‘A case study in groupthink’: were liberals wrong about the pandemic?

US political scientists’ book argues aggressive Covid policies such as mask mandates were in some cases misguided

Maybe I’m Amazed by John Harris review – with a little help from John, Paul, George and Ringo

The Guardian journalist’s tender account of how music became a bridge between him and his autistic son, James, is full of wit and wisdom

The Life, Old Age and Death of a Working-Class Woman review – a son confronts his mother’s decline

Didier Eribon’s guilt and shame fuels an angry and eloquent meditation on our attitudes towards the elderly and the end of life

The death of my friend inspired me to follow my standup dreams

For one writer, tragedy led to comedy, the sudden loss of a colleague giving her the nudge she needed

The Sleep Room by Jon Stock review – haunting accounts of horrific medical abuse

A book about psychiatrist William Sargant’s unethical treatments at a London hospital in the 1960s is all the more powerful for its vivid patient testimonies

Alive: An Alternative Anatomy by Gabriel Weston review – our bodies in an eye-opening new light

A surgeon (and TV host) encourages us to take a fresh look at our organs in a smart and forceful study

Maternity Service by Emma Barnett review – a tour of duty in early motherhood

In this valuable, brutally honest guide, the broadcaster argues that a supposedly joyful time is often steeped in drudgery and social isolation

On my radar: Georgia Ellery’s cultural highlights

The Black Country, New Road and Jockstrap musician on a YouTube philosopher, the power of Munch and her love of saunas and Japanese onsen

Maternity Service by Emma Barnett review – baby steps

An energetic attempt to reimagine maternity leave swerves hard thinking about social reform

The Age of Diagnosis by Suzanne O’Sullivan review – do no harm

A doctor’s brilliant study of the dangers of overdiagnosis, from ADHD to long Covid