Suzie Althens

Drawing on decades of research, The Extinction of Experience is a philosophical defence of what makes us human – and a powerful, urgent call to reclaim ourselves in a digital world.

Human experiences are disappearing. Social media, gaming and dating apps have usurped in-person interaction; handwriting is no longer prioritised in schools; and emotion is sooner expressed through likes and emojis than face-to-face conversations. With headphones in and eyes trained on our phones, even boredom has been obliterated. But, as Christine Rosen expertly shows, when we embrace this mediated life and conform to the demands of the machine, we risk becoming more disconnected and machine-like ourselves.

There is another way. To improve our well-being, help future generations flourish and recover our shared humanity, we must become more critical, mindful users of technology, and more discerning of how it uses us. 

Hidden inflammation lies behind many modern diseases. Shilpa Ravella an expert in nutrition and the gut explains why our immune systems are turning against us and what we might do about it.

'Controlling Inflammation is the key to good health and this beautifully written and researched book is the best way to understand it' TIM SPECTOR #1 bestselling author of Food for Life ___ Inflammation is the body's response to injury and foreign microbes. But as our environments and diets have changed low-level inflammation simmering quietly and undetected has been identified behind everything from heart disease and cancer to mysterious autoimmune conditions. Shilpa Ravella is a doctor at the forefront of this field specialising in gut transplants nutrition and the microbiome.

In A Silent Fire she interweaves the latest research with unusual case studies from her own practice to explain what we know about this elusive phenomenon and the simple ways in which we can reform our relationship with food and our microbiomes to benefit our health.