The healing power of life writing, one shared story at a time

This Is How It Is a “refreshing, poignant and wide-ranging” (Helen Moffett) collection of real life experiences: 52 stories, prose and poetry, that tell of a man who is anxious about an HIV test; a child with an alarming nose for gossip and a girl who is saved by the enemy in a war zone. Some of the writers are grieving the loss of a child or struggling with addiction, abuse, bullying or betrayal. Most of these writers have never been published before. They wrote these stories primarily to bear witness to their lives and the troubled times in which we live. Putting traumatic experiences down on paper can help people work through shame, guilt and fear, releasing them from the traps they lay. Writing is sometimes able to turn a painful incident into something more manageable, even beautiful.

Sharing stories can also heal both the writer and the reader. When we first meet a stranger, we make assumptions about them. When we hear of their life in their own words, we find that many of our negative assumptions are wrong. Often we discover that we are more alike than we are different. Our magnificent world is in trouble, much of it because we are not paying attention to what is right in front of us. When the facts don’t stir us to reconsider, story can. This anthology invites us to become curious and reflective rather than fearful and defensive. It encourages us to climb down from the ladder of hierarchy and competition and to join the circle of relationship and humanity by becoming vulnerable enough to share and listen to our own and each other’s half-hidden stories.

But equally importantly, Bongani Kona, 2016 Caine Prize finalist, reminds us: “We forget that the most daring thing we can do is to allow ourselves to be seen. To stand before the world and to say this is who I am. This is how it is.”

About THE LIFE RIGHTING COLLECTIVE: The Life Righting Collective (LRC) runs courses for anyone who wants to learn to write about their experiences. The approach promotes self-discovery, self-recovery and more effective communication. It raises funds to make courses available to those in need of sponsorship and to provide platforms for these life stories to be published. Sharing experiences with a wide readership can help reduce discrimination and promote mutual understanding. Visit the website: www.liferighting.com

There is no simple set of instructions that can guarantee sanity, but if you want to overcome emotional difficulties and become happier, psychotherapist Philippa Perry argues that there are four cornerstones to sanity you can influence to bring about change.

By developing your self-observation skills, examining how you relate to others, breaking out of your comfort zone and exploring new ways of defining yourself, Philippa demonstrates that it is possible to become a little less tortured and a little more fulfilled. How to Stay Sane is at once a brilliant explanation of our minds and a profoundly useful guide to facing up to the many challenges life throws our way.

Discover more inspirational guides from The School of Life series: How to Find Fulfilling Work by Roman Krznaric, How to Worry Less About Money by John Armstrong, How to Change the World by John-Paul Flintoff, How to Thrive in the Digital Age by Tom Chatfield and How to Think More About Sex by Alain de Botton.

ADVANCED PAEDIATRIC LIFE SUPPORT A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO EMERGENCIES The gold standard for treating paediatric emergencies Advanced Paediatric Life Support: A Practical Approach to Emergencies is the internationally renowned manual on emergency paediatric care. Written to support the course run by the Advanced Life Support Group, the book uses their structured approach: a tried and tested practical method of treating children during the crucial first few hours of a life-threatening illness or injury. Advanced Paediatric Life Support is used by doctors, nurses and allied health professionals dealing with emergencies in children. Its clear layout and straightforward style make it a highly practical tool both for training and in the event of an emergency. In the seventh edition you will find descriptions of both common and uncommon paediatric emergencies which you may encounter in clinical practice, their causes, and how to best treat them during the first hours after presentation. This book offers a thoroughly evidence-based approach to its subject, which includes: The latest International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) 2021 guidelines A thorough introduction to the structured approach to paediatric emergencies, including important non-technical skills and communication Comprehensive explorations of the seriously ill child, including airway and breathing, circulation, decreased consciousness, seizures and exposure Practical discussions of the seriously injured child, including examinations of chest, abdominal, brain and spinal injuries Evidence-based life support treatment and the practical application of the Advanced Paediatric Life Support structured management Perfect for emergency care physicians, nurses and other allied health professionals, Advanced Paediatric Life Support: A Practical Approach to Emergencies will also benefit paediatric clinicians, doctors-in-training and anyone else with an interest in the team management and treatment of paediatric emergencies.

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.