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A Cure for Darkness
A Cure for Darkness
Oct 26, 2024 8:22 AM

Author:Alex Riley

A Cure for Darkness

'Boldly ambitious, deeply affecting, and magisterial in scope' Steve Silberman, author of Neurotribes

'Expansive and thoughtful, it illuminates the complexity and elusiveness of his subject' New Statesman

Depression is a leading cause of disability around the world today, a growing health crisis that affects us all. It is a complex and diverse condition. But it is also highly treatable.

In this profound and sweeping history, Alex Riley charts the macabre, ingenious, and often surprising developments in the science of mental healthcare over the last 2000 years. In the pursuit to understand his own experiences with mental illness, Riley interweaves his own family history with fascinating stories of biological and psychological treatments which illuminate the past, question the current state of diagnosis, and investigate the hype and hopes for future treatments.

From the re-emergence of long-forgotten therapies to a group of grandmothers who stand at the forefront of a revolution in mental healthcare, A Cure for Darkness is an essential exploration of one of the most pressing problems of our time.

Reviews

'Bella is one of the most inspiring people I've ever met. She has an eloquence and lucidity that is timeless, partnered with a powerful combination of positivity and belief. Bella and her fellow young voices are the best chance our planet has. I've seen Bella bring a theatre full of academics and conservationists to tears, and then to their feet. This young woman has an oratory gift that any storyteller would kill for, and a passion and energy that is infectious and dazzling. Bella believes she can change the world, and I believe her. The Children of the Anthropocene is a remarkable and important book'

—— Steve Backshall, naturalist, broadcaster, and author

'From the Amazon rainforests to the beaches of Mumbai, the city streets of the US and the farms of Europe, Bella Lack hears from young people at the sharp end of the environmental crisis who are challenging the economic and political system that has led us to where we are now, with a deeply damaged world and facing a climate and ecological catastrophe. This book is so much more than a record of what's gone wrong, it's an inspirational manifesto for change. As a passionate campaigner herself, Bella is the perfect guide'

—— Caroline Lucas, former leader of The Green Party

'A visionary statement for the future, from a brilliant young person who hopes the planet will be there to enjoy it. Pragmatic, positive & beautifully written'

—— Ben Macdonald, award-winning conservation writer, wildlife TV producer and naturalist

'Astute, erudite and crystalline, Bella writes with visionary clarity and passion. It was a pleasure to be interviewed by Bella for The Children of the Anthropocene, she questions everything with intelligence, grace and humour. It's a wonderful book'

—— Dara McAnulty, award-winning author of Diary of a Young Naturalist

'An urgent, thought-provoking, and beautifully written book from a brilliant young conservationist. Bella vividly brings the wonders of nature to life on the page, showcasing the importance of diverse human stories in the collective fight to protect our planet in the face of the environmental crisis. We must stop and listen to these inspiring young people from around the globe. Extraordinarily moving, wild and engaging - the book of the moment'

—— Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and author of Climate Justice

'A passionate call for change. Hope-filled and fascinating, this book has inspired me to do more'

—— Dave Goulson, author of the Sunday Times bestselling The Garden Jungle and A Sting in the Tale

'A remarkably lucid and insightful account of the problem with our relationship with the natural world, and how we can save it and ourselves'

—— Liz Bonnin, natural history and environmental broadcaster

'Profound wisdom from a brilliant young mind - Bella's view of our troubled planet is enthralling and shocking, inspiring, and enchanting. She articulates the exhilarating and fresh perspectives of a rising generation determined to turn things round. Clear-headed about the evidence and passionate about the answers, this book offers something remarkable: real hope'

—— David Shukman, environmental journalist and writer

'Bella Lack has woven a beautiful offering to the world in her book The Children of the Anthropocene. A tapestry of stories and facts, encouragement and holding to account; she brings to life both the possibility of change and the longing of the generation made to face the consequences of our diseased way of living'

