Bøker av Gavin Francis

A short, uplifting account of hope and healing by the author of Adventures in Human Being.

In a world increasingly preoccupied by borders, bridges celebrate the possibility of connection, allowing the flow of goods, people and ideas. Bridges are among our grandest physical structures with the power of transforming lives and economies, but we also stand (or fall) upon the simple arch of bones in our feet. Text is a bridge between writer and reader, and conversation builds bridges of understanding between minds. Dr Gavin Francis has spent his life fascinated by the power of bridges to improve human connection. In The Bridge Between Worlds he examines bridges both actual and metaphorical, on a journey through more than twenty countries, across four decades of travel. From Rome's Ponte Sant'Angelo to Brooklyn, Victoria Falls to London, Singapore to Siberia, this thought-provoking book reflects on connections between nations and between individuals. Francis demonstrates what the building of bridges has meant to our civilisation, how crossings can enrich our lives, and the price we pay when we tear them down.

The first book from Sunday Times bestselling author Gavin Francis, a travelogue of his adventures in the far north The stark, vast beauty of the remote Arctic Europe landscape has been the focus of human exploration for thousands of years. In this striking blend of travel writing, history and mythology, Gavin Francis offers a unique portrait of the northern fringes of Europe. His journey begins in the Shetland Isles, takes him to the Faroes, Iceland, Greenland, Svalbard and on to Lapland. Following in the footsteps of the region's early pioneers, Francis observes how the region has adapted to the 21st century, giving an observed insight into the lives of people he encounters along the way. As with all the best travel writing, True North is an engaging, compassionate tale of self-discovery, whilst blending historical and contemporary narratives in the tradition of Bruce Chatwin and Robert Macfarlane.

Britain's health service is in dire straits. Gavin Francis shows us how we can save it.Since its birth in 1948, the powers that be have chipped away at the NHS. Now, under threat from government underfunding and private medicine, cradle-to-grave may be fast approaching the end of its lifespan.In the wake of the pandemic, a 'new normal' took shape. UK healthcare professionals are forced to work with levels of staffing and support woefully short of what they have been trained to expect. Junior doctors are striking for the first time in almost ten years and practitioners are quitting in record numbers, burned out and chewed up.As the NHS has shifted into permanent crisis mode, chronic illnesses, cancer and other serious conditions get pushed down the list. Outpatient referrals have years-long waiting lists. Corners end up cut - and the cost, all too often, is human life.But for those who believe in the future of the NHS, all is not lost. This is painful but essential reading from the bestselling author of Recovery and Intensive Care.

In this book, Gavin Francis writes about the resonance for him as medic in reading the work of early modern polymath Sir Thomas Browne.

An exploration of isolation and connectedness based on thirty years of travel, from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Adventures in Human Being and Empire Antarctica

Oliver Sacks meets Bear Grylls in this unique voyage around the human body, from the prize-winning author of Empire Antarctica. Now available in paperback.

The author fulfilled a lifetime's ambition when he spent fourteen months as the base-camp doctor at Halley, an isolated British research station on the Caird Coast of Antarctica. Following the penguins throughout the year, the author talks about the hardship of living at 50 C below zero and the unexpected comfort that the penguin community bring.