In the centuries since Descartes famously proclaimed, 'I think, therefore I am, ' science has often overlooked emotions as the source of a person's true being. Even modern neuroscience has tended until recently to concentrate on the cognitive aspects of brain function, disregarding emotions. This attitude began to change with the publication of Descartes' Error. Antonio Damasio challenged traditional ideas about the connection between emotions & rationality. In this wonderfully engaging book, Damasio takes the reader on a journey of scientific discovery through a series of case studies, demonstrating what many of us have long suspected: emotions are not a luxury, they are essential to rational thinking & to normal social behaviour. ...

In the centuries since Descartes famously proclaimed, 'I think, therefore I am, ' science has often overlooked emotions as the source of a person's true being. Even modern neuroscience has tended until recently to concentrate on the cognitive aspects of brain function, disregarding emotions. This attitude began to change with the publication of Descartes' Error. Antonio Damasio challenged traditional ideas about the connection between emotions & rationality. In this wonderfully engaging book, Damasio takes the reader on a journey of scientific discovery through a series of case studies, demonstrating what many of us have long suspected: emotions are not a luxury, they are essential to rational thinking & to normal social behaviour. ...

This wonderfully acute & unsettling novel charts the trajectory of a woman's life & a couple's relationship during the last decade of the 20th century. Against a backdrop of the seismic nineties, & framed by two air disasters (Lockerbie late 1988 & the twin towers 9/11 2001), it's the story of Genevieve, psychiatric nurse, wife, mother, daughter, who's trying to keep a whole lot of stuff airborne while things fall apart, inside & out. Her husband is a filmmaker, usually absent, at first on small-budget art films (The Snow Queen) in out of the way places. But his career takes off, & suddenly he's making big budget star-vehicle movies (still The Snow Queen) in exotic locations. While her life narrows (babies, breastfeeding, builders), his expands: this is her narrative, addressed to him, trying to make sense of their lives & the forces
- external & internal, family history & genetics, ambition & domesticity
- which pull them apart. Her work, which drives her nuts but keeps her sane, her anarchic friend & colleague Sid, & the sad, crazed women in her charge provide a hilarious, heartbreaking backdrop to a world going off the rails. Unputdownable, funny & sad, Descent marks the arrival of a talented new novelist.

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How & why does each of us grow up to be the person we are? What role do genes play in shaping our behaviour & personalities? Are our characters fixed, or can we change as adults? How does early experience affect our sexual preferences? Why do children play? These are all questions about behavioural development
- the lifelong process of growth & change from conception to death that is central to an understanding of human nature. Written in clear & simple language this book offers an understanding of the science that lies behind many current controversies in parenting, education, social policy & medicine. The lucid style, carefully chosen scientific examples & literary"ations make it both accessible & entertaining.
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Sixteen-year-old Walker has accidentally discvered that two female classmates are lovers. When a rabid evangelical preacher arrives in their town, a witch-hunt is launched against gay students & Walker, for some reason, is the prime target. Walker knows the quickest way to divert the attention would be to give away the girls' secret
- but should he sacrifice their peace of mind for his? A powerful, unusual & thought-provoking read from an award-winning author.
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Award-winning writer & journalist Kenny Kemp goes in search of the paying passengers who will make history on the first commercial flight into space. They will be able to experience weightlessness, witness the curvature of the Earth & have a unique view of the Universe seen only by astronauts. Detailing their arduous training & how their bodies will be affected in space, to the science, business & politics behind this incredible breakthrough, Destination Space describes just the beginning of an amazing adventure... ...

Three months after returning to Engl&, Christopher Burton, receives a phone-call at the reception desk of the Rembrandt Hotel, Knightsbridge that informs him of his son's suicide. But why on receiving this terrible news, does Burton immediately decide that he must leave his Italian wife of thirty years standing? Why does he find it so difficult to focus on his grief for his son? Intensely dramatic, dark &, against all odds, hilariously funny, DESTINY is a satisfying story & a profound meditation on marriage & identity. Parks gives us a frightening experience of what it means to tread the narrow line between sanity & psychosis. ...