—— Dr. Gail Bradbrook, Extinction Rebellion Co-Founder

'Thought-provoking without being preachy this is a really serious and helpful book cleverly using the personal stories of people directly affected by some part of climate change. All from a young person who is positive about finding a better way for us all to live in the future'

—— David Lindo, The Urban Birder

'Not only a book of pain and defiance, resilience and love as Bella Lack writes, it is by and for courageous, compassionate and dedicated young people on the frontlines of the climate emergency. Their too often ignored stories offer hope, power and inspiration that we will realise a fairer, greener and healthier world for all'

—— Jennifer Morgan, Executive Director, Greenpeace International

'Vibrant with stories, leaping with intelligence, a vivid and beautifully crafted book'

—— Jay Griffiths, author of 'Why Rebel'

[Atwood's] prescience, her wicked sense of humour, her generosity and her appetite for work at all on flamboyant display in Burning Questions

—— Mary Norris , Times Literary Supplement

Atwood's third volume of essays... [is] shot through with wisdom and wit

—— Guardian, *Summer Reads of 2022*

You may think you are across environmental and climate change issues, but think again. This passionate, extraordinary book opens up a compelling and vital new dimension: food and the way the world farms

—— Will Hutton

With rigour, singular bravery and an infectious love for the living world, George Monbiot presents the Silent Spring of our time. Regenesis is an eye-watering reckoning of humanity's land and food crisis and an astonishing vision of survival and restoration. Monbiot takes us on a journey from the rhizospheres and the drilospheres through soil ecology, cultural myths, to the future of food all bound together with his own wonder-ful, beautifully-written observations. There is no topic more important for planetary survival than land and food, and there is no writer willing to dispense of bullshit, tell us the truth, and take on powerful forces and perceived wisdom like George Monbiot. A visionary, fearless, essential book

—— Lucy Jones

Monbiot rolls up his sleeves and pulls on his boots for an uncompromising session of agricultural dragon-slaying and foodie myth-busting. Unafraid to propose a new world order for farming and food production that is kinder to both people and planet, Regenesis is rigorous and restive, but also witty, original and humane. Let us hope it is read, digested and acted on by people, politicians and policy-makers the world over

—— Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

I am so grateful George Monbiot has applied his razor sharp intellect, bountiful curiosity and love for the land to the complex and fundamental issue of what we eat. This book offers a deep dive into the most essential question of our time - how might we feed ourselves without destroying our planet in the process?

—— Lily Cole

This is an important book and a gripping read. It will enflame vested interests on all sides. Because Monbiot has that most aggravating of gifts - the ability lucidly to point out things that people desperately do not want to be true

—— Henry Dimbleby

How can we ensure that everyone is fed without destroying the biosphere? Regenesis is a lively and deeply researched enquiry that confronts our dilemmas head on. There are no easy answers, but Monbiot provides a brilliant guide to asking the right questions. Transformation is urgently needed and this book shows how it is possible

—— Merlin Sheldrake

George Monbiot is a very skilful writer, and Regenesis shows all his powers at full stretch. He seems to see more fully than almost anyone else in this field, with a clarity of attention both to the smallest realities of a handful of soil and to the widest implications of the way human beings have lived and continue to live in the world. Telling things in the right order doesn't seem like one of the functions of the imagination, but again and again Monbiot shows that it is, with all the imaginative sympathy of a great storyteller as well as the overarching understanding of a moral visionary. This is a fine and necessary book

—— Philip Pullman

George Monbiot is one of the most fearless and important voices in the global climate movement today

—— Greta Thunberg

I used to look up to the stars for thoughts of infinity, eternity and divine cooperation. This book revealed to me I could find the same inspiration beneath the soles of my feet in less than a foot of soil. My walks on earth will never be the same as they were. The writing, observation and devotion is infectiously compelling. The learning is deep and immense

—— Mark Rylance

A magnificent new overview of how we might live and feed ourselves without destroying ourselves ... It is riveting ... Along with a dazzling array of stats, there's also impressive investigative reporting ... rich food for thought, devastating figures, startling insights and even the odd joke ... A hugely important read

—— Christopher Hart , The Sunday Times

A call to raze the pastoral imaginary so that we can begin to think clearly about how we produce food and steward the soil ... To have any chance of turning the age of extinction into an age of regeneration, systemic reform, based on the facts, not pastoral myth-making, is essential

—— Philippa Nuttall , New Statesman

Colossally important... You've got to read it

—— Max Porter (via Twitter)

A treasure trove of hope and solutions, and a vision for a sustainable, healthy, equitable world. We meet inspiring farmers as well as some radical solutions ... Comprehensive, devastating, rousing ... An essential book

—— Rowan Hooper , New Scientist

Big ideas, beautifully written and the portraits of people building the alternatives are gorgeous! Makes you angry and enraptured with the beauty of the natural world all at once

—— Aaron Bastani (via Twitter)

A paean to the wonder that is the ecology of soil, scientifically informed and beautifully told. The perfect bank holiday read

—— Yadvinder Malhi, Professor of Ecosystem Science at the University of Oxford

Phenomenal. Clear, eloquent, fearless and devastating in its analysis. A revolution in the future of food

—— Adam Rutherford (via Twitter)

Glorious ... intelligent, deeply researched .... The point Monbiot makes so ably and so necessarily is that system change is both essential and possible through a complexity of solutions ... The stakes could not be higher. If a book can change hearts and minds about one of the most critical issues of our time, this rational, humane polemic is it

—— Gaia Vince , Observer

Revolutionary ... Rigorous, bold and clear-sighted ... To conjure the miracle of more food with less farming, we need to rethink what lies beneath our feet

—— David Farrier , Prospect

Vivid and memorable... Regenesis is a compelling, deeply researched account of a deeply broken food system and how we might heal it

—— Irish Times

A compelling story of soil, food and farming

—— Financial Times

Ambitious and deeply researched ... Monbiot exposes, with journalistic flair, the 'gulf between perception and reality' about where and how our food is produced ... it includes some fascinating case studies ... bristling with ideas and imagination

—— Laura Battle , Financial Times

Eye-opening, persuasive, meticulously researched [...] Monbiot thinks globally [... and] his arguments take account of the needs of everyone in society

—— Amy Liptrot , Guardian

A paean to soil, told more gracefully and memorably than anyone before him... Regenesis is likely to become a classic. Monbiot is a writer of the first rank

—— Bill McKibben , Times Literary Supplement

Inspiring, courageous, and bursting with ideas

—— Jeremy Williams , The Earthbound Report

I feel completely changed by this book from Gabrielle Zevin. It's a book about love - about friendship, but really it transcends the borders of storytelling. My heart ached when I finished it. Truly unforgettable

—— CATHERINE CHO, author of Inferno

The perfect engrossing holiday read...beautiful and heartbreaking

—— The Times, *Summer Reads of 2023*

Zevin's delight in her characters, their qualities, and their projects sprinkles a layer of fairy dust over the whole enterprise. Sure to enchant even those who have never played a video game in their lives, with instant cult status for those who have.

—— Kirkus

A one-of-a-kind achievement

—— Publishers Weekly

A particularly memorable and compelling kind of love story... [a] nuanced depiction of human connection over 30 years that will have you blinking back tears behind your sunglasses

—— Culture Whisper, *Summer Reads of 2022*

dazzling and intricately imagined

—— B&N Reads

Zevin's writing is like being put under a spell. She's kind of magical.

—— Liberty Hardy , WBEZ

Sure to enchant even those who have never played a video game in their lives, with instant cult status for those who have.

—— Kirkus

exhilarating

—— Smithsonian

engrossing

—— Wall Street Journal

delightful and absorbing . . . expansive and entertaining

—— Tom Bissell , New York Times

The go-to for your next hit of Nineties nostalgia; if you ever spent too long playing Donkey Kong, this one's for you

—— Evening Standard, *Summer Reads of 2022*

This is a boy meets girl story that is never a romance - though it is romantic . . . Their relationship is a joining of minds and of worlds that is both purer and sweeter than any base physical attraction

—— Pippa Bailey , Observer

Big-hearted, generous, intelligent and open to the complexities of life

—— Irish Independent

A novel that treasures the act of play and holds it sacred . . . the world of video games and video game development is just the landscape in which life plays out . . . Tomorrow is about love, above all things

—— Sarah Maria Griffin , Guardian

Delightful and absorbing

—— Tom Bissell , International New York Times

Teenagers of the 21st century are as likely to bond over video games as they are rock music or movies. Gabrielle Zevin's exhilarating, timely and emotive book is perhaps the first novel to truly get to grips with what this means

—— Guardian

Exhilarating... this is refreshingly original

—— Psychologies

It is the imaginary world of a game, a world Zevin describes with the addict's ardour, which forms a universe even the sturdiest parent or antediluvian book-lover will be enticed into.

—— Big Issue

Friendship, love, loyalty, violence in America and the magic of invented worlds. Gorgeous

—— People

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a special book -- one that transports readers fully, as games do their players, into its immaculately crafted world

—— The Times

Woven throughout are meditations on originality, appropriation, the similarities between video games and other forms of art, the liberating possibilities of inhabiting a virtual world, and the ways in which platonic love can be deeper and more rewarding - especially in the context of a creative partnership - than romance.

—— New Yorker

Zevin probes at many of the themes that energize video games as a medium: their narrative depth, their therapeutic value, their casual violence, their toxic industry. And the possibility of living a better life in a virtual world

—— Wired

Zevin has the ability to make you care about her creations within paragraphs of meeting them... whose fates I consistently worried about when I occasionally had to put the book aside.

—— Financial Times

[An] engrossing, delightful novel... Zevin has the ability to make you care about her creations within paragraphs of meeting them... [Tomorrow] is rich with characters whose intertwined fates power the narrative

—— Financial Times

This book, with its respect for craft-the craft of love and games, or loving games-will remind you of how abundant one life is, how lucky we are to keep each other in our memories forever.

—— Kotaku

[I] raced through this pure wonder of a book in a few days

—— NINA MINGYA POWLES, author of Small Bodies of Water

A 2022 book that everyone should read

—— Pandora Sykes , Stylist LIVE

A must-read

—— Neil Druckmann

Anyone who reads Tomorrow And Tomorrow And Tomorrow can't stop talking about it

—— Stylist

Utterly beautiful and endlessly hopeful, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a love letter to life, friendship, and creativity

—— The Skinny, *Books of 2022*

[The] 2022 book that everyone should read

—— Pandora Sykes , Stylist Live

My #1 book to recommend . . . incredible, like The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon meets The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer. It's about love and friendship and video games

—— Emma Straub

It feels right that the best video game novel out there is by a woman. Her story about the decades-long friendship and partnership between video game designers Sam and Sadie gets at so much about work, love and storytelling. It's a book that spawns great conversations.

—— Irenosen Okojie, author of Nudibranch

In following Sam and Sadie's journey from Massachusetts to California and into the imagined worlds of their games, Zevin writes the most precious kind of love story

—— Time Magazine, Best Novel of the Year

Zevin's writing is poetic, the plot is entertaining, moving and gripping and the nods to real life video games make it all feel incredibly real

—— Skinny, *Books of the Year*

Reading this is almost like an invitation from Zevin to enter a game...with every scene and moment so carefully constructed. Just brilliant

—— Skinny, *Books of the Year*

I loved it

—— Sarah Keyworth

A hugely enjoyable novel about lives and loves mediated by technology

—— Guardian, *Summer Reads of 2023*

This playful, accomplished novel is a poignant celebration of friendship, love - and gaming

—— Daily Mail

An engrossing coming-of-age story

—— Sunday Times, *Books of the Year*

Epic in scale, with unforgettable characters, it breaks you heart and puts it back together

—— Daily Express, *Books of the Year*
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