McCartney Times

Adam Kay, who has topped bestseller charts with his stories of life as as junior doctor in This Is Going to Hurt, is pulling together a book of “love letters to the NHS” from major names including Paul McCartney, Michael Palin, Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson.

Kay started the project a week ago and already has 100 contributors signed up, from authors such as Lee Child, Jacqueline Wilson, EL James and Jilly Cooper to presenters including Graham Norton, Emily Maitliss and Peter Kay, actors from Dawn French to Emilia Clarke and Joanna Lumley, and sportspeople including Peter Crouch and Tanni Grey-Thompson.

Each is writing a personal story about how the NHS was there for them and how it changed their lives, with all profits from the book to go to NHS Charities Together and the Lullaby Trust, which supports parents bereaved of babies and young children.

“Every single one of us owes so much to the NHS. It is our single greatest achievement as a nation, always there for us, and never more so than now,” said Kay, a former junior doctor turned comedian and writer. “Since this project was conceived barely a week ago, I have been blown away by the number of people who have been in touch to share their amazing stories. I hope that the book, and the money it raises for charity, will in some way manage to say thank you to the heroes who are putting our lives before their own every day.”

Bill Bryson, Nick Hornby, Ian Rankin and Martin Freeman will also be among the letter writers, as will Caitlin Moran, Peter Capaldi and Zoe Ball. The book will be published on 9 July.

Publisher Orion’s Anna Valentine said the stories told were “by turns deeply moving, hilarious, hopeful and impassioned”.

Orion’s parent company, Hachette UK, recently began offering free ebooks to NHS workers, after author Mari Hannah was contacted by a frontline NHS worker telling her that her books were keeping her spirits up.

America faces an epic choice…

… in the coming year, and the results will define the country for a generation. These are perilous times. Over the last three years, much of what the Guardian holds dear has been threatened – democracy, civility, truth. This administration has cleared out science and scientists across all departments. America’s reputation as a competent global leader is in peril. Truth is being chased away. But with your help we can continue to put it center stage.

Rampant disinformation, partisan news sources and social media’s tsunami of fake news are no bases on which to inform the American public in 2020. We believe every one of us deserves equal access to fact-based news and analysis. So we’ve decided to keep Guardian journalism free for all readers, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. This would not be possible without the generosity of readers, who now support our work from across America in all 50 states.

Our journalism relies on our readers’ generosity – your financial support has meant we can keep investigating, disentangling and interrogating. It has protected our independence, which has never been so critical. We are so grateful.

We hope you will consider supporting us today. We need your support to keep delivering quality journalism that’s open and independent. Every reader contribution, however big or small, is so valuable. Support the Guardian from as little as $1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

Source: Stars including Paul McCartney and Emilia Clarke to share stories of NHS care in new book | Books | The Guardian