Fracture: Stories of How Great Lives Take Root in Trauma

Review Graceful and considered ... an elegant, compassionate and wide-ranging tribute to the resilience of humans ― The TimesParris has a feel for language, a sense of history and a wonderful wit ― Scotland on SundayParris is a skilful entertainer, who informs as well as amuses. ― Literary ReviewI learned a lot reading this ... the strength of Fracture is that it is very much like a cracking radio script: entertaining and easy to digest ― SpectatorThis wide-ranging biographical selection offers thought-provoking accounts of human resilience -- Must Reads ― Daily Mail Product Description A Times Biography of the Year'I learned a lot reading this ... the strength of Fracture is that it is very much like a cracking radio script: entertaining and easy to digest' SpectatorAda Lovelace. Frederick Douglass. Vladimir Lenin. Marie Curie. Frieda Kahlo. Carl Jung. Tupac Shakur. All geniuses who changed the world in ways that still influence our lives today. And all men and women who experienced, in childhood, trauma so severe that it should have broken them completely. While presenting Great Lives on Radio 4, Matthew Parris noticed a trend in the lives of the exceptional people the programme covered: many of them had been marked by extreme trauma and deprivation. They seemed to have succeeded not only in spite of their backgrounds, but perhaps even because of them.As Matthew Parris brings each individual's story to life in this original and compelling study, it becomes clear that we must rethink the origins of success, as well as the legacy of trauma. Book Description Matthew Parris, presenter of Great Lives on BBC Radio 4, explores the surprising connection between trauma and greatness through vivid case histories. About the Author Matthew Parris worked for the Foreign Office before serving as an MP. He now writes as a columnist for The Times and the Spectator, and in 2011 won the Best Columnist award at the British Press Awards. He is the author of several books, including his autobiography Chance Witness and the bestselling The Spanish Ambassador's Suitcase.