprete

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Book SynopsisA BOY WITHOUT HOPE is the heart-breaking story of a boy who didn't know the meaning of love. A history of abuse and neglect has left Miller destined for life's scrap heap. But in this turbulent story of conflict and struggle, Casey Watson is determined to help Miller overcome his demons, show him love and give him hope.Casey Watson is back, doing the job she does best rolling up her sleeves and fostering the children who, on first meeting, seem like hopeless cases. But when she meets Miller and discovers the truth about his disturbing childhood, even Casey begins to doubt if this child will ever be able to accept love.Found naked and alone on a railway track, Miller was just five when he was first admitted into the care system. Emotionally tormented by his biological parents, Miller has never understood how to establish meaningful relationships, and his destructive past, and over 20 failed placements, is sealing his fate in society's social scrap heap.After a torrent of violent behavi

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Book SynopsisFinding Stevie is a dark and poignant true story that highlights the dangers lurking online.When Stevie's social worker tells Cathy, an experienced foster carer, that Stevie, 14, is gender fluid she isn't sure what that term means and looks it up.Stevie, together with his younger brother and sister, have been brought up by their grandparents as their mother is in prison. But the grandparents can no longer cope with Stevie's behaviour so they place him in care.Stevie is exploring his gender identity, and like many young people he spends time online. Cathy warns him about the dangers of talking to strangers online and advises him how to stay safe. When his younger siblings tell their grandmother that they have a secret they can't tell, Cathy is worried. However, nothing could have prepared her for the truth when Stevie finally breaks down and confesses what he's done.

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Book SynopsisInnocent is the shocking true story of little Molly and Kit, siblings, aged 3 years and 18 months, who are brought into care as an emergency after suffering non-accidental injuries.Aneta and Filip, the children's parents, are distraught when their children are taken into care. Aneta maintains she is innocent of harming them, while Filip appears bewildered and out of his depth. It's true the family has never come to the attention of the social services before and little Kit and Molly appear to have been well looked after, but Kit has a broken arm and bruises on his face. Could it be they were a result of a genuine accident as Aneta is claiming?Both children become sick with a mysterious illness while, experienced foster carer, Cathy, is looking after them. Very worried, she asks for more hospital tests to be done. They've already had a lot. When Cathy's daughter, Lucy, becomes ill too she believes she has found the cause of Kit and Molly's illness and the parents aren't to blame.However

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Book SynopsisTHE INTERNATIONAL BEST SELLER FEATURING INTERVIEWS WITH DR ANTHONY FAUCI, DAME SALLY DAVIES AND DR JIM DOWNFor every doctor there is that one patient, whose story touches them in a way they didn't expect, changing their entire outlook on life. This inspiring and deeply moving book is the story of those patients.Every weekend, in Holland's most popular newspaper, de Volkskrant, renowned science-journalist Ellen de Visser asks a different medical professional to tell her about that one patient'; the patient who changed everything for them.Every day, in every country, thousands of patients share their stories with their doctors: stories they may never have told anyone else; stories that are heartbreaking, sometimes funny, and just occasionally unforgettable. To be able to do their job to the best of their abilities, medical experts use their professional empathy': they sympathize with their patients but try to keep themselves at a distance. But there is always that one patient who, for Trade Review‘Take the time to read this book. It’s worth it!’ Professor Stephen Westaby, author of Fragile Lives ‘I loved this book. It brings anonymous 'health care professionals' to life, showing their real thoughts, emotions and reactions to the people they see. I hope showing the lifelong impact our patients can have on us helps people to be assured that we who serve them are deeply touched by their stories, appreciate their confidence in us and value their trust. If we occasionally struggle to rise to their expectations it's not because we are indifferent or unkind, but because we, too, are human’ Kathryn Mannix, author of With the End in Mind

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Book SynopsisAn exquisite and inspiring memoir about one mother's unimaginable choice in the face of oppression and abuse in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.How far would you go to protect yourself? Your dignity? Your family?In the days before Homeira Qaderi gave birth to her son, Siawash, the road to the hospital in Kabul would often be barricaded because of the frequent suicide explosions.With the city and the military on edge,it was not uncommon foran armed soldiertopoint his gun at the pregnant woman's bulging stomach, terrified that she was hiding a bomb. Propelled by the love she held for her soon-to-be-born child, Homeira walked through blood and wreckage to reach the hospital doors. But the joy of her beautiful son's birth was soon overshadowed by other dangers that would threaten her life.No ordinary Afghan woman, Homeira refused to cower under the strictures of a misogynistic social order. Defying the law, at the age of thirteen, she risked her freedom to teach children reading and writingTrade Review‘Page-turning account of the lives of Afghan women … at the heart of this moving memoir is an aching sadness’ Observer ‘How does a girl grow to be a woman in a society that shuts off every opportunity? How does a mother choose between her child and the future, not just her future but that of the women of Afghanistan? Homeira Qaderi answers these impossible questions in her stunning memoir, Dancing in the Mosque – one of the most moving love letters to life itself that you will ever read.’ Meg Waite Clayton, author of The Last Train to London ‘Powerful … an unvarnished, memorable portrayal of a mother’s grief and love’ Kirkus ‘A remarkable story of great strength, perseverance, and personal sacrifice by a woman selflessly working to advance the rights of women in her homeland of Afghanistan, women and girls who yearn to be free … I wept when I read the words, " in this land, it is better to be a stone than a girl." Thank you, Homeira, for telling a story that everyone needs to read.’ Deborah Rodriguez, author of The Kabul Beauty School and The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul

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Book SynopsisA heartbreaking true story of a broken family and the foster carer who wants to keep them togetherThe Watsons are no strangers to sibling placements but when Casey takes the call from her supervising social worker one frosty January morning, she can instantly tell from the tone of her colleague's voice that there's a complicated case ahead.And she's right. A four-day-old baby boy called Tommy born in prison plus his four-year-old half-brother, the lively Seth. A month later, the very moment she gets out of prison, the boys' mother a 19-year-old called Jenna also follows.For Casey, it would it be a difficult scenario on several levels. Caring for a new born in her fifties with a pre-schooler who has spent most of his young life without boundaries tearing around her ankles, while also looking out for his drug-addicted mum who is ill-equipped to parent.It's an unusual situation but one that has arisen in a bid to keep the family together. Can Casey find the energy and strength needed

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERI'd been in so many scrapes with Theo and he'd always saved me. Those days were the hardest of my life so far and at the darkest point, those big brown eyes and that torn ear where I needed them to be. Right there next to me.'PC Gareth Greaves first met Theo, a German Shepherd, when he was a nervous 14-month-old puppy. They were instantly inseparable and police dog Theo became the best partner Gareth's ever had.During six-and-a-half years of active service, police dog Theo located, tracked and detained suspects leading to more than 200 arrests. In that time, he endured broken ribs and being bitten by assailants as well as being set on fire. From tackling and detaining an arsonist, to protecting Gareth from a gang of men with machetes in an armed robbery, Theo's bravery knew no bounds. Time and time again he put his own life at risk (often coming close to death) to save others.Even while off duty Theo has been a rock to his partner, providing emotional suppor

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Book SynopsisFrom the #1 New York Times bestselling author, an extraordinary story of redemption in the darkest of places.Jarvis Jay Masters's early life was a horror story whose outline we know too well. Born in Long Beach, California, his house was filled with crack, alcohol, physical abuse, and men who paid his mother for sex. He and his siblings were split up and sent to foster care when he was five, and he progressed quickly to juvenile detention, car theft, armed robbery, and ultimately San Quentin. While in prison, he was set up for the murder of a guard a conviction which landed him on death row, where he's been since 1990.At the time of his murder trial, he was held in solitary confinement, torn by rage and anxiety, felled by headaches, seizures, and panic attacks. A criminal investigator repeatedly offered to teach him breathing exercises which he repeatedly refused, until desperation moved him.With uncanny clarity, David Sheff describes Masters's gradual but profound transformation fromTrade Review‘This is a beautiful, profoundly spiritual book, and a page-turner. Jarvis Jay Masters’s transformation, from an unloved child of violence and poverty to Buddhist teacher on Death Row, is thrilling. Reading it changed me, threw the lights on, opened and gentled my heart. I’m going to give it to everyone I know.’ Anne Lamott, New York Times bestselling author of Almost Everything ‘This profound, gorgeous book displays the miraculous human capacity to find redemption, and even joy, no matter who or where we are. Jarvis Masters’s story proves that we are all united by our suffering and by our potential to help others who suffer.’ Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking ‘An inspiring book about how meaning can be found even in—perhaps especially in—adversity. It’s a study of Buddhism, of criminal justice, of the ways people connect with each other, and it’s written with deep feeling and verve.’ Andrew Solomon, New York Times bestselling author of Far from the Tree ‘I believe [this book] will encourage many people to examine their own lives and their unrealized potential for awareness, generosity, commitment, and courage.’ Rebecca Solnit, author of Men Explain Things to Me ‘I’m grateful to be Jarvis Masters’s teacher in part because he has taught me so much. I have rarely encountered anyone who expresses the essence of Buddhism in a clearer, more moving way than he does, and I deeply admire how David Sheff has captured that hard-won wisdom in this book.’ Pema Chodron, author of When Things Fall Apart ‘This book celebrates a liberation not gained by guns and gangs, prison breaks and murder, but by sitting with one’s breath and believing in the perfection of the universe and all who strive and suffer within it. The Buddhist on Death Row is a deeply useful reminder that we can all be free regardless of where we are placed.’ Alice Walker

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Book SynopsisTilly hates her stepfather, Dave. He abuses her mother, but she refuses to leave him.Frightened for her own safety, Tilly asks to go into foster care and is placed with Cathy. Tilly arrives with a graze on her cheek and Cathy becomes increasingly concerned by Dave's behaviour, especially when she learns he has been showering Tilly with gifts. While she's busy looking after Tilly and trying to keep her safe, Cathy is also worried about her own daughter, Lucy. She has a very difficult decision to make that will affect the rest of her life, and Cathy hopes she makes the right choice.Perfect for fans of Maggie Hartley, Lisa Stone and Ann Cusack!

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Book SynopsisWe felt an urge to document what we had witnessed. If we who had experienced it, I reasoned, did not reveal the bitter truth, people simply would not believe the extent of the Nazis' evil. I wanted to share our life, the events and our struggle to survive.'Thomas Geve was just 15 years old when he was liberated from Buchenwald concentration camp on 11 April 1945. It was the third concentration camp he had survived. Upon arrival at Auschwitz- Birkenau, Thomas was separated from his mother and left to fend for himself in the men's camp of Auschwitz I, at the age of 13. During the 22 months he was imprisoned, he was subjected to, and forced to observe first-hand, the inhumane world of Nazi concentration camps.On his eventual release Thomas felt compelled to capture daily life in the death camps in more than eighty profoundly moving drawings. Infamous scenarios synonymous with this dark period of history were portrayed in poignant but simplistic detail with extraordinary accuracy.Despite tTrade Review‘A stunning and profoundly moving book.’James Holland, historian and bestselling author of Normandy ’ 44 ‘His [Thomas’s] powerful voice and the drawings that illuminate his experiences show what can be learned from tragedy, and how the future can be better than the past.’Esther Gilbert, Holocaust historian and Trustee of the Sir Martin Gilbert Learning Centre

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLERA heartbreaking memoir from a girl who escaped county line trafficking only to become prey to other abusersEmily has always felt like an outsider, so when a family friend takes her under his wing she is delighted. But soon it becomes clear that his motives are not all they seem.At the age of 11, Emily is groomed into being a county lines' drug trafficker. It is the beginning of a vicious cycle that sees her become prey to one abuser after another, involving a huge child-sex-trafficking gang.The scale of the abuse at the hands of hundreds of men is sickening, and at times it feels like there will never be an escape. But then, in the darkest of moments, a ray of light shines This is the moving true story of how one girl overcame her traumatic past and learned to love for the very first time.

