Dying for Beginners: Don't Call Me Wise. Don't Call Me Brave. Just Call Me Curious.

Former editor of Question Time, Charlie Courtauld was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2000, at the age of 34. As a passionate communicator, he wrote a highly personal diary of his experience of the illness, which was published as a newspaper column and blog. His wish to share his account of life with MS has led to this collection of thought-provoking snapshots - charting his hopes and fears about MS, as well the ordinary ups and downs of life as a father of three. Funny, irreverent, unflinchingly honest and at times very sad, Charlie intended his blog to be something of a guide to dying for beginners. But in doing this he has given us a life-affirming take on the preciousness of ordinary daily life, and an invitation to think seriously about the thing 'we prefer not to think about'. As Charlie puts it: "There are no second tries or best-of-threes. So we don't want to mess it up. Thanks to this bloody MS, I am dying. Not immediately: more than a year. But fewer than five. And I want to get it right. Join me as I find out about this thing."

About the Author :
Charlie Courtauld was a successful journalist, former editor of BBC's Question Time (with David Dimbleby) and former Comments Editor and columnist at The Independent newspaper. His last job was at Al Jazeera where he was the Editor of 'Frost Over the World' (with David Frost) for seven years, until he could no longer work. He suffered from progressive Multiple Sclerosis and kept a diary of the last two years of his life. English journalist and author. Presenter of Question Time from 1994-2018, anchor of major UK events, including every election night broadcast on the BBC from 1979-2017. Widow of author, mother of their three children. Wrote chapter on Colombia's Pacific coast communities for 'Green Guerrillas'. Works as bookseller.

Review :
"And this is a hard review to write because I wanted to convey to you what a life-giving book this is, and how entertaining and engaging Courtauld was, but feared I couldn't do him justice." John Rentoul, The Independent "As you will discover as you read this thoughtful and moving account, he [Charlie] never asks for sympathy, let alone pity. He is often funny and always perceptive. As he himself said: 'This dying thing is really quite interesting', and he was right." David Dimbleby "Can't recommend this book enough. The author's integrity cuts straight through the reader's preconceptions but his humour and at times quite humble empathy makes this book revelatory." Amazon customer "A book that I couldn't put down! A brutally honest account of his life by an intelligent, kind, fun loving man cruelly robbed by the wickedness of MS. I cried and I laughed and was astounded by the simplicity of his attitude to his MS, a subject very close to my own heart, and by the obvious love he had for his family. Thank you Charlie." Amazon customer "An amazingly inspiring book. Funny, sad and inspirational in equal measures. Worth setting aside a few hours to read." Amazon customer "I can't say I knew Charlie, but I met him a few times and found him charming and funny. This book is a remarkable read, both sad and uplifting. At times I laughed out loud(not what you would expect). I think it should be on a must read list of some kind. I can't recommend it highly enough, thank you Charlie." Amazon customer