Dying for Beginners

<p>Former editor of Question Time Charlie Courtauld was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2000 at the age of 34. As a passionate communicator he wrote a highly personal diary of his experience of the illness which was published as a newspaper column and blog. His wish to share his account of life with MS has led to this collection of thought-provoking snapshots – charting his hopes and fears about MS as well the ordinary ups and downs of life as a father of three. Funny irreverent unflinchingly honest and at times very sad Charlie intended his blog to be something of a guide to dying but in doing this he has given us a life-affirming take on the preciousness of ordinary daily life and an invitation to think seriously about the thing ‘we prefer not to think about’. As Charlie puts it: “There are no second tries or best-of-threes. So we don’t want to mess it up. Thanks to this bloody MS I am dying. Not immediately: more than a year. But fewer than five. And I want to get it right. Join me as I find out about this thing.”</p>