NANCY TUCKER’S THAT WAS WHEN PEOPLE STARTED TO WORRY OUT NOW

In her new book THAT WAS WHEN PEOPLE STARTED TO WORRY, published in hardback and ebook by Icon Books, Nancy Tucker brings together the experiences of sixty young women aged 16-25 to present the wide scope of mental illness and the impact it has on everyday life. Nancy’s writing is frank, funny and compassionate, offering readers the opportunity to better understand what it is to live with an unwell mind. Nancy’s book is also out in audio with Audible UK.

‘In the waiting room, I see a lot of people who I could tell had real, serious Problems. They deserve to be here. I don’t. I’m a fraud. A lazy wreck seeking an excuse for her incompetence. I’m useless.’ Abby, 24

THAT WAS WHEN PEOPLE STARTED TO WORRY examines modern perceptions of mental illness, placing women’s lived experience at the centre of that narrative. Nancy encourages readers to examine their preconceptions of these conditions with tongue-in-cheek ‘guidebook’ sections, and throughout these chapters we hear Nancy’s own voice and experiences, creating a compelling and cohesive narrative.

Through these stories of women pushed to the very edge, Nancy reveals something universal about what it means to grow up a woman, and shines a light on perspectives recognisable for anyone who has been affected, directly or indirectly, by mental illness. The result is a book that is unique: in turns funny, disturbing and deeply moving; sensitively handled, and intimate without being

Nancy’s first book THE TIME IN BETWEEN (Icon Books, 2016) explored her own struggle with anorexia and bulimia nervosa. In the Sunday Times Christina Patterson praised the memoir as ‘astonishingly good’ and in The Psychologist Sara Gilbert wrote it was ‘an illustration of the complexity of an eating disorder.’

Nancy Tucker is a 22-year-old writer and student, currently studying for a degree in Experimental Psychology at Pembroke College, Oxford. Nancy’s first book, THE TIME IN BETWEEN (Icon, 2016), explored her own struggle with anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Nancy aspires to eventually apply her understanding of mental illness to a career in clinical psychology, and has a particular interest in the treatment of binge eating disorder and personality disorders. 

You can read an extract from Nancy’s new book from The Observer here.

Praise for Nancy Tucker:

‘A startlingly affecting, starkly written account of her anorexia. This isn't just another anorexia misery memoir — it's a work of literature’ — Jacqueline Wilson

‘I found Tucker’s account of her illness clear-sighted, eye-opening, moving and wise.’ — The Bookseller

‘THE TIME IN BETWEEN is a tremendous achievement’ — New Statesman

‘THE TIME IN BETWEEN is stylish an incisive and Tucker weaves her tale of fear and food, confusion and calories grippingly and with skill.’ — Joanna Moorhead, The Guardian

‘A haunting first-person account of Tucker’s struggle with anorexia as a child… Her writing is distinctive, engaging and slightly spiky.’ — Helen Nianias, The Independent

ICON BOOKS ACQUIRES SELF-CARE GIFT BOOK BY BUZZFEED UK EDITOR, AILBHE MALONE

Kiera Jamison, senior commissioning editor at Icon Books, has acquired World English language rights from Juliet Pickering at Blake Friedmann Agency to 101 TINY CHANGES TO BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY by Ailbhe Malone, Lifestyle Editor at BuzzFeed UK.

101 TINY CHANGES TO BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY is a beautifully packaged gift book filled with practical self-care tips for when you need a simple pick-me-up. It will offer help on how to look after yourself and your mental health, in an age where we too often forget to pause and take a breath.

With small actions, you can make a big improvement to your wellbeing – whether it’s making your phone a source of positivity instead of stress, engaging in habits that make you feel healthier and more positive, or preparing for darker days. Malone’s simple tips combined with witty illustrations from Naoise Dolan to create a resource you can dip into whenever you need a helping hand.

Jamison said: ‘The self-care trend is such a positive addition to the self-help and gift market, but what really struck me about Ailbhe’s approach is how practical and forgiving it is. You don't need to subscribe to a radical new plan; it's not about making sweeping New Year’s resolutions; it's just about making life better, one tiny act at a time. I love that. We’ll be publishing in October, a time when most people aren't prioritising looking after themselves and could use a friendly guide to brighten their days.’

Malone said: ‘I'm passionate about accessible, affordable self-care tips, and about finding out what works for you. So I'm delighted to work with Icon on this project. I've been a fan of Naoise's work for a long time, so it's a dream collaboration for me all round. I hope this book can find a home on your bookshelf, in your backpack, or on your desk at work - there for you whenever you need it.’

101 TINY CHANGES TO BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY will be a totem for your bedside table, backpack, or to give to a friend in need. It believes that you are worth looking after, even when you don’t.

Icon will publish as a £9.99 hardback in October 2018.

THE OTHER EXILE: THE REMARKABLE STORY OF FERNÃO LOPES, THE ISLAND OF ST HELENA AND THE MEANING OF HUMAN SOLITUDE

Abdul Rahman Azzam's incredible book is published today by Icon Books. THE OTHER EXILE is an historical adventure story, a tale of a real-life Robinson Crusoe and his total retreat from society.

Azzam presents, through an expertly-paced narrative, the largely untold story of 16th Century Portuguese nobleman Fernao Lopes. In 1506 Fernão Lopes, a member of his country’s minor nobility, travelled to Goa in search of honour and wealth. There he converted to Islam, married a Muslim, fought his former countrymen, and was eventually captured – his nose and hands publicly cut off for treachery. Eventually sailing for home, he jumped ship at St. Helena, off the coast of Southern Africa, becoming the island’s first inhabitant, with only a black cockerel for company.

Based on ground-breaking research by A R Azzam, author of the acclaimed SALADIN (Longman, 2007), THE OTHER EXILE is at once a historical adventure story and a meditation on solitude, remoteness and the soul’s inward journey. It is a story about redemption in one of the darkest periods in Europe and the tale of the haunting relationship between man and wild nature.

Tom Webber, commissioning editor at Icon Books says, ‘the extraordinary story of Fernao Lopes immediately captures the imagination, and Abdul Rahman Azzams’s careful and lyrical narrative voice is perfectly suited to telling it. Lopes lived a life of amazing contrasts, and his remarkable journey from adventurer to desert-island dwelling hermit is a fascinatingly resonant one of a longing for peace and self-knowledge that has instant appeal.’

Follow the author on Twitter here

About the author

Dr Abdul Rahman Azzam is a graduate of Oxford University where he completed his BA and PhD in history. He is the author of RUMI AND THE KINGDOM OF JOY (Muhammadi Trust, 2000) and in 2007 Longman published his biography of Saladin to critical acclaim.  The Edinburgh Evening News called it ‘a comprehensive survey not just of the man, but of the age in which he lived’, the FT Weekend described it as ‘absorbing’ and The Irish News praised the book as ‘timely and well-written'. SALADIN was a bestseller when published in Arabic and was selected in Jordan as one of the top one hundred books on Islam.

Born in Egypt, Abdul Rahman is currently based in Qatar where he works as an advisor to the Royal Family. Currently completing his next book, THE OTHER EXILE, he has begun research on another: BEYOND THE OCEAN OF FOGS: Abu Bakkari and the Quest to Discover the Americas.

MAN UP by Jack Urwin published tomorrow by Icon Books

Out tomorrow from Icon Books with a beautiful new cover is Jack Urwin’s MAN UP – a funny and accessible examination of masculinity and its current issues, related in Jack’s highly informed and friendly style.

The book was inspired by a combination of the death of Urwin’s father when Jack was nine, as well as Jack’s experiences of depression. MAN UP comes after a viral article Urwin wrote for VICE in 2014 - A Stiff Upper Lip is Killing British Men, and covers a range of topics in which masculinity plays a defining role, including lad culture, sexuality, conscription during WW1 and WW2, and mass shootings.

With male suicide currently the primary cause of death for men between 18 and 49 in the UK, MAN UP keeps its sights firmly on mental health throughout, and reveals the damage that the typical idea of masculinity can inflict upon it. Urwin’s deconstruction of masculinity and arguments for less rigid ideas of gender take us back to those who went to war in the first half of the 20th Century, and subsequently lost the ability to vocalise what they had seen – conscription examined by Urwin as a kind of compulsory “state-sanctioned requirement for masculinity”. It also takes in the recent decline of the working class, and the current mental health epidemic afflicting men.

Jack Urwin was born in Loughborough in 1992 and moved to London at 18 to study journalism, a degree which would do its best to turn him off becoming a journalist. He spent several years working as a music publicist on campaigns for a variety of major and independent labels, leading to Enrique Iglesias labelling him — quite unfairly, he feels — a ‘drill sergeant'.

Jack contributes to a number of music publications, humour sites and magazines including McSweeney's and VICE. His work has covered a range of issues such as politics, mental health and gender and has drawn praise from the likes of Irvine Welsh.

 Follow Jack on Twitter.

Praise for Jack Urwin

 ‘With depression and suicide among young men on the rise Jack Urwin explores the roots of stiff-upper-lip “toxic masculinity” and makes a powerful argument for greater emotional honesty.’ – Daily Express

 ‘Jack Urwin’s new book – Man Up: Surviving Modern Masculinity – tackles these issues in a funny and approachable way despite the seriousness of the subject matter.’ – Nick Harris-Fry, Coach Magazine

 ‘This is the brilliant, personal, not-actually sexist writing by millennials about masculinity and politics that the world has been waiting for.’ – Laurie Penny

 ‘Jack Urwin writes like he speaks: accessible, funny, and interesting. His article got people talking and now, almost two years on, he is right in thinking that the time for a big discussion about masculinity has arrived.’ – The Telegraph

 ‘What it means to be a man is a fiercely debated question, and one that comes with millennia of baggage about the ‘ideals’ of masculinity. Vice journalist Jack Urwin fearlessly explores this issue, probing into why aggression and repression are still considered the norm when characterising men. This is an essential read at a time when gender divides are still part of the everyday landscape.’ –Topman