True stories of survival of abuse and injustice Books

Book SynopsisA tiny puppy, neglected and abused, and the foster carer determined to heal her. When tiny puppy Princess is dumped at the doors of the Barby Keel Animal Sanctuary by her owners, the brown and white boxer is suffering from horrendous injuries resulting from a car accident. Having been operated on by an incompetent vet, her front leg has been amputated in a botched surgery, leaving her weak and barely able to stand. With gentle love and care, Barby and her team at the Sanctuary work hard to give this brave little dog a second lease of life. Playful and loving, despite her difficult start in life, Princess is desperate for a forever family to call her own. But Barby is heartbroken as she watches Princess get rejected over and over again by potential owners who are put off by her terrible injury. Will Princess ever find someone to love her?

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Book SynopsisThe true story of a 6-year-old boy with a dreadful secret.Oskar's school teacher raises the alarm. Oskar's mother is abroad and he has been left in the care of friends', but has been arriving in school hungry, unkempt, and with bruises on his arms, legs and body. Experienced foster carer Cathy Glass is asked to look after him, but as the weeks pass her concerns deepen. Oskar is far too quiet for a child of six and is clearly scared of something or someone.And who are those men parked outside his school watching him?

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Book SynopsisI Survived is Victoria Cillier's chilling, eye-opening story of marriage and attempted murder, revealing the truth about a case that made headlines around the world. Soon to be the subject of a major TV documentary.On Easter Sunday 2015, experienced skydiver Victoria Cilliers undertook a parachute jump, a gift from her husband, British army sergeant Emile Cilliers. Her parachutes failed to open and she plummeted 4,000 feet to the ground, sustaining life-threatening injuries. Miraculously, she survived. Then the police arrived at her door. Someone had tampered with her parachute and they suspected Emile.In I Survived Victoria describes how she fell for Emile, and how the charming man she thought she knew gradually revealed a darker side, chipping away at her self-worth until she found it impossible to sift truth from lies. Can she really believe that her husband – the father of their two young children – tried to kill her? As more shocking revelations come to light, and she has to face his trial and relentless media scrutiny, she struggles to come to terms with the past. Even a guilty verdict does not free her because Emile is not ready to let her go . . .Powerful and honest, this is the story of a woman who was put through hell and yet found the strength to forge a new life for herself and her children.

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Book SynopsisJean Sasson grew up in a small town in America's deep south before moving to the Middle East in 1978 to work at a prestigious royal hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In 1985, she met Princess Sultana, who inspired the widely acclaimed Princess Trilogy. Jean later worked as freelance writer in Lebanon and Kuwait, conducting interviews with Kuwaitis who survived the first Gulf war, as well as high ranking Kuwaiti officials before, during and after the War. Her affection for the Middle East has been the motivation for a number of her books and Jean has spent her career sharing the personal stories of many courageous women. Princess: Stepping Out Of The Shadows is the latest book in the bestselling Princess series.Trade ReviewA very human look at the struggle of the Kurds in Iraq and one woman's heroism. * Booklist *

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Book SynopsisRejected by her mother and excluded by her school, Flip is a little girl desperate to be loved.Am I ugly, Mummy?' are the first words that little Phillipa says to Mike and Casey as she stomps into their lives on a hot August afternoon. She has a Barbie doll in one hand and a pink vanity case in the other and the bemused Watsons can only stare in amazement at this tiny eight year old girl who is being guided into the room by her social worker.Phillipa, known as Flip has Foetal Alcohol Syndrome and life with her single mother has come to an abrupt end after a fire burned the house down. When Casey meets Flip, the child seems remarkably unfazed by what has happened and the thing that seems to worry her is that Casey might find her ugly.Casey has come across children with FAS in her previous job in a high school behaviour unit, but is now realising that fostering Flip is going to be full of challenges which will test her and Mike's skills to the limit.