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Book SynopsisA shocking true story that reveals how one woman was tormented to the very depths of despair by her husband through coercive control and continual physical and sexual abuse.When Hannah Morgan first met Matt, she was completely swept off her feet. He offered her the love and security she'd always craved, but once they'd married, Matt's behaviour suddenly changed. His aggression escalated and before long Hannah was living under his complete control.Cut off from her friends and family, she was subjected to a torrent of mental, physical and sexual abuse from which there was no escape.When Hannah was forced to sell her body, she clung to the final fragment of strength she had left until a chance of escape presented itself but was it worth the risk?Nowhere to Hide is the shocking true story of how one woman lost everything but defied the odds to survive.

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Book SynopsisExtraordinary' Woman&HomeA Roaring Girl was loud when she should be quiet, disruptive when she should be submissive, sexual when she should be pure, masculine' when she should be feminine'. Meet the unsung heroines of British history who refused to play by the rules.Roaring Girls tells the game-changing life stories of eight formidable women whose grit, determination and radical unconventionality saw them defy the odds to forge their own paths.From the notorious cross-dressing thief Mary Frith in the seventeenth century to rebel slave Mary Prince and adventurer, industrialist and LGBT trailblazer Anne Lister in the nineteenth, these diverse characters redefined what a woman could be and what she could do in pre-twentieth-century Britain.Bold, inspiring and powerfully written, Roaring Girls tells the electrifying histories of women who, despite every effort to suppress them, dared to be extraordinary.Trade Review'An extraordinary, vivacious account of eight remarkable invisible women whose stories were crying out to be heard.’ Paula Byrne ‘Extraordinary’ Woman&Home ‘Brilliant…Gung-ho girl power’ Simple Things magazine ‘Terrific!’ Diane Atkinson ‘Joyful, energetic, meticulously researched’ Professor Vivien Gardner, University of Manchester ‘A really fascinating book that delves deep and proves that history is populated by unconventional women who’s stories often go untold.’ RED Online ‘Pulls back the curtain on women’s history to tell eight extraordinary tales of courage and determination over 300 years’. S magazine ‘A bold and thought-provoking read’ CANDIS ‘Roaring Girls is a slice of inspiration from pre-20th century Britain’ Tatler

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Book SynopsisJackson is aggressive, confrontational and often volatile. His mother, Kayla, is crippled with grief after tragically losing her husband and eldest son. Struggling to cope, she puts Jackson into foster care.Cathy, his carer, encourages Jackson to talk about what has happened to his family, but he just won't engage. His actions continue to test and worry everyone.Then, in a dramatic turn of events, the true reason for Jackson's behaviour comes to light

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE ORWELL PRIZEWINNER OF IRISH BOOK OF THE YEARSHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZEThe most important work of contemporary reporting I have ever read' SALLY ROONEYThe Western world has turned its back on refugees, fuelling one of the most devastating human rights disasters in history.In August 2018, Sally Hayden received a Facebook message. Hi sister Sally, we need your help,' it read. We are under bad condition in Libya prison. If you have time, I will tell you all the story.' More messages followed from more refugees. They told stories of enslavement and trafficking, torture and murder, tuberculosis and sexual abuse. And they revealed something else: that they were all incarcerated as a direct result of European policy.From there began a staggering investigation into the migrant crisis across North Africa. This book follows the shocking experiences of refugees seeking sanctuary, but it also surveys the bigger picture: the negligence of NGOs and corruption within the UTrade Review‘Journalism of the most urgent kind’Financial Times ‘The triumph of the book is to inject a renewed urgency and moral clarity into a story most people think they are familiar with’The Times ‘[A] devastating, moving and damning account of one of the tragedies of our age … Hayden never flinches in documenting human nature at its worst – its best is shown here, too’Irish Independent ‘The most important work of contemporary reporting I have ever read … I hope that Sally Hayden's work can help to begin a radically new and overdue discussion about Europe's approach to migration and borders’Sally Rooney ‘Brilliant, hugely important reportage on the ongoing situation many of us try to tune out’Marian Keyes ‘What a devastating book about the catastrophic inhumanity of European migration policy. It’s a journalistic masterpiece. Shattering stories. It absolutely demands to be read … Essential’Max Porter, author of Grief is the Thing with Feathers ‘Extremely good’Mark O’Connell, author of Notes from an Apocalypse ‘Compassionate, brave, enraging, beautifully written and incredibly well researched. Hayden exposes the truth’Oliver Bullough, author of Moneyland ‘One of the most important testaments of this awful time in life's history. It is both heartbreaking and stoic’Edna O'Brien, author of The Little Red Chairs ‘This vivid chronicle … may make you cry, but it should make you angry … A blistering rebuke’Lindsey Hilsum, International Editor of Channel 4 News ‘A veritable masterclass in journalism … The most riveting, detailed and damning account ever written on the deadliest of migration routes’Christina Lamb, Chief Foreign Correspondent of the Sunday Times ‘Heart-stopping … A vital book for anyone who wants to feel what it means to be human in the 21st century’Fintan O’Toole, author of We Don’t Know Ourselves

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Book SynopsisFrom the Sunday Times Bestselling author Dr Amanda BrownIn The Prison Doctor: The Final Sentence, Dr Amanda Brown reveals stories of her time spent with foreign national prisoners.DANGER. DEPORTATION. DEATH.These are just some of the fates facing the inmates atHuntercombe prison.Some have fled their homeland in fear of their lives.Others are being sent to a country they left decadesago. But Dr Amanda Brown is doing all she can for eachpatient stuck in no-man's land. They have little or no ideaof what awaits them outside, but she treats them withkindness and respect. Whatever their crime, and whatevertheir future holds, she is still their doctor.

