Atlantic Books strana 13 z 32

Updated and revised edition, with a new epilogue and interview with Michael J Fox 'Engagingly written, informative, often funny' - Daily Telegraph 'Has the hard-boiled style of a Raymond Chandler novel' - The Times 'Think Oliver Sacks meets Gregory House, with a sprinkling of a hypochondriac's worst nightmare' - Sunday Times What is it like to try to heal the body when the mind is under attack? In this gripping and illuminating book, Dr Allan Ropper reveals the extraordinary stories behind some of the life-altering afflictions that he and his staff are confronted with at the Neurology Unit of Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital. Like Alice in Wonderland, Dr Ropper inhabits a place where absurdities abound: a sportsman who starts spouting gibberish; an undergraduate who suddenly becomes psychotic; a mother who has to decide whether a life locked inside her own head is worth living. How does one begin to treat such cases, to counsel people whose lives may be changed forever? Dr Ropper answers these questions by taking the reader into a world where lives and minds hang in the balance.

New mother Dani has a lot going on. She''s just moved back to her hometown, where her father was once known as the Garbage King; she''s fed up of not being a manicure-sporting, perfectly coiffed Normal Woman; and most of all, she''s worried that her seemingly healthy husband, Clark, will drop dead, leaving her and her new baby Lotte destitute. And then Dani discovers The Temple. Ostensibly a yoga center, The Temple and its guardian, Renata, are committed to helping people reach their full potential. And if that sometimes requires sex work, so be it. Finally, Dani has found something she could be good at, even great at - meaningful work that will protect her and Lotte from poverty, and provide true economic independence from Clark. But just as she''s preparing to embrace this opportunity, Renata disappears, leaving Dani to step into another role entirely - detective. Darkly comic, sharply witty and fiercely smart, Normal Women asks how our societies truly value female labour - and what independence really means.

MY NAME IS MARIANNA SPRING AND SOME OF MY TROLLS SAY THEY WANT TO KILL ME Threats and abuse litter my social media feeds. They infect my everyday life. Sometimes the people behind the messages try to find me in person. This seems to be the price of venturing into the world of conspiracy theories, hate and algorithms. And it turns out, I am far from alone. In 2020, I became the BBC's first disinformation and social media correspondent, and since then I have been trying to understand conspiracyland. Where does the vitriol come from? What drives otherwise reasonable people to believe that almost everything - from the worst attacks and wars to global health crises and climate change - is a hoax designed to kill or control millions of us? In Conspiracyland I tell the first-hand stories of the trolls and the trolled, those behind the information battle that threatens not just the way society works, but also some of the qualities we value most about being human: respect, fairness, tolerance, integrity and kindness.

1994, rural China: Twelve-year-old Chen Di loves and protects her long-awaited little brother, but when she witnesses an unforgettable scene with her aunties and the authorities, everything she thought she knew about her community is ripped away from her. 2002, Shanghai: A gutsy young aikido-practising Chen Di is utterly transformed from her naive younger self. Now hardened by experience, her determination to avenge her mother''s killer is stronger than ever - and she has steeled herself against affection of any kind. Alone in the big city, and with the unwanted attentions of a cocky, wise-cracking teenage boy and a martial arts teacher intent on peace over violence, her toughness starts being chipped away - planting a seed of doubt about going through with her plan for revenge. Spanning a decade at the turn of the twenty-first century, The Cry of the Silkworm is an emotional and thought-provoking tale of one young woman''s coming of age - and a stark look at the impact of China''s one-child policy, from a strikingly fresh new voice.

***THE INSTANT IRISH TIMES No. 1 BESTSELLER***''A riveting, textured, glamorous crime thriller set in contemporary Paris - magnifique!'' ANDREA MARA''If Dan Brown was a woman, her name would be Sam Blake'' EDEL COFFEYDanger is closer than you think...Single Mum Kate Wilde has escaped an abusive marriage and hasn''t had a holiday in years, so when she wins a five-day trip to Paris to learn about perfume - in a competition she can''t remember entering - it''s a dream come true. Or is it?Almost as soon as she arrives, Kate''s ex texts with evidence that he''s in Paris too. Kate can feel she''s being watched, and she''s sure someone has been in her apartment. Then she discovers that there''s a killer in the city focusing on red headed women like her. And his kill count is rising.Who should she fear the most?All Kate''s senses are on alert. But can her instincts keep her safe?Praise for Sam Blake:''Griptastic'' Liz Nugent''A high-octane thrill ride'' Catherine Ryan Howard''Packed with twists'' Woman''s Own

Winter Magic is perfect for anyone seeking to connect with their own magic during the enchanting time of Yule, and to harness the power of the Winter Solstice. Readers will be introduced to various Yule spirits and deities both light and dark, gain insight into the pagan origins of Christmas traditions and learn how to create and foster a Yule that honours and celebrates the Winter Solstice and the returning light of the sun. Winter Magic will show you how to: - Make pine needle bundles and hand-dipped taper candles for mindful gift-giving - Identify the most powerful colours, herbs and spices for your practice - Create the perfect winter altar and perform rituals to honour Yule deities and spirits - Bring magic to the kitchen with a nourishing witch's soup - Set intentions as you celebrate the Winter Solstice and welcome the new year - Learn how to read tarot and use other divination tools - Work with the moon and its influence And much more! Whether you are a seasoned practitioner seeking new insights, or a baby witch curious to delve into the magical practices associated with this festive season, Winter Magic offers a treasury of knowledge and practices to enrich your Winter Solstice celebrations.

