Allan Little, Sheena McDonald & Gail Robinson at the Edinburgh International Book Festival

Twenty years ago, broadcaster Sheena McDonald was hit by a police van, narrowly escaping death. Her recovery led one doctor to describe her as ‘a walking miracle’. In her book Rebuilding Life after Brain Injury, she recalls the accident and its aftermath. Her husband Allan Little movingly describes his role in her recovery and neuropsychologist Gail Robinson, her rehabilitation specialist, shares professional insights. In this event, filmed live at the 2019 Edinburgh International Book Festival, they discuss their remarkable story with fellow author Gavin Francis.

Book Festival News

Communities Programme participants celebrate success of 2024 Communities Programme participants celebrate success of 2024
Friday 13 December

Enjoying this event? You can help us produce more like it.

Donate

Share

Watch more

Ruth Davidson talks to Katherine Grainger at the Edinburgh International Book Festival Ruth Davidson talks to Katherine Grainger at the Edinburgh International Book Festival They say you should write about what you know – advice Ruth Davidson followed when she embarked on Yes She Can, a treatise on the power of inspirational women. When appointed in 2011, she was the youngest leader of a major UK political party and one of… Éric Vuillard & Mark Polizzotti with Amelia Gentleman Éric Vuillard & Mark Polizzotti with Amelia Gentleman Writer and film-maker Éric Vuillard was catapulted to fame in his native France when he won the Prix Goncourt in 2017 for his novel The Order of the Day, set in Austria in the lead-up to the Second World War. This also began the working relationship… Roger Robinson: ‘Ordinary Poems Won’t Change the World’ Roger Robinson: ‘Ordinary Poems Won’t Change the World’ Earmarked as ‘the voice of our communal consciousness’ by Edinburgh International Book Festival’s 2018 Guest Selector Afua Hirsch, it’s hard to believe that Roger Robinson hasn’t been a staple of British public life since time immemorial. A fixture of the… Nicci French: Partners in Crime Nicci French: Partners in Crime How can someone just vanish without a trace? Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? is the breathless new thriller from Nicci French: ‘compelling, moving, and beautifully written’ according to the Guardian, the story spans 30 years, from a woman’s… Irvine Welsh: Seeking Resolution Irvine Welsh: Seeking Resolution When former Edinburgh Police Detective Ray Lennox seeks a new, fresh start in Brighton, it isn’t long before he’s dragged back to the murky world he’s desperate to forget. Resolution is the latest in Irvine Welsh’s Crime series and is as gripping – and… Sabrina Mahfouz: Notes on the British Empire Sabrina Mahfouz: Notes on the British Empire Sabrina Mahfouz has often experienced the sly questioning underneath much of British society’s treatment of her: as someone of Middle Eastern heritage, can she be trusted? Confronting what’s at play here, These Bodies of Water takes us to the Middle… Alain Mabanckou: Rewriting the Congolese Story Alain Mabanckou: Rewriting the Congolese Story On 18 March 1977 at 14.30, the third President of the People’s Republic of the Congo, Marien Ngouabi, is assassinated. In the frenzied aftermath, blame flies and ethnic divides widen, and far away, a family member is murdered for their alleged involvement… Hannah Ritchie: Hope in a Warm Climate Hannah Ritchie: Hope in a Warm Climate When our newsfeeds are flooded with disaster, despair can seem like the only logical response to climate change. Yet in a bold, radically hopeful book, Not the End of the World, data scientist Hannah Ritchie argues that zooming out reveals a very… Jeff VanderMeer: The End of All Things? Jeff VanderMeer: The End of All Things? When he first came to Edinburgh some years ago to discuss his speculative eco thriller Annihilation, we suspected that Jeff VanderMeer would become one of the best-respected science fiction authors of his age. What we didn’t realise was that Cli-Fi… UNBOUND: Words Per Minute UNBOUND: Words Per Minute Performers got 10 mins to impress with whatever creative talent they could offer in this event…