‘I was never about boo hoo hoo’

Dave Pelzer, who single-handedly launched the 'misery lit' genre with his horrific memoir of childhood abuse, is now publishing his fourth self-help book. In it, he insists that happiness is all about 'moving on'. So why does he continue to obsessively trawl through his own past? Decca Aitkenhead meets him

Something was obviously wrong

Sally Hurst lost her leg to cancer at the age of 27, and is suing her GP for failing to spot it sooner. Bob Chaundy discovers the traumas she faced

“Baby-thrift won’t scar them for life”

Tricia Murphy didn't want to spend her entire pregnancy feathering the nest - but now, with the big day in sight, she needs to get hold of the basics quickly. Can she do it without breaking her baby bank?

Saving Sabine

French movie star Sandrine Bonnaire tells Edward Marriott why she has made a film about life with her autistic sister

Debt destroyed my family

In the 90s, Samantha Downes's parents bought an inn. All went well at first, but the economic downturn led to financial struggle - which ended in tragedy

Rise of the sumo baby

Viv Groskop talks to mothers, doctors and midwives on the boom in newborns weighing 10lb or more

It’s not just boys who are autistic

When it was first discovered more than 60 years ago, Asperger's syndrome was thought to be a male-only condition. But now that more and more girls are being diagnosed with it, why do we hear so little about them, wonders Joanna Moorhead