Gabor Maté’s connections—between the intensely personal and the global, the spiritual and the medical, the psychological and the political—are bold, wise and deeply moral. He is a healer to be cherished and this exciting book arrives at just the right time

Gabor Maté is one of the most important, wise and compassionate voices in the world on addiction. Everyone should read this profound book

I recommend this wonderful book for anyone struggling with the heartache of addiction personally or professionally. Gabor Maté makes the thought-provoking and powerful arguments that human connections heal; and that the poverty of relationships in the modern world contribute to our vulnerability to unhealthy addictions of all manner. His uniquely humane perspective—all too absent from much of the ‘modern’ approach to addictions—should be a part of the training of all therapists, social workers, and physicians

With unparalleled sympathy for the human condition, Gabor Maté depicts the suffocation of the spirit by addictive urges, and holds up a dark mirror to our society. This is a powerful narrative of the realm of human nature where confused and conflicted emotions underlie our pretensions to rational thought

In its sheer force, originality and deep scholarship, this book represents a landmark in the theory, treatment and prevention of addictive disorders. No-one seriously interested in this subject can afford not to be aware of what it says about addiction and how we should respond to it

An insightful, multilayered discussion of the nature of addiction generally, and our society’s epidemic of addictions in particular

Bold, courageous and most welcome ... Abbey imparts a wisdom concerning human emotional life that is sophisticated, and also simple and poignant ... Abbey is brave; she is lion-hearted in her no-holes-barred account of what it is like to care for a living ... If she is representative of an emerging generation of healthcare professionals, there is reason to be optimistic for the future of healthcare.

A sensitive, honest, unsentimental and, yes, brave piece of writing that makes for compulsive reading

A beautiful insight into the extraordinary highs and lows of intensive care. Dr Aoife Abbey writes with such sensitivity and obvious kindness about the emotions that define us all, doctors and patients alike. I was deeply moved by this wonderful book.

Effortlessly absorbing and illuminating ... Seven Signs of Life offers a prismatic set of arguments for a truth that we too often forget: doctors, nurses and consultants are human, too ... a perspective that feels like new territory ... Measured out in Abbey's crystalline, personable voice, it occurs to you that this is a somewhat Herculean feat.

Aoife Abbey’s honesty and insight are breath-taking. If you want to find out what it is really like to be a doctor, read this book.

Illness is a thicket through which doctors and patients struggle—sometimes at odds, sometimes in concert. Into the harrowing penumbra between life and death come Dr. Abbey's signs of intelligent life. These seven cogent chapters probe the range of experience and emotions that patients, families, and medical workers must navigate. A welcome addition to the medical-literary canon.

Honest, compelling and compassionate ... worthy of a place on the medical school curriculum ... Dr Abbey is the type of doctor most people I think would want to find at the side of their bed if they were critically ill. This is a book with a warm heart, but also does not shy from honesty ... This is not a grim read. It's beautifully written, with valuable insights about how different patients and their families want different things from her and it is fascinating.

An extended, often lyrical, reflection on the complex web of emotions – fear and hope, grief and joy – evoked by the routine life and death dramas of the intensive care unit

Excellent... An absolutely spellbinding insight into being an intensive care doctor

Seven Signs of Life set out to share the world of intensive care through compelling storytelling…touching, educational, and encouraging. They are stories worth telling, and for the doctor and non-doctor alike, stories worth reading

Raw power . . . She is trying to lay bare the complex feelings of people who make life-or-death decisions on a daily basis. . . . What Abbey wants us to understand is that doctors too weep and rage, that although they might keep their expressions flat and their voices even, that's because they've been trained to stay cool in high-drama moments, not because they're cold people

[Seven Signs of Life] has a moving sincerity and freshness. Abbey is a talented writer and a wise voice on the dilemmas surrounding death

[A] harrowing, [but] ultimately beautiful, book about life as an intensive-care doctor is one of the best from the recent rash of medical memoirs

Engaging and lucid... [There is] a compelling human story of the researchers who made the discoveries. The author has gone to great lengths to interview the key players in the story

[Segal] is a natural, fluent writer and, in this book, the reader will feel confident in her hands even as she explores a shattering episode in family life… Segal is brilliant at conveying the tedium and the trials of life in the ICU and beyond. In short, Mother Ship is simply compelling

Hopeful, harrowing…and darkly funny, Mother Ship has you laughing, crying and frantically turning the pages to discover how it all turns out

[Segal’s] words are a powerful, poetic and deeply affecting reminder of how precious are life, health and the everyday

Segal's moving memoir reveals not only what it takes to keep premature babies alive, but also what it means to be human and a mother

Mother Ship is a huge achievement for Segal, who has produced a memoir that promises to linger with you like a literary earworm… an extraordinary testament to the power of human survival

Vivid, fearless and inspiring… This is an intimate and electrifying memoir. It is a hymn to the sustaining power of women's friendships, and a loving celebration of the two small girls – and their mother – who defy the odds

A deeply moving, yet also witty and heart-warming account

[Segal] captures beautifully the complexities and contradictions of the human body

An ode to the companionship of the women on the neonatal ward in the darkest, most volatile days, it is moving but never mawkish

A song of praise to the beleaguered, indomitable NHS, with writing at such a pitch that it lingered with me all year

A heart-tugging account… this is one of the year’s most exquisitely written books