The Alphabet of the Human Heart

Book excerpt: A handbook for the happy, and a bible for the broken-hearted, The Alphabet of the Human Heart is an enchanting and enriching journey through the upside and the downside of what it means to be human - our hopes and our fears, our strength and our weakness, our highs and our lows. The Alphabet of the Human Heart is a book of literally two halves. Firstly there is upside A-Z, which is full of the happy and hopeful aspects of our lives, such as A is for Adventure, through G is for Gratitude, S is for Smile to Zen is the Place to Be. The other downside half examines the negative parts of our character lives and how we can overcome them to lead more positive and fulfilling lives. From A is for Anger, through H is for Hate, T is for Temptation to once again end on Zen is the Place to be. Matthew and James have been friends for over 30 years and they've experienced both sides of life - the upside and the downside - and they've turned their experience of life - and of friendship - into a book that combines words and pictures to tell a bigger story. Praise for I Had a Black Dog: 'I Had a Black Dog says with wit, insight, economy and complete understanding what other books take 300 pages to say. Brilliant and indispensable.' - Stephen Fry 'Finally, a book about depression that isn't a prescriptive self-help manual. Johnston's deftly expresses how lonely and isolating depression can be for sufferers. Poignant and humorous in equal measure.' Sunday Times Praise for Living with a Black Dog: 'Moving and thoughtfully written ... a must-have' Daily Mirror 'Comprehensive and very helpful ... brilliant' Guardian Weekend