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Living Better cover art

Living Better

By: Alastair Campbell
Narrated by: Alastair Campbell, Fiona Millar
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Summary

Last Christmas I almost killed myself. Almost. I've had a lot of almosts. Never gone from almost to deed. Don't think I ever will. But it was a bad almost.

Living Better is Alastair Campbell's honest, moving and life-affirming account of his lifelong struggle with depression. It is an autobiographical, psychological and psychiatric study which explores his own childhood, family and other relationships and examines the impact of his professional and political life on himself and those around him. But it also lays bare his relentless quest to understand depression not just through his own life but through different treatments. Every bit as direct and driven, clever and candid as he is, this is a book filled with pain, but also hope - he examines how his successes have been in part because of rather than despite his mental health problems - and love. 

We all know someone with depression. There is barely a family untouched by it. We may be talking about it more than we did, back in the era of 'boys don't cry' - they did you know - and when a brave face or a stiff upper lip or a best foot forward was seen as the only way to go. But we still don't talk about it enough. There is still stigma, and shame, and taboo. There is still the feeling that admitting to being sad or anxious makes us weak. It took me years, decades even to get to this point, but I passionately believe that the reverse is true and that speaking honestly about our feelings and experiences (whether as a depressive or as the friend or relative of a depressive) is the first and best step on the road to recovery. So that is what I have tried to do here.

©2020 Alastair Campbell (P)2020 Hodder & Stoughton Ltd

Critic reviews

"I thought I knew everything there was to know about Alastair but Living Better reveals so much more." (Tony Blair)

What listeners say about Living Better

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Excellent Read.

Been fond of Alastair's writing style for quite some time. Our politics don't always match up, but I've always been fascinated in the part he played in the New Labour era and beyond. After reading his diaries, I was deeply interested to see that he had just written a book on struggling with depression. I must say, it's fantastic.

You might like this book for two reasons. First, if you have read the Campbell diaries as I have, this is an excellent companion piece. Not exactly a memoir, this book charts some of the most dramatic episodes in Campbell's life so far, including a few that you will already be familiar with. Excellent context to his extraordinary life in politics.

Secondly, if you have at all experienced any kind of mental health issue, this is as informative a listen as it is enjoyable. Having lived with depression for decades, Campbell's persuasive writing style perfectly conveys his unique insights into the illness as well as the results of the research project he undertook in the second half of the book.

An excellent read, to be sure. Fair warning, though - if you're a hardcore Brexiteer who can't stand 'remoaners', best give this one a miss. If you're a New Labour-hater, you won't like it much, either. And if you're an anti-Iraq War activist, I can confirm that the chapter on 'guilt' will firmly not be of interest to you. To everyone else - or any of the above who can put politics aside for an enlightening listen - I couldn't recommend Living Better more highly.

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17 people found this helpful

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Thank you!

I don't do God, or politics or self help books, but I loved this. Thanks

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Incredibly Insightful!

Beautifully written. For someone who does not suffer with depression or anxiety this book has provided me an insight of how crippling it is to people who do. People who may be closer than we think!

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4 people found this helpful

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I'll listen to this again. And again. And again.

I have no idea how many books I've read/listened to more than once. But it isn't many. I've just finished this one and I'll be starting it over again. It's really that good.

Like many people, I've struggled with low points in my life, more so recently and not because of the pandemic. I don't know why and I don't know what to do about it when it happens. This book has helped enormously in understanding not only the relative normality of it all, but also how to adapt and amend behaviours that previously became an even sharper downward spiral.

Hence why I'll be listening to it again. And again. And probably again sometime after that.

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Relatable, dark and funny

I actually bought this book as I caught a clip of AC explaining his daily ratings which is something I used to do from a young age. But there’s so much more in this book that’s relatable, that glimpses into darkness, deep sadness, but also can make you laugh out loud over the ironing, especially for anyone who can relate and it might just assist in improving understanding for those who can’t. Some useful reflections on approaches to manage depression too. I would definitely recommend this to family and friends regardless of political tilt.

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Pure. Honest. Insightful.

A must read book!
This book should be on everyone’s bookshelf as a go to reference for understanding people with mental health problems, as well as lots of useful advice to help people who are experiencing mental health issues. The ‘Jam Jar’ and ‘the 20 point self help list’ are two simple ideas that would benefit people with or without mental health problems.
Alistair’s life long experience of living with mental health problems adds dimension, humour and honesty, which makes this an enjoyable read.

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important and accessible to all

Honest, open account from AC. Depression can affect people from all walks of life. This book will validate many people's experiences and offers helpful ways in which to feel better. Enjoyable listen.

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Insightful listen.

I am not a fan of Alastair Campbell, but thought I would listen to the 5 minute sample after reading the interesting summary and I was hooked with his honest mellow and gentle tones .

This was a great insightful listen with Alastair bring open and honest about his thoughts and feelings concerning his depression
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This book is ideal for anyone going through depression, or you are the family or friend surrounding a person with depression, It is a beautiful listen, which helps you understand on an emotional level what is going on when the person concerned cannot always verbalise how they feel, admittedly everyone is different but a holistic view is better than nothing,

Thank you for this in-depth analogy of your life with depression Mr Campbell,

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Renewed hope

I listened to this in one go, from beginning to end whilst blitzing the house after a particularly difficult week trying to understand what my husband is going through and why. At frequent times I choked back tears after so much of this made so much sense and the similarity in circumstances was uncanny. I cannot thank AC enough for sharing his most personal experiences and journey. I’ve immediately bought a paper copy of this book for my husband to read and I intend on buying further copies to give to family and close friends as I am desperate for them to better understand what is going on. I will also give a copy to my GP who I visited this week in absolute desperation about my husband’s situation due to my overwhelming concern for his wellbeing and the impact that his depression was starting to have on my mental health. Whilst my GP asked the right questions, made some helpful suggestions and listened to me for well beyond my allocated time slot, there was very little she could do in the circumstances - which deep down I knew would be the case. By providing her with a copy of AC’s book, this isn’t meant as a criticism of the way she supported me but merely as another tool for her should she have another patient in my situation. This book provides renewed hope. There are plenty of solutions that can be explored. I am fortunate that I work for a company that provides a lot of resources and discussion around mental health. By contrast my husband works for himself and hasn’t had the benefit of open discussion that I have had. So he’s only just starting to understand that poor mental health does not carry with it the same stigma that it used to. This book has undoubtedly provided me with the confidence to start having different and hopefully constructive conversations with my husband. After 20 years of marriage and one child, I was really starting to wonder whether our marriage could survive but after reading this book, I know it can. Thank you AC, thank you.

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Very honest book

I found this a really fascinating and honest account of AC's battles with depression and his genuine attempts to help others affected by mental illness. I have (luckily) had no experience of this so it really opened my eyes to the toll it takes. I really liked the fact that the author read it.

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