‘We will have to choose our apocalypse’: the cost of freedom after the pandemic
To remake society after the pandemic, we must swap Insta self‑improvement for something more radical, argues author Sam Byers
In brief: Unsettled Ground; Genesis; Inferno – reviews
Twins unravel their family history when their mother dies; myths, science and the origins of the universe; and a harrowing account of postpartum psychosis
Many Different Kinds of Love by Michael Rosen review – life after Covid
The much loved writer gives a memorable account of the disease from a patient’s point of view, in poems, notes and emails – and conveys how it feels to come back from the brink
The best books to understand vaccines– and why some refuse them
As Covid-19 vaccinations gain speed around the world, Eula Biss picks books that explore this huge advance in medical science
The Rag and Bone Shop by Veronica O’Keane review – the nature of memory
A fascinating and compassionate investigation, with vivid case histories, into how our memories make us
Beyond Order by Jordan Peterson review – a ragbag of self-help dictums
There is too much messianic passion and not enough enlightening psychology in Peterson’s follow-up to the bestselling 12 Rules for Life
Friends by Robin Dunbar review – why it pays to be sociable
Is it possible to have more than five very close friends? A miscellany of modern research reveals the life-saving power of our relationships
Beyond Order by Jordan Peterson review – more rules for life
Despite the psychologist’s role in the culture wars, his books present him as a personal trainer for the soul ... Is his latest advice bracing and useful or merely humourless and banal?
A Still Life by Josie George review – memoir of a mystery illness
The honesty and clarity of the writing in this account elevates what could have been a ‘misery memoir’ into something moving and joyous
‘I’ve been called Satan’: Dr Rachel Clarke on facing abuse in the Covid crisis
As well as fighting to keep Covid patients alive, NHS staff are now battling a surge in abuse and denial in the second wave. Dr Rachel Clarke on how she is coping – and what gives her hope