What if your soulmate could only ever be the love of your afterlife? The first time Emery's heart stops, she is only five years old... Emery is born with a heart condition that means her heart could quite literally stop at any moment. The people around her know what to do - if they act quickly enough there will be no lasting damage, and Emery's heart can be restarted. But when this happens, she is briefly technically dead. Each time Emery's heart stops, she meets Nick. His purpose is to help people adjust to the fact that they are dead, to help them say goodbye, before they move on entirely. He does not usually meet people more than once - but with Emery, he is able to make a connection, and he finds himself drawn to her. As Emery's life progresses, and she goes through ups and downs, she finds that a part of her is longing for those moments when her heart will stop - so that she can see Nick again. This is the story of two fated lovers who long for each other, but are destined never to share more than a few fleeting moments - because if they were to be together, it would mean the end of Emery's life.

No one sees us the way our pets do - and this pet has plans of his own... When solitary and struggling A&E doctor Ivy invites the Geologist home one night, her cat Berry's hackles are raised. As the Geologist becomes more and more a part of Berry's life, Berry determines to get rid of him. Meanwhile, as Ivy wrestles with her feelings for boyfriends old and new, she's entirely unaware of her cat's designs . . . Shifting between the perspectives of Ivy and Berry, we watch them tussle over who they are, how they got there and what they desire.

Throughout history, technological revolutions have been driven by the invention of machines. But today, the power of the technology transforming our world lies in an intangible and impenetrable cosmos of software: algorithmic code. In a world increasingly governed by technologies that so few can comprehend, who-or what-controls the future? Devil in the Stack follows Andrew Smith on his immersive trip into the world of coding, passing through the stories of logic, machine-learning and early computing, from Ada Lovelace to Alan Turing, and up to the present moment, behind the scenes into the lives - and minds - of the pioneers of the 21st century: those who write code. Smith embarks on a quest to understand this sect in what he believes to be the only way possible: by learning to code himself. Expansive and effervescent, Devil in the Stack delivers a portrait of code as both a vivid culture and an impending threat. By turns revelatory, unsettling and joyously funny, this is an essential book for our times, of vital interest to anyone hoping to participate in the future-defining technological debates to come.

A luminously original exploration of the relationship between appetite, diet, desire and oppression by an award-winning historian. The day Jessica Hamel-Akr discovered the ideas of George Cheyne - an eighteenth-century polymath and London society figure known as 'Dr Diet' - it sparked an intellectual obsession, a ten-year study of women's appetite and a personal unravelling. In this bold and radical book, Hamel-Akr follows Cheyne through the pages of medical studies, novels and historical scandals, meeting ash-eating mystics, wasting society girls, impoverished female fasters and early feminist philosophers, all of whom were once grappling with nascent ideas around food, longing and the body. In doing so, she uncovers the eighteenth-century origins of both today's diet culture and her own troubled relationship with wanting.Blending history and memoir, The Art of Not Eating will change the way we look at appetite, desire, rationality and oppression, and show how it all got tangled up with what we eat.

A WATERSTONES BEST HISTORY BOOK OF 2023 LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 ONDAATJE PRIZE No other city has had so many lives, survived so many disasters and has reinvented itself so many times. No other city is like Berlin. Ever since John Kampfner was a young journalist in Communist East Berlin, he hasn’t been able to get the city out of his mind. It is a place tortured by its past, obsessed with memories, a place where traumas are unleashed and the traumatised have gathered. Over the past four years Kampfner has walked the length and breadth of Berlin, delving into the archives, and talking to historians and writers, architects and archaeologists. He clambers onto a fallen statue of Lenin; he rummages in boxes of early Medieval bones; he learns about the cabaret star so outrageous she was thrown out of the city. Berlin has been a military barracks, industrial powerhouse, centre of learning, hotbed of decadence – and the laboratory for the worst experiment in horror known to man. Now a city of refuge, it is home to 180 nationalities, and more than a quarter of the population has a migrant background. Berlin never stands still. It is never satisfied. But it is now the irresistible capital to which the world is gravitating. In Search of Berlin is an 800-year story, a dialogue between past and present; it is a new way of looking at this turbulent and beguiling city on its never-ending journey of reinvention.

THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE 2023 We used to be such a force, back then when she was still with us. What happened to her? In the seaside town of Kinlough three old friends are thrown together for the first time in years. They - Helen, Joe and Mush - were part of an original group of six inseparable teenagers in the summer of 2003, with motherless, reckless Kala Lanann as their group's white-hot centre. Soon after that summer's peak, Kala disappeared without a trace. Now it's fifteen years later. Human remains have been discovered in the woods. Two more girls have gone missing. As past and present begin to collide, the estranged friends are forced to confront their own complicity in the events that led to Kala's disappearance...

A vital exploration of capitalism and the benefits it brings to global society. Marx and Engels were right when they observed in the Communist Manifesto that free markets had in a short time created greater prosperity and more technological innovation than all previous generations combined. A century and a half later, all the evidence shows that capitalism has lifted millions and millions from hunger and poverty. Today's story about global capitalism, shared by right-wing and left-wing populists, but also by large sections of the political and economic establishment, does not deny that prosperity has been created, but it says it ended up in far too few hands. This in turn has made it popular to talk about the global economy as a geopolitical zero-sum game, where we have to fight to control new innovations, introduce trade barriers and renationalize value chains. While, more broadly, capitalism is accused of fueling glaring inequality, populist revolts, climate change and China's global conquest. In this incisive and passionate investigation, Johan Norberg instead states the case for capitalism and the vital role played by the free market in today's uncertain world. Ultimately, he argues that that a move away from global capitalism would not only squeeze the growth out of the economy but also deepen an already large social exclusion for the vulnerable - for the world's poor, it would be a killing blow.

On 6 June, 1924 George Mallory donned an oxygen set and set off for the summit of Everest with his young partner Andrew Irvine. Next day they were glimpsed through clouds heading upwards, but after that they were never seen again. Whether they died on the way up or on the way down no one knows. In the years following his disappearance, Mallory was elevated into an all-British hero. Dubbed by his friends the 'Galahad' of Everest, he was lionised in the press as the greatest mountaineer of his generation who had died while taking on the ultimate challenge. Handsome, charismatic, daring, he was a skilled public speaker, an athletic and technically gifted climber, a committed Socialist and a supremely attractive figure to both men and women. His friends ranged from the gay artists and writers of the Bloomsbury group to the best mountaineers of his era. But that was only one side to him. Mallory was also a risk taker who according to his friend and biographer David Pye, could never get behind the wheel of a car without overtaking the vehicle in front, a climber who pushed himself and those around him to the limits, a chaotic technophobe who was forever losing equipment or mishandling it, the man who led his porters to their deaths in 1922 and his young partner to his uncertain end in 1924. So who was the real Mallory and what were the forces that made him and ultimately destroyed him? Why did the man who denounced oxygen sets as 'damnable heresy' in 1922 perish on an oxygen-powered summit attempt two years later? And above all, what made him go back to Everest for the third time? Based on diaries, letters, memoirs and thousands of contemporary documents, Fallen is both a forensic account of Mallory's last expedition to Everest in 1924 and an attempt to get under his skin and separate the man from the myth.

Berlin, 1945. Following the fall of the Third Reich, drug use - long kept under control by the Nazis' strict anti-drug laws - is rampant throughout the city. In the American sector, Arthur J. Giuliani of the nascent Federal Bureau of Narcotics is tasked with learning about the Nazis' drug policies and bringing home anything that might prove 'useful'. Five years later, Harvard professor Dr Henry Beecher begins work with the US government to uncover the research behind the Nazis' psychedelics programme. Originally created for medical purposes by Dr Albert Hofmann, the Nazis coopted LSD to experiment with mind control and find a 'truth serum' - research that the US, particularly the CIA, is desperate to acquire. Based on extensive archival research, Tripped is a wild, unconventional post-war history, a spiritual sequel to Norman Ohler's bestselling Blitzed. Revealing the hidden connections between the Nazis and the CIA's notorious brainwashing experimentation programme, MKUltra, Ohler shares how this secret history held back the therapeutic research of psychedelic drugs for decades as the West sought to turn LSD into a weapon.

Is it ever too late to change your life? Elegant, wry and moving, The Funeral Cryer tells the tale of one woman's mid-life re-awakening in contemporary rural China and proves that it's never too late to alter your fate. The Funeral Cryer long ago accepted the mundane realities of her life: avoided by fellow villagers because of the stigma attached to her job as a professional mourner and under-appreciated by The Husband, whose fecklessness has pushed the couple close to the brink of break-up. But just when things couldn't be bleaker, The Funeral Cryer takes a leap of faith - and in so doing things start to take a surprising turn for the better . . . Dark, moving and wry, The Funeral Cryer is both an illuminating depiction of a 'left behind' society - and proof that it's never too late to change your life.