‘The heir to Oliver Sacks’ David Baddiel

A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BOOK OF 2024

AN INDEPENDENT BOOK OF THE MONTH

Gluttony. Greed. Sloth. Pride. Envy. Lust. Anger.

These are the seven deadly sins, the vices of humankind that define immorality, the roots of all evil in the world. Or so some believe.

But do these sins really represent moral failings, or are they simply human functions that aid us? Are they just the result of how our bodies, psyches, and brains in particular, are wired?

This new book by Dr Guy Leschziner, a professor of neurology and sleep medicine, explores the underlying nature of the seven deadly sins, their neuroscientific and psychological basis, their origin in our genes and crucially how certain medical disorders give rise to them.

Drawing on his clinical practice, we meet individuals whose physical and psychological conditions have given rise to these sins, where brain injury or other experiences have sparked ‘immoral’ actions. He explores how illness can simply expose what lies within us and investigates how the origins of these traits lie in evolutionary imperatives to preserve the wellbeing of the tribe. Perhaps, he suggests, these character traits are less of a moral question and more biological, which raises fundamental issues of responsibility and blame in the face of ‘sin’.

Combining cutting-edge science placed in the context of real-life experience with patients, the book reexamines where the boundaries between normal human nature, pathology and sin are drawn. And, most importantly, whether these hard-wired traits truly represent sin, or simply the intensity of our intrinsic desire to survive and thrive.

‘The heir to Oliver Sacks’ David Baddiel

Gluttony. Greed. Sloth. Pride. Envy. Lust. Anger.

These are the seven deadly sins, the vices of humankind that define immorality, the roots of all evil in the world. Or so some believe.

But do these sins really represent moral failings, or are they simply human functions that aid us? Are they just the result of how our bodies, psyches, and brains in particular, are wired?

This new book by Dr Guy Leschziner, a professor of neurology and sleep medicine, explores the underlying nature of the seven deadly sins, their neuroscientific and psychological basis, their origin in our genes and crucially how certain medical disorders give rise to them.

Drawing on his clinical practice, we meet individuals whose physical and psychological conditions have given rise to these sins, where brain injury or other experiences have sparked ‘immoral’ actions. He explores how illness can simply expose what lies within us and investigates how the origins of these traits lie in evolutionary imperatives to preserve the wellbeing of the tribe. Perhaps, he suggests, these character traits are less of a moral question and more biological, which raises fundamental issues of responsibility and blame in the face of ‘sin’.

Combining cutting-edge science placed in the context of real-life experience with patients, the book reexamines where the boundaries between normal human nature, pathology and sin are drawn. And, most importantly, whether these hard-wired traits truly represent sin, or simply the intensity of our intrinsic desire to survive and thrive.

“Has the makings of a classic.” –The TLS

“Chilling and vital. . . sensitive and thought-provoking.” – The Times

“Exhumation can divide brothers and restore fathers, open old wounds and open the possibility of regeneration-of building something new with the pile of broken mirrors that is loss and mourning.”

In this haunting and poetic account, anthropologist Alexa Hagerty joins forensic teams and families of the missing as they search for the hundreds of thousands victims of genocidal violence unleashed by authoritarian governments in Latin America.

In Guatemala and Argentina, she learns to see the dead body with a forensic eye. She examines bones for evidence of torture and cause of death – hands bound by rope, cuts from machetes – but also for signs of a life lived: a weaver is recognized from the tiny bones of the toes, molded by years of kneeling before a loom; a girl is identified alongside her pet dog.

Hagerty shows us how exhumation can bring meaning to families dealing with unimaginable loss and justice to societies in the aftermath of state terror and genocide. Weaving together powerful stories about investigative breakthroughs, grieving families, histories of violence, and her own forensic coming of age, Hagerty crafts a moving portrait of the living and the dead.

“Touching, but achingly honest – a most amazing account of training as a forensic anthropologist. When Hagerty talks about “lives being violently made into bones,” I defy you not to be moved. The text is unflinching, but then the crimes and the victims deserve nothing less. I guarantee this will make you think long and hard about cruelty and human rights and the dedication and humanity of the forensic scientist.” – Sue Black, author of All That remains

‘Essential reading as a human.’ – Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, author of Fact of a Body

But this memoir  is more than just an eye-opening look at the realities of training to be a female surgeon in a man’s world. In addition to this high-powered, high-pressured role, Liz faced her own breast cancer diagnosis, severe depression and suicidal thoughts, in tandem with commonplace sexual harassment and bullying. And by revealing how she coped when her life crashed around her, she demonstrates there is always hope.

In Never Work with Animals, vet Gareth Steel shares the moments of humour, horror and heroism across his 20-year career caring for creatures great and small, from bulls to stick insects.

Thought-provoking, heartwarming and often laugh-out-loud funny, this unforgettable memoir reveals what life is really like for our vets.

In 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.

A TIMES AND SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR

‘Deeply insightful. Unflinching’ THE TIMES
‘A finely-crafted detective story’ DAILY TELEGRAPH
‘Enlightening, strangely uplifting’ DAILY MAIL
‘Fascinating’ DAILY EXPRESS
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Dr Richard Shepherd, a medical detective and Britain’s top forensic pathologist, shares twenty-four of his most intriguing, enlightening and never-before-told cases.

These autopsies, spanning the seven ages of human existence, uncover the secrets not only of how a person died, but also of how they lived.

From old to young, murder to misadventure, and illness to accidental death, each body has something to reveal – about its owner’s life story, how we age, justice, society, the certainty of death.

And, above all, the wonderful marvel of life itself.
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Praise for Dr Richard Shepherd

‘Gripping, grimly fascinating, and I suspect I’ll read it at least twice’ Evening Standard

‘A deeply mesmerising memoir of forensic pathology. Human and fascinating’ Nigella Lawson

‘An absolutely brilliant book. I really recommend it, I don’t often say that but it’s fascinating’ Jeremy Vine, BBC Radio 2

‘Puts the reader at his elbow as he wields the scalpel’ Guardian

‘Fascinating, gruesome yet engrossing’ Richard and Judy, Daily Express

‘Fascinating, insightful, candid, compassionate’ Observer

‘You have to read this book.’ – Tim Harford

‘It’s funny, touching and gobsmacking in equal measure. At its heart is a breathtaking account of life on the COVID frontline.’ – Jay Rayner

‘Ed’s journey is funny, sad, harrowing, hilarious… I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO READ THIS.’ – Colin Mochrie

‘Very Funny.’ – Fern Brady

‘I love your book Catch your Breath, it just feels so personal and so refreshing.’ – Adil Ray, Saturday Live

A gut punch of a memoir by a doctor – and comedian – whose job is to keep people alive by putting them to sleep.

Ed Patrick is an anaesthetist.

Strong drugs for his patients, strong coffee for him. But it’s not just sleep-giving for this anaesthetist, as he navigates emergencies, patients not breathing for themselves and living with a terrifying sense of responsibility. It’s enough to leave anyone feeling numb.

But don’t worry, there’s plenty of laughing gas to be had.

‘Very funny, very timely, scary in places. Ed writes with wit, insight, surprise and pathos. He is cutting his teeth in anaesthetics, taking people as close to death as you can take them, and then trying to wake them up again. And makes it funny. A joy to read.’ – Phil Hammond