Scared To Death

Newly revised and updated in the light of COVID-19 For most of the latter part of the last century, and the early part of this, Britain has been assailed by a succession of 'scares', from salmonella and eggs to BSE, from the Millennium Bug to bird flu, from DDT to passive smoking, from asbestos to global warming. These scares have become one of the most conspicuous and damaging features of our modern world, so much so that as we entered the third decade of the new century, our senses had become so blunted that we scarcely recognised the real thing for what it was, until it arrived – COVID-19, for which we were almost completely unprepared. The authors analyse the crucial roles of the different factions who perpetrated the scares: from the scientists who misread or manipulated the evidence to the media and lobbyists who eagerly promoted scares without regard to the consequences, and the politicians and officials who came up with absurdly disproportionate responses, leaving us to pay a colossal price. In this updated edition, Scared to Death not only presents a detailed account of the scares that have dominated our society for the past 50 years – through all of which the authors lived – but also examines the background to the COVID-19 pandemic, tracing our lack of preparedness to its roots and then assessing, by way of contrast, why this is the real thing, as opposed to the succession of scares that we have experienced.

This brief artistic collection of fears around dying--and their ultimate futility in the face of the unknown--is a keepsake, a prayer book, a prompt for contemplation, and a gift to give to others to inspire conversations about the liberating power of death and what makes a good life. This small book of 12 meditations on death is intentionally repetitive and hypnotic in effect, and will inspire the reader to list what scares them most, come to terms with their own mortality, and realize what fears are holding them back from living a life fully with 100 percent commitment. It will appeal to anyone who wishes to live with greater intention and purpose and experience more joy and appreciation of the present moment. Buddhists and mindfulness practitioners, people who are aging, people who read the news and are worried, artists, people who are taking care of others who are dying, people who are dying (i.e., all of us ...), Tarot card readers and modern-day shamans will all find inspiration in these terse lists. Young people aghast at the adult world's seeming indifference to our mortality will especially relate to the uncompromising vision of this book.

One day Tessa was standing on Chloes porch, looking scared. Two days later she was dead. Chloe cant shake the thought that she didnt ask Tessa what was wrong, even though shed seemed frightened. Now she has to find out who might have wanted Tessa out of the way. And she cant help wondering what it was, the night Tessa came for help, that had her scared to death...

Explains how scientists assess the risks and benefits of chemicals, arguing that fear of chemicals poses a risk to public health.

"I don’t believe in God, but I miss him." So begins Julian Barnes’s brilliant new book that is, among many things, a family memoir, an exchange with his brother (a philosopher), a meditation on mortality and the fear of death, a celebration of art, an argument with and about God and a homage to the writer Jules Renard. Barnes also draws poignant portraits of the last days of his parents, recalled with great detail, affection and exasperation. Other examples he takes up include writers, "most of them dead and quite a few of them French," as well as some composers, for good measure. The grace with which Barnes weaves together all of these threads makes the experience of reading the book nothing less than exhilarating. Although he cautions us that "this is not my autobiography," the book nonetheless reveals much about Barnes the man and the novelist: how he thinks and how he writes and how he lives. At once deadly serious and dazzlingly playful, Nothing to Be Frightened Of is a wise, funny and constantly surprising tour of the human condition.

This chilling collection of ten nightmarish and fiendishly funny short stories is a perfect read for fearless children. From a train journey straight to hell, out of control robots with a murderous streak and even a television show where death is the penalty - these terrifying tales display the dazzling wit and wicked humour of master storyteller Anthony Horowitz, and are guaranteed to make your blood curdle and your spine tingle.