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Book SynopsisAfter taking a few weeks off work, Casey is presented with a new foster child: 14-year-old Elise, whose Mum left her at just five years old.At first, she's no trouble at all, that is until she falsely accuses another carer, Jan, of acting inappropriately towards her. It turns out this isn't the first lie Elise has told her previous carer was constantly following up allegations Elise had made of people bullying her, trying to have sex with her, or hurting her physically. With some reservations, Casey agrees to take Elise on long-term, but when she makes some dark claims about her mum, Casey doesn't know whether to believe her. In any case, she is determined to find out the truth

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Book SynopsisA 5-year-old boy, Ethan, is brought to Casey in the middle of the night after the sudden death of his young mother after a drug overdose.Estranged from her parents, Ethan's mum had been abused by her ex-partner, and began taking drugs to cope. Ethan is obviously lost and bewildered, and regularly wakes up screaming for his mum in the night. He begins to lash out at other kids at school and his behaviour becomes more volatile. When arrangements are made for Ethan to see his dad in prison, Casey recognises the name and face It turns out she's far more familiar with this case than first imagined.

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Book SynopsisThere will be an avalanche of books about the pandemic. None will be as eye-opening or humane or moving as Lamb's' DAILY TELEGRAPHA story of poverty, generosity and worlds colliding in modern BritainWhen Covid-19 hit the UK and lockdown was declared, Mike Matthews wondered how his four-star hotel would survive. Then the council called. The British government had launched a programme called Everyone In ' and 33 rough sleepers many of whom had spent decades on the street needed beds.The Prince Rupert Hotel would go on to welcome well over 100 people from this community, offering them shelter, good food and a comfy bed during the pandemic.This is the story of how that luxury hotel spent months locked down with their new guests, many of them traumatised, addicts or suffering from mental illness. As a world-leading foreign correspondent turning her attention to her own country for the first time, Christina Lamb chronicles how extreme situations were handled and how shocking losses were sTrade Review Praise for The Prince Rupert Hotel For the Homeless ‘A remarkable story… The virtue of this book is the time it takes to listen to and tell the stories of these guests, mostly in their words’ The Spectator ‘‘A story of extraordinary compassion in a difficult time’ The New Statesman ‘The hotel’s year of living compassionately is told with fleetness and gusto by Christina Lamb. Grounded by the pandemic, the Sunday Times chief foreign correspondent chanced upon the story while attending (via Zoom) a Woman of the Year lunch. Her byline usually pops up in the hottest of hotspots – Kabul or Aleppo or Dnipro. Shrewsbury looks like a bathetic entry on that list but, as she outlines in a blistering coda, the UK is far from free of problems that afflict the developing world. Her book is both journal and manifesto. There will be an avalanche of books about the pandemic. None will be as eye-opening or humane or moving as Lamb’s latest dispatch from the front line’Daily Telegraph ‘This insightful account of a four-star establishment taking in rough sleepers amid the pandemic finds grounds for real if slender hope … [a] humane, humble book … a work of scrupulous reportage that offers no easy fixes, dispensing with sentimentality as it chronicles brutal backstories, tender dreams and profoundly disheartening patterns of behaviour while somehow finding grounds for real if slender hope. There is also farce and frustration, all of it building to a rallying cry for more investment in services and social housing’Observer, Book of the Day ‘Inspirational … Lamb has interviewed many of the guests and fills us in on their often harrowing backgrounds, as well as what happened to them once lockdown ended … This moving and often very funny book suggests we could take a more imaginative general approach to helping the homeless – without waiting for another pandemic to galvanise us’Daily Mirror

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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 SynopsisA superb study brilliant stories, hilarious observations and jaw dropping revelations about so many figures in public life we thought we knew but never understood' EMILY MAITLIS Loss and adversity are part of the human condition, but an imperfect past isn't always an indicator of what's to come. This book traces a pattern: why is it that often the people with the hardest beginnings in life children who experience displacement, disease, financial ruin, abandonment or bereavement become the most successful adults? And is there something to learn from those people, who perhaps have the strongest sense of what matters most?Of Britain's fifty-five prime ministers, twenty-five lost one or both of their parents as a child and 69 per cent suffered some form of serious childhood trauma. For their acclaimed podcast Past Imperfect, Thomson and Sylvester spoke to some such prime ministers, as well as pioneers and poets, CEOs and chefs, actors and archbishops, sports stars and Nobel prize-winniTrade Review PRAISE FOR WHAT I WISH I’D KNOWN WHEN I WAS YOUNG ‘This is a superb study of the way strength can emerge from childhood trauma – brilliant stories, hilarious observations and jaw dropping revelations about so many figures in public life we thought we knew – but never understood’Emily Maitlis ‘A punchy portrait of how character is forged in adversity. As an idiosyncratic, wide-ranging study, it works. Sylvester and Thomson have succeeded in avoiding “pity porn”; their book is provocative and even uplifting’The Times PRAISE FOR THE PAST IMPERFECT PODCAST ‘I promise not to praise Times podcasts unless I really like them. I’ve been recommending Past Imperfect to friends so it would seem unfair of me not to recommend it to readers. In Past Imperfect the paper’s crack interviewing team of Rachel Sylvester and Alice Thomson talk to politicians and celebrities about their pasts. Their theory is that all successful people are driven to achieve by childhood trauma. As a keen armchair psychologist I am fully behind this premise … Excellent’James Marriott, The Times

