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Alive

An Alternative Anatomy

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Alive

By: Gabriel Weston
Narrated by: Gabriel Weston
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

A profound and provocative journey through the human body.
For Gabriel Weston, there was always something missing from the anatomy she was taught at medical school. As she became a surgeon, a mother and then a patient herself, she grew increasingly fascinated by the gap between the body she understood as a doctor and the messy reality of living in one.
Alive is a captivating investigation into our organs and the role they play in the stories of our lives. In Weston’s hands, a fuller and more human picture of our bodies emerges – more fragile, frightening and miraculous than we could ever have imagined.
‘Gripping…bold, humane’ Guardian
‘Sings from the page’ Rachel Clarke

‘An exceptional, absorbing tour of human life and bodies’
Chris van Tulleken
‘Filled with fascinating facts’ Daily Telegraph
‘A pitch-perfect book’ Christie Watson
‘A book of wonder’ Sarah Moss

©2025 Gabriel Weston (P)2025 Penguin Audio

 Biological Sciences Medical Professionals & Academics Science Medicine Surgery

Critic reviews

An exceptional, beautiful and absolutely absorbing book. Gabriel Weston is one of the best writers around, and when it comes to medicine and anatomy she redefines the genre. ALIVE is a tour of human life and bodies, but she also brings her own body, in the context of her own life, into an absolutely compelling narrative; sex, pregnancy, asylum seekers, breast implants and hearts – especially the author's own heart, in every sense. It is essential reading if you own a body and should be mandatory for all those who study them. (Chris van Tulleken, author of ULTRA PROCESSED PEOPLE)
Superb. It adds humanity back into textbook diagrams of organs, with brilliance and beauty. (Helen Czerski, author of BLUE MACHINE)
A book of wonder and appreciation of our fragile bodies (Sarah Moss, author of GHOST WALL)
Weston interweaves anatomy with medical history, public health, anecdotes from her surgical practice, and, above all, the warm, pulsing, personal experience of her own living body… What sings from the page is Weston’s intoxication with the human form (Rachel Clarke)
‘The truth of the body is as much about storytelling as it is about anatomy’. Gabriel Weston’s words should not feel at all radical, but they are. Alive is a pitch-perfect book that explores how bodies and minds are inseparable from each other – as well as from history and circumstance. A vital reminder that medicine is art as much as science, and that every single human contains a multitude of important stories (Christie Watson, author of THE LANGUAGE OF KINDNESS)
Unusual and gripping... as much about what our bodies mean to us, how they feel to us, as what they do... This bold, humane yet unsettling book...will make you see your own body a bit differently, perhaps change how you feel in your skin.
Change relies on people pushing against the heavy door of tradition – which Alive brilliantly persuades us all to do more forcefully – finding new ways to imagine and inhabit the space beneath our skin
As Gabriel Weston demonstrates in this remarkable book, each organ of our body is a miracle of evolutionary imagination, performing tasks that are outlandishly creative and brilliant. An unusually compelling and illuminating book. (Misha Glenny, author of McMAFIA)
Gabriel Weston is an extraordinary writer … The book is a powerful read… Her descriptions really make the human body come alive.
Refreshingly accessible... Alive comes heartily recommended to anyone wishing to better acquaint themselves with their own fluids
All stars
Most relevant
Personal memoirs is woven skillfully with anatomical detail in this engaging and enriching book. Recommended.

Anatomy of a woman

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A poignant and searingly honest exploration that bridges the scientifically mechanistic approach to medicine with the lived experience of patients.

An empathic, thought provoking celebration of the human bodies wonder

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I thought this would be a interesting take on anatomy.
instead it became an attempt to subvert the reader into a world of fake sensationalism. sorry absolutely dire

nothing but an agenda

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