NeuroTribes by Steve Silberman review – an enlightened take on autism and difference
This sparklingly humane book makes the case that there is no such thing as neurologically ‘normal’
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert review – lessons in life from the Eat, Pray, Love author
With sufficient Courage and Enchantment, everyone can unleash their inner ice skater
The Book of Human Emotions by Tiffany Watt Smith review – a thought-provoking tour around our feelings
This compendium of emotions from around the world makes you feel we need more words for our feelings, not fewer
Profit, not patients: the risks of private medicine
Ultimately, private providers have their shareholders’ interests at heart, not their patients’. A GP and celebrated writer shares his experiences of how the healthcare system works
Oliver Sacks obituary
Neurologist and writer best known for his books The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Awakenings
My first labour was harrowing. Hypnobirthing made my second like a dream
First-time mothers can be terrified because they’re rushed through labour, but I overcame my fears with the help of this meditative practice
Neurotribes review – the evolution of our understanding of autism
A life-affirming study shows how much attitudes have changed to the condition once known as ‘childhood psychosis’
The Man Who Closed the Asylums: Franco Basaglia and the Revolution in Mental Health Care by John Foot – review
Dangerous idealist or revolutionary hero? A nuanced look at a reforming psychiatrist
Naked at Lunch review – the funny thing about nudism
Mark Haskell Smith’s undercover view of nudism is both thoughtful and hilarious
Worrying: A Literary and Cultural History review – ennui and its origins
Francis O’Gorman’s study of why we worry covers everything from medieval monastic life to modern cultural theory without really providing any answers
Belle Gibson: wellness blogger’s mum says cancer story was just a ‘white lie’
Natalie Dal-Bello says people are allowed to ‘tell little porky pies’ as she attempts a reconciliation with her daughter and grandson
A Place of Refuge by Tobias Jones review – an experiment in communal living
A refreshingly honest account of one couple’s remarkable project: to open their family home to some of society’s most vulnerable people
Modern Romance review – a refreshing male take on sex
Aziz Ansari entertains and illuminates as he observes how technology complicates relationships
Tobias Jones Q&A: ‘When you’ve got lice or nits in your hair, are you allowed to kill them?’
Tobias Jones talks about the communal refuge he runs, the criteria for allowing newcomers in and the effect of his faith
Worrying: A Literary and Cultural History by Francis O’Gorman – review
‘Now it’s over, I can enjoy my holiday.’ It’s sometimes self-indulgent and often irrational. So why do many of us spend our lives fretting?