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Book SynopsisA superb study brilliant stories, hilarious observations and jaw dropping revelations about so many figures in public life we thought we knew but never understood' EMILY MAITLIS Loss and adversity are part of the human condition, but an imperfect past isn't always an indicator of what's to come. This book traces a pattern: why is it that often the people with the hardest beginnings in life children who experience displacement, disease, financial ruin, abandonment or bereavement become the most successful adults? And is there something to learn from those people, who perhaps have the strongest sense of what matters most?Of Britain's fifty-five prime ministers, twenty-five lost one or both of their parents as a child and 69 per cent suffered some form of serious childhood trauma. For their acclaimed podcast Past Imperfect, Thomson and Sylvester spoke to some such prime ministers, as well as pioneers and poets, CEOs and chefs, actors and archbishops, sports stars and Nobel prize-winniTrade Review PRAISE FOR WHAT I WISH I’D KNOWN WHEN I WAS YOUNG ‘This is a superb study of the way strength can emerge from childhood trauma – brilliant stories, hilarious observations and jaw dropping revelations about so many figures in public life we thought we knew – but never understood’Emily Maitlis ‘A punchy portrait of how character is forged in adversity. As an idiosyncratic, wide-ranging study, it works. Sylvester and Thomson have succeeded in avoiding “pity porn”; their book is provocative and even uplifting’The Times PRAISE FOR THE PAST IMPERFECT PODCAST ‘I promise not to praise Times podcasts unless I really like them. I’ve been recommending Past Imperfect to friends so it would seem unfair of me not to recommend it to readers. In Past Imperfect the paper’s crack interviewing team of Rachel Sylvester and Alice Thomson talk to politicians and celebrities about their pasts. Their theory is that all successful people are driven to achieve by childhood trauma. As a keen armchair psychologist I am fully behind this premise … Excellent’James Marriott, The Times

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Book SynopsisGrimly fascinating engrossing' Daily Mail NINE HISTORIC CRIMES. ONE FAMILIAR OBSESSION.In early modern England, murder truly was most foul. Trials were gossipy events packed to the rafters with noisome spectators. Executions were public proceedings which promised not only gore, but desperate confessions and the grandest, most righteous human drama. Bookshops saw grisly stories of crime and death sell like hot cakes.This history unfolds the true stories of murder, criminal investigation, early forensic techniques, high court trials and so much more.In thrilling narrative, we follow a fugitive killer through the streets of London, citizen detectives clamouring to help officials close the net. We untangle the mystery of a suspected staged suicide through the newly emerging science of forensic pathology. We see a mother trying to clear her dead daughter's name while other women faced the accusations sometimes true and sometimes not of murdering their own children.These stories are pieceTrade Review Praise for Great and Horrible News: ‘Grimly fascinating…vivid detail… The early moderns were obsessed by stories of death, crime and justice,’ Adams states in her introduction. Her book, which covers the two centuries between 1500 and 1700, proves her point with a succession of grisly but engrossing cases’ Daily Mail ‘A true crime treat from former police officer Blessin Adams. Great and Horrible News looks at what we can learn from early modern Britain when it comes to justice and criminality’ Janice Hallett ‘Bleakly fascinating . . . police investigator turned academic Blessin Adams explores nine historic crimes . . . stimulating non-fiction’ Independent, BEST BOOKS OF MARCH ‘This gory history of crime shows that our obsession with lurid podcasts is nothing new . . . Adams, a police officer turned historian, has poured over coroners’ inquest records, court documents, pamphlets, newspaper articles, parish archives, ballads, wills, letters and diaries to restage nine grim stories of crime in England between 1500 and 1700. As an ex-copper, Adams is greatly interested in developments in forensic pathology in this period, which are superbly reconstructed from the sources’ The Times ‘Perfect for fans of true-crime, this is a bone-chilling and brilliantly researched account of murder, cruelty, and scandal in Tudor and Stuart Britain. I couldn’t put it down, but I sincerely regret reading it alone in the countryside. A fantastic debut’ Gareth Russell, author of Young and Damned and Fair ‘At once an intriguing true crime examination of historical crime and a sociological dive into Britain’s history, Adams does a stellar job of introducing a nonet of little-known crimes, running the gamut from suicide to child abuse to murder, that while not for the faint of heart, quickly become engrossing to read’ Set the Tape

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Book SynopsisGroomed and procured by a woman, raped by several men and labelled one of the most abused girl in Rotherham', now Elizabeth Harper is fighting for answers as to why so many people paid to protect our children simply turned a blind eye.Aged just 15, lonely and bullied by her peers, Elizabeth El' Harper felt like an outcast. But then a chance encounter in the street with a friendly woman suddenly brought hope to her world. A friendship between El and this benevolent stranger blossomed, and life began to feel worth living again.As the months passed, El grew more and more distant from her family. One day, she didn't return home to her parents at all Snatched is the shocking true story of how a young girl was taken from the streets and groomed into Britain's biggest sex-trafficking ring, all at the hands of a woman.It is also an inspiring account of how trauma can turn vulnerability to strength in the most extraordinary of ways.

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Book SynopsisLittle Jamey, 2 years old, is placed with experienced foster carer, Cathy Glass, as an emergency.The police and social services have no choice but to remove two-year-old Jamey from home after his mother leaves him alone all night to go out partying.When he first arrives with foster carer Cathy Glass, he is scared, hungry and withdrawn, craving the affection he has been denied for so long. He is small for his age and unsteady on his feet a result of being left for long periods in his cot.Cathy and her family find Jamey very easy to love, but as he settles in and makes progress, a new threat emerges. Coronavirus and lockdown change everything.

