Outside, the Sky Is Blue by Christina Patterson review – faith, hope and trauma
A golden childhood is followed by family tragedies – but resilience and understanding triumph in this powerful memoir
Expectant mothers are too often treated as an inconvenience – and we can’t blame a TV drama for that
The BBC’s new show This Is Going to Hurt is about overstretched doctors – but patronising pregnant women is a long-standing problem, writes Guardian columnist Zoe Williams
Hybrid Humans by Harry Parker review – man and machine in harmony
An ex-soldier who lost both legs in Afghanistan examines the implications of advances in medical technology with intelligence and humanity
Outside the Sky Is Blue review – the triumph of hope against the odds
Christina Patterson’s family memoir is crammed with challenges, setbacks, illness and death, and yet remains a wonderfully uplifting read
The Urge by Carl Erik Fisher review – against the war on drugs
A psychiatrist and former addict cautions against conflating drug use with harm in this fascinating historical survey
The big idea: is it time to stop worrying about stress?
Our beliefs about difficult feelings may do more damage than the feelings themselves
Everything Is True by Roopa Farooki review – the first 40 days on the Covid frontline
An author turned junior doctor’s account of the chaos at work and anguish at home as Covid-19 arrived in the UK is vital, cathartic reading
I love living on my own – so why am I so scared of the dark?
Megan Nolan always dreamed of having her own lovely home. But now terrifying thoughts keep her awake at night. Here, the author wonders why
What I Wish People Knew About Dementia by Wendy Mitchell review – a book of hope
Wendy Mitchell’s good-humoured practical guide to living with dementia has a deeper, more existential message for all of us: connect, forgive, accept and live
Sweat by Bill Hayes review – a history of the physical that gets personal
An all-encompassing book about bodies and exercise through the ages that leaves you hungry for more