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Book Synopsis*A Radio 4 Book of the Week*''Powerful'' Observer ''Superb'' Daily Mail ''Brilliant'' Radio Times __________Few people leave prison unchanged. It''s a place heavy with suffering, a place where you will find dangerous, vulnerable, and forgotten people. But for Alex South, it was a place where she also found hope.In this powerful and moving memoir, Alex attempts to make sense of her experiences in prison by confronting the harsh reality of life on the inside and examining them from different angles. In an overwhelmingly masculine environment, where strength and aggression are routinely on show, Alex''s view is particularly important.Capturing the confusion and contradictions of prison, Alex presents a life that is often hidden from the public. Changing our perceptions, Behind These Doors shows the many devastating, but often inspiring, consequences prison can have.__________''I

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Book SynopsisA stunning and poignant account of an extraordinary teacher's determination from the author of the #1 Sunday Times bestsellers The Tiger's Child and One Child.Trade Review"Torey Hayden deserves the kind of respect I can't give many people. She isn't valuable, she's incredible. The world needs more like Torey Hayden." – Boston Globe "A testament to the powers of caring and commitment." Publishers Weekly. "An amazing story."Washington Post. “A skilful storyteller… Torey Hayden writes vividly about the challenges and frustrations of working with disturbed children.” Washington Post Book World

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Book SynopsisJohn Peel first brought Judy's moving childhood story to light on ‘Home Truths’. Abducted by her psychotic spiritualist father and kept like a dog in the backyard, she went on to suffer at the brutal hands of nuns in a Manchester orphanage, before living wild on the streets. An incredible, heart-wrenching story of a child who refused to give up.Trade Review‘If Judy’s story doesn’t become a book, DVD, video I’ll be amazed.’ John Peel

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Book Synopsis‘Punished’ is the inspiring true story of an unusual little girl, Vanessa, whose childhood was devastated by torture and abuse at the hands of her sadistic mother. Vanessa was nearly destroyed until she discovered a secret that ultimately saved her life.

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Book SynopsisThe shocking, powerful true story of the lives of 7 young kids, marred by guns, gangs and violence on one of Britain's toughest estates.Eight years old. That's when life went downhill. From eight years old nobody looked after me. I just lived on the streets and made do by myself. There was no one except me and my friends.' SimonThis is the story of 7 young boys who have one thing in common they grew up in a London street gang.JaJa looks out of his kitchen window and sees drug dealers, pimps and whores. He ends up as a kid leading a street gang.Phat Si comes home from school one day to find his mother gone so he takes to the streets. He's 8 years old.Ribz''s mother sells crack and is sent to prison. He doesn''t know who his father is but does know that his dad has an unknown number of children living on the same estate. He's determined to find some kind of family.Street Boys tells a powerful and important true story of courage, determination and hope of creating a family from your friTrade Review‘Powerful and moving.’ Mothers Against Guns ‘In a year which has seen street violence escalate, Street Boys sheds invaluable insight.’Independent on Sunday

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Book SynopsisA harrowing memoir of life with manic depression. All In My Head reveals the terrible reality of the condition and it’s devastating impact on the life of a young woman.

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Book SynopsisThe sequel to Daddy’s Little Earner tells Maria’s story as she tries to rebuild her life.Trade ReviewPraise for Daddy’s Little Earner: ‘A heartbreaking true story’ South Wales Argus

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Book SynopsisThe author of the bestselling Please Daddy No reveals more harrowing experiences of his neglected childhood.Trade ReviewPraise for ‘Please, Daddy, No’: ‘Truly moving.’ Fern Britten, This Morning

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Book SynopsisDavid had everything. No-one knew the London businessman was born into a world beyond poverty, the son of a rapist father and disturbed mother. Abandoned as a baby, he spent most of his childhood in care and suffered appalling sexual abuse. But no-one knew. But a call from the abuser's wife, 30 years on, proved he was living in a house of cards.

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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 SynopsisA new memoir from Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author Cathy Glass. Eight-year-old Aimee was on the child protection register at birth. Her five older siblings were taken into care many years ago. So no one can understand why she was left at home to suffer for so long. It seems Aimee was forgotten.Trade ReviewREVIEWS FOR DAMAGED: 'Cannot fail to move those who read it.'Adoption-net ‘Heartbreaking.'Mirror ‘A truly harrowing read that made me cry.’Sun 'A true tale of hope. ****.'OK! ‘Foster carers rarely get the praise they deserve, but Cathy Glass’s book should change all that.****’First magazine ‘A hugely touching and emotional true tale.’Star magazine

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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 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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