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Book SynopsisHarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee'Few literary masterpieces cast quite as awesome a shadow as Herman Melville's Moby Dick. Captain Ahab's quest for the white whale is a timeless epic a thrilling tale of vengeance and obsession, and a searing parable about humanity lost in a universe of moral ambiguity.Inspired by true events, Moby Dick is a work of astonishing psychological depth. It is perhaps the finest sea story ever told and one of the great classics of literature.

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Book SynopsisA family with a dark secret.A child who refuses to speak.Rosie must help her before it's too late.Nine-year-old Caitlin has a secret, but she cannot tell anyone about it. When her mother is sectioned under the Mental Health Act she and her three siblings have to go and live with her grandmother Julie and grandad Ryan.Caitlin finds her new living conditions challenging: cat poo on the carpet, rubbish everywhere and the constant stare of her grandad she retreats more and more into herself.When foster carer Rosie Lewis meets Caitlin she knows something is deeply wrong with this little girl, who is withdrawn, afraid and refuses to speak. Rosie decides to take her in, but Caitlin's silence continues, and Rosie knows she must act.Why is Caitlin so afraid to speak?Could it be that the family has a dark secret?One that is so shocking it can no longer be hidden?Trade Review‘In Silenced Rosie Lewis has drafted a map of the human spirit. Rosie, a talented and empathic foster carer, acts as our guide, taking us from the depths of despair to the peaks of happiness as she tells the story of a remarkable little girl named Caitlin: how Rosie found her in awful circumstances and led her out of the darkness. Told with an innate understanding of child psychology and written with consummate skill, Silenced is a unique testament to the strength and resilience of children, and a reminder that love can save lives.’ – Shane Dunphy, childcare expert and bestselling author of Wednesday's Child.

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Book Synopsis''Compulsively readable'' Times Literary Supplement''An outstanding work'' Philippa Gregory''A powerful narrative told with frankness and sensitivity'' Helen Fry, historian and author of Women In Intelligence''A woman, a dog and a walnut tree, the more they are beaten, the better they'll be.''So went the proverb quoted by a prominent MP in the Houses of Parliament in 1853. His words intended ironically in a debate about a rise in attacks on women summed up the prevailing attitude of the day, in which violence against women was waved away as a part and parcel of modern living a chilling seam of misogyny that had polluted both parliament and the law. But were things about to change?In this vivid and essential work of historical non-fiction, Kate Morgan explores the legal campaigns, test cases and individual injustices of the Victorian and Edwardian eras which fundamentally re-shaped the status of women under British law. These are seen through the untold stories of women whose cases

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Book SynopsisAn important new voice' DAVID YIP, actorA vital resource' PEYVAND SADEGHIAN, actor and writerImportant and poignantA brilliant read' HELEN TSE MBE, author of Sweet MandarinWhat does it mean to exist at the intersection of cultures?Though a citizen of the UK, Daisy J. Hung is regularly mistaken for a tourist, asked where she's really from or greeted with Ni hao on the assumption she speaks Mandarin. These experiences serve as a reminder that, no matter how she moves through the world, she is often seen as an outsider.In I Am Not a Tourist, Daisy explores what it means to be British Chinese today, and the social, historical and political factors that have got us here. Fighting narrow and dehumanising stereotypes, of Chinese people excelling at school, or being devoid of original thought or leadership, or having authoritarian parents, she encourages readers to interrogate their assumptions and interpretations of Chinese' identity.In the wake of the upsurge of anti-Asian racism, triggered by the racialisation of the COVID-19 pandemic as the China virus', China plague' and Kung flu', I Am Not a Tourist exposes the ongoing racism and inequalities that British Chinese communities face, and forms an urgent call for change.''If you're looking to expand your understanding of the community, this book is an essential addition to your reading list' LORD SONNY LEONG CBE*Audiobook narrated by Katie Leung (Harry Potter)

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Book Synopsis?The remarkable 200-year history of The RNLI and their invaluable role in British Maritime history. A beautiful book of kindness, courage, and community to treasure for years to come.Since 1824, people have counted on the RNLI to keep them safe on, in and next to the water. Over the last 200 years, an estimated 150,000 lives have been saved, and many more kept from harm by the incredible volunteers and donors who continue to honour the founding principle of the RNLI: to save every one.But where did our story begin and who were those pioneering life-savers?This is the story of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's remarkable 200-year history, and their invaluable role in British Maritime History. People are at the heart of the RNLI, and this book explores the incredible work they've taken on over the last two centuries. Seeing huge societal, industrial and cultural shifts during this period, including two world wars in which they played a vital part, the RNLI have made a significant

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Book Synopsis'Fab-u-lous' Craig Revel Horwood 'Uplifting' Fleur East 'Brilliant' Sara Davies 'Feel-good' Gemma Atkinson Change your life for the better, starting today, with this primer on positivity from Strictly star and It Takes Two host, Janette Manrara.

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Book SynopsisThe heartwarming, inspiring final chapter in the life of Max the Miracle dog

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Book SynopsisYou are no longer a number' Poland, 1944The train slowed and halted with a squeal of the breaks. It felt like we waited in the carriage for an eternity, but eventually, the heavy doors opened, directly into the chaos inside.Sara Leibovitz, a 16-year-old Jewish girl, was a passenger on the train with her family. They spent their final moments together on the platform in Auschwitz before their horrific fates were sealed. Sara's mother and baby brothers were sent straight to their deaths. Her father was made to work in the Sonderkommando as one of the men forced to remove the bodies from the gas chambers, and was later executed. Sara survived.This is the powerful true story of Sara Leibovits and the incredible pain and hardships she went through during her time in the death camp. Yet despite the horrors she faced, she always tried to maintain her family's values of courage, faith and kindness to others. In this compelling memoir, Sara's story is intertwined with that of her daughter, Eti.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“If you read Michael Scott Moore’s book, first clear your schedule, because you won’t put it down until you’ve finished it. The Desert and The Sea is an astonishing and harrowing story, told with great humanity, by a writer who ventures where few will ever go.” — Susan Casey, author of Voices in the Ocean: A Journey Into the Wild and Haunting World of Dolphins “Highly addictive reading material….Michael Scott Moore delivers an amazing true-life thriller, one of the most suspenseful books written in recent years, that tracks across oceans and underworlds, culminating in a very rewarding, deeply profound end.” — Jeffrey Gettleman, Pulitzer Prize winner and author of Love, Africa “His account of his nearly three years of captivity is a testament to the strength of one man’s indomitable spirit and Moore’s great gifts of observation, his humor, wits, and evident gifts as a storyteller. Thank heavens he lived to tell the story, which everyone should now read and cheer.” — Tom Barbash, author of Stay Up With Me “Among the virtues of this account is that even when discussing sensational happenings, Moore never overdramatizes. This exceptional memoir will attract many readers.” — Library Journal (starred review) A harrowing and affecting account of two and a half years of captivity at the hands of Somali pirates. A deftly constructed and tautly told rejoinder to Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped, sympathetic but also sharp-edged. — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) When a young man who is good and brave, keenly intelligent and observant, with a lively mind and a learned sense of human and historical complexity, is kidnapped by pirates and kept as a hostage for three years in Somalia’s harsh and violent bush, the result is The Desert and the Sea. However much you wish Michael Scott Moore had never had cause to write it, this book could not be more engrossing, harrowing, suspenseful, wrenchingly humane and illuminating. — Francisco Goldman “Not only the definitive book on Somali pirates, but a remarkable work of literature too.” — Ben Rawlence

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Book SynopsisOne October night in 1975 Richard, aged five, was alone in the house with his three sisters. It was 3am and their mother hadn''t come home yet. Next morning, the police arrived to take the children away. Their mother had become the first victim of a serial killer soon to become known as the ''Yorkshire Ripper''. Passed from one violent home to another, the children were forgotten by all except the press. As the salacious headlines multiplied, Richard and his sisters were never able to recover from their mother''s murder. Whilst Richard tried to handle the terror of his violent upbringing, his sister struggled to deal with memories of sexual abuse. Without love or support they spiralled away from help or happiness. Then one day Richard McCann, having reached suicidal rock bottom, decided no one was going to rescue their lives but him. It was the beginning of an inspirational transformation. Now he is able to tell the story of how the forgotten children of violence sufTrade ReviewHarrowing * The Sun *Heart-rending * Woman's Weekly *

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Book SynopsisCaroline Moorehead is a bestselling and prize-winning author, and the biographer of Bertrand Russell, Freya Stark, Iris Origo, Madame de la Tour du Pin and Martha Gellhorn. Her recent books a quartet focussed on resistance to dictatorship, particularly in Italy were shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize, the Orwell Prize and the Costa Biography Award. She lives in London.Trade ReviewBrilliant… It is refreshing to read a book that so confidently abandons the rhetoric of heroism and tries to see its subjects for who they were… Moorehead has had to master a huge amount of background material, and she pulls it off with skill and a remarkable lightness of touch -- Keith Lowe * Mail on Sunday *Riven with complexity… Stories of this weight could occupy several volumes and would still disorientate with all the possibilities – both altruistic and malevolent – of human nature -- Sinclair Mckay * Telegraph *Vivid...an unsparing yet balanced account of the Vichy years...we need books like this to make it impossible for us to forget. -- Alan Judd * Spectator *An especially poignant story… enthralling and meticulous book… amidst the horror of the Holocaust – and such horror is painfully evident in the lives of those left behind – this book shows that human kindness endured undimmed by the propaganda, the threats of violence and the vast rewards on offer for submitting to the will of Nazis -- Harry Hodges * Daily Express *Moorehead draws vivid portraits of those who helped…The emotional heart of the book beats in the children’s stories…The story does not end with Liberation. Moorehead, a biographer and historian, scrupulously records the emotional fallout from the children’s experiences -- Edward Stourton * The Times *

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Book SynopsisLOST1972. A plane has crashed in the Andes mountains. The passengers are hopelessly lost in one of the most isolated places on earth.ABANDONEDAlmost three months later, two of the survivors, emaciated and frozen, reach the authorities and lead a rescue team to the remaining fourteen passengers.ALIVEThe rescue team are shocked when they reach the crash-site. Food supplies have long gone, and the remains of the dead lie scattered among the fuselage. It is only too clear how these passengers have managed to stay alive ...Trade Review'One of the classic survival stories of all time - a story of the will to survive against impossible odds' * Daily Mail *Read's powerful account of the crash and its aftermath...what lingers are the moments of ingenuity, and the resilience of the human spirit. * Guardian *'It is inconceivable to me that this story could have been better told... a masterpiece of narrative' -- Graham GreeneRead handles the story so well * Evening Standard *An adventure story with a rare depth. * Seven *

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Book SynopsisIn Storms of Silence Joe Simpson recalls the severe snowstorm which put an end to an attempt with four others on Gangchempo and the infection which forced him to abandon the climb on Cho Oyu in tibet. During that expedition he has a disturbing encounter with a party of political refugees and a 4-year-old boy fleeing across the Tibetan border. He becomes obsessed with stories of Chinese brutality in the old world Tibet they overran by force 40 years ago. He also begins to question the ethic of playing rich men''s games in Third World countries, contributing little to the local people who endure a fearful struggle to survive. Oppression abroad makes him see mindless violence in his home town of Sheffield in a new light. The books ends with his first trip to the Andes in Peru since Touching the Void.Trade ReviewExcellent...Simpson is a born writer * The Times *'To mix a metaphor, Joe Simpson is a streetwise mountaineer...He takes you close to the nitty-gritty, the nuts and bolts of professional climbing in the 1990's. He is used to dealing with totalitarian policemen. He is passionate and moving on the subject of Tibet and the agonies inflicted on it by the cruel Chinese occupation...Above all, Simpson is a born writer' -- Paul Johnson * The Times *'The book's major theme is the nature of aggression. A skinhead in a Sheffield bar sets the reader up for the genocide that is modern Tibetan history...What makes Joe Simpson stand out is his belief that there is more to life than a crampon, and his dogged refusal to leave the highest mental peaks unclimbed' -- Sara Wheeler * Daily Telegraph *'THis immensely accessible book offers a unique re-interpretation of masculinity...In doing so, it offers a ray of hope to an increasingly bleak and vicious society' -- Martin Booth * Independent *

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BIOGRAPHY AWARDMussolini was not only ruthless: he was subtle and manipulative. Black-shirted thugs did his dirty work for him: arson, murder, destruction of homes and offices, bribes and intimidation. His opponents including editors, union representatives, lawyers and judges were beaten into submission. But the tide turned in 1924 when his assassins went too far, horror spread across Italy, and antifascist resistance was born. Among those whose disgust hardened into bold and uncompromising resistance was a family from Florence: Amelia, Carlo and Nello Rosselli. Caroline Moorehead draws readers into the lives of this remarkable family their loves, their loyalties, their laughter and their ultimate sacrifice.Trade ReviewA gripping tale of intrigue… I was enormously moved * Observer *Expertly alternating vivid domestic detail with lucid exposition of the gradual evolution of totalitarianism… It feels like the book she was born to write -- Lucy Hughes-Hallett * Guardian *The creepy description by the author of the naivety of the good and the seductive powers of the bad touches a nerve. A Bold and Dangerous Family is a haunting reminder of the fragility of liberty and the dangers of complaisance -- Leanda De Lisle * The Times *Moorehead’s book, written with sensitivity, erudition and balance, is a fine tribute to the Rosselli family * Financial Times *Much has been written about life under fascist rule… But the study of a nation can never be as emotionally compelling as the study of a family… Expertly alternating vivid domestic detail with lucid exposition of the gradual evolution of totalitarianism, Caroline Moorehead allows her readers not only to know, but also to feel, how it was to endure fascist oppression… A prolific author who has always combined seriousness of purpose with a warm, human touch, she is drawn to good-hearted troublemakers… A Bold and Dangerous Family is animated by the evident admiration and affection she feels for her subjects. It feels like the book she was born to write -- Lucy Hughes-Hallett * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisIn 1992, an Indian climber was left to die on the South Col of Mount Everest by other climbers who watched his feebly waving hand from their tent. He was filmed in his last hours for a television feature. Why did onlookers not hold the dying man''s hand and comfort him? The answer appals Joe Simpson, who was himself left for dead in a cervasse in Peru in 1985 - ''because it might compromise their summit bid''. It is an ethical question that Joe is forced to confront as he climbs a hazardous route on Pumori. Now that Everest has become the playground of the rich, where commercial operators offer guided tours to the top, camping admist the detritus and unburied corpses of previous less fortunate climbers, Joe wonders if the noble instincts that once characterised mountaineering have been irrevocably displaced - as in politics, in business, in the media and in other facets of society.Trade ReviewSimpson writes better on the darker side of mountaineering than any man alive -- Paul Johnson * The Times *His concern is that the strong ethics and selfless instincts that have characterised mountaineering in the past are being eroded by modern-day ambition, selfishness and greed -- Audrey Salkeld * Sunday Times *Simpson is an elegant stylist and as usual his prose is laced with humour * Daily Telegraph *An astonishing first chapter describes thoughts and feeling of a mountaineer slowly dying on Everest, while other climbers relax in a tent a few feet away. They know he is dying but ignore his feeble wave. Simpson is horrified that such selfishness should gradually invade the mountaineering fantasy -- Brian Masters * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisMeet the members of The Survivors Club . . .The man who swam for 17 hours after falling off a cruise shipThe grandma who lifted a car to save a childThe woman who fell 33,000 feet without a parachute - and survivedIn The Survivors Club, Ben Sherwood sets out to discover what it is that helps ordinary men and women beat danger and death. What strengths do survivors share? What is the science of resilience? And what are the secrets of beating the odds?This fascinating and inspiring book combines astonishing true stories, the latest scientific research and the author''s own adventures inside the US military''s elite survival schools to prepare you for the challenges not only of everyday life, but also for the unexpected in whatever form it takes.

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Book Synopsis''Poetically written, absorbing, harrowing'' The Times''The raw and emotional account of an optician whose family fishing trip suddenly placed him amid the human tragedy of hundreds of drowning migrants is a story that needed to be told'' Fiona Wilson, The Times''An important book ... I cried all the way through'' Tracy ChevalierFrom an award-winning BBC journalist, this moving book turns the testimony of an accidental hero into a timeless story about human fellowship and the awakening of courage and conscience.''I can hardly begin to describe to you what I saw as our boat approached the source of that terrible noise. I hardly want to. You won''t understand because you weren''t there. You can''t understand. You see, I thought I''d heard seagulls screeching. Seagulls fighting over a lucky catch. Birds. Just birds.''Emma-Jane Kirby has reported extensively on the reality of mass migration today. In The Optician of Lampedusa she brings to life the moving testimony of an ordinary man whose late summer boat trip off a Sicilian island unexpectedly turns into a tragic rescue mission.

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