Unflinching and heartfelt, this book starts out as Diamond's impassioned crusade against the anti-science medical quacks. He died before he could finish it, and the second part of the book is a collection of his newspaper and magazine columns.

The first part is unerringly sharp, scientific and intellectually rigourous. It's got an axe to grind, sure, but the grinding tools are the highest quality. Five stars.

The second part would have been better for me if I were better versed in Brit politics and entertainment- several of the columns were about people I'd never heard of. They were well-written, even so. The columns dealing with the progression of Diamond's cancer were remarkable. His voice was singular and his outlook was realistic, unblinking, and passionately devoted to journalistