Books published by publisher PIATKUS

ternationally acclaimed neurosurgeon Dr Eben Alexander always considered himself a man of science. His unwavering belief in evidence-based medicine fuelled a career in the top medical institutions of the world. But all this was set to change. One morning in 2008 he fell into a coma after suffering a rare form of bacterial meningitis. Scans of his brain revealed massive damage. Death was deemed the most likely outcome. As his family prepared themselves for the worst, something miraculous happened. Dr Alexander's brain went from near total inactivity to awakening. He made a full recovery but he was never the same. He woke certain of the infinite reach of the soul, he was certain of a life beyond death. In this astonishing book, Dr Alexander shares his experience, pieced together from the notes he made as soon as he was able to write again. Unlike other accounts of near-death experiences, he is able to explain in depth why his brain was incapable of fabricating the journey he experienced. His story is one of profound beauty and inspiration.

If there were a code you could learn that would enable you to become a wonderful teacher - of any young person in your life - wouldn't you want to learn it? The Essential 55 collects together the amazingly effective rules that Ron Clark used to become an extraordinary - and award-winning - teacher. Through trial and error, he has distilled fifty-five ideas that have helped him transform apathetic students, in some of the most deprived and challenging circumstances, into prize-winning scholars. Covering all aspects of life - from the classroom to the world, from human interactions to cafeteria manners - Ron Clark shows that with determination, discipline and regular rewards, the children you stick by will be the children you eventually admire. 'As long as you have the ability to learn, he can do anything with you - he can make you a star' - sixth-grade student in Harlem, NY