The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly, by Jean-Dominique Bauby (Fourth Estate, £5.99 in UK)
At the pinnacle of a highflying career as editor-in-chief of Elle magazine in France, Jean-Dominique Bauby suffered a massive stroke which left him completely paralysed. He was speechless, helpless, unable even to swallow his own saliva; his sole method of communication was by blinking one eyelid - which is how he "dictated" The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. The title refers jointly to the giant invisible weight which holds his body prisoner, and the butterfly movements of his imagination which, by contrast, flits from memory to memory, observation to wacky observation. Unashamedly emotional, hugely sympathetic, this slim little volume will make you laugh and cry and thank God you're alive and mobile.
