Oliver James

Introduction When I was three months old, in 1953, my mother regularly parked me in a pram at the end of the garden. Relatives tell me that I was sometimes left unattended there, crying for long periods. I can believe this is true because my mum was hard-pressed. I was the third of four children...

IntroductionThe idea of dementia sends a chill down the spine, like no other ailment.Media coverage is uniformly pessimistic. Dramas and documentaries on television depict a gradual disintegration into non-existence; the press chronicles horror stories. Alas, this only reflects the reality of most...

Preface: What This Book Is AboutThis book is about the angst of normal people, of people hke us. It offers an explanation of why we are so much more likely to be miserable than our grandparents, why we are so discontented and self-attacking (Tm fat, I'm stupid, I'm ugly', when you are not), why we...