Search Results for: Memoir and Biography

Sophie is 21 when she is diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of cancer. A striking, fun-loving student, she finds her world reduced overnight to the sterile confines of a hospital. But within these walls Sophie discovers a whole new world of gossiping nurses and sexy doctors, and of hair loss and eyebrow pencils.
As Sophie faces the challenges of chemotherapy, wigs – now a crucial part of her life – become a powerful form of self-expression. Each of her nine wigs makes her feel stronger and gives her a distinct personality, and that is why each has its own name: Stella, Sue, Daisy, Blondie, Platina, Uma, Pam, Lydia and Bebé. There’s a bit of Sophie in all of them, and they reveal as much as they hide. Sophie is determined to be much more than a cancer patient.

‘If we had a keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel’s heart beat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence.’
George Eliot, Middlemarch

Having spent her life trying to patch up the souls of others, psychiatrist Linda Gask came to realise that being an expert in depression didn’t confer any immunity from it – she had to learn take care of herself, too. Artfully crafted and told with warmth and honesty, this is the story of Linda’s journey, interwoven with insights into her patients’ diverse experiences of depression -inextricably linked with problems in the past and the present such as vulnerability, fear, loss, loneliness, dependence and grief. She sets out to convey, in a new and original way, how it truly feels to experience this devastating illness, what psychotherapy is about, and the role of medication- and provides hope for those who suffer from depression and their loved ones whilst busting the stigma of mental illness.

Whether you dabble or are a devoted drinker, if you’ve ever worried about the negative effects of alcohol, this book is for you. From boozy benders to finding the joy of sobriety, Sober Mama tells the story of one woman’s rollercoaster ride to abstinence and how it transformed her life

Regular hangovers, bad decisions and crippling anxiety were the norm for single mum Rachael Shephard. Every day she would relentlessly drag herself through the never-ending list of chores and a full-time job, trying to hold it all together while she was secretly falling apart. Her beloved Pinot Grigio was destroying her life one glass at a time, until one unassuming Thursday, when she finally broke free from the bottle.

Now, Rachael is a sober coach and happily navigating an alcohol-free life for the first time in twenty-five years. Through honest, relatable and outrageously funny anecdotes, Rachael shares her personal journey to sobriety and offers practical guidance for women around the world who want to ditch the drink for good.

I haven’t tasted chocolate for over ten years and now I’m walking down the street unwrapping a Kit Kat. Remember when Kate Moss said, ‘Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels’? She’s wrong: chocolate does.

At the age of 32, after ten years of hiding from the truth, Emma Woolf finally decided it was time to face the biggest challenge of her life. Addicted to hunger, exercise and control, she was juggling a full-blown eating disorder with a successful career, functioning on an apple a day.

Having met the man of her dreams (and wanting a future and a baby together), she embarked on the hardest struggle of all: to beat anorexia. It was time to start eating again, to regain her fertility and her curves, to throw out the size-zero clothes and face her food fears. And, as if that wasn’t enough pressure, Emma took the decision to write about her progress in a weekly column for The Times.

Honest, hard hitting and yet romantic, An Apple a Day is a manifesto for the modern generation to stop starving and start living.

This compelling, life-affirming true story is essential reading for anyone affected by eating disorders (whether as a sufferer or carer), anyone interested in health and social issues – and for medical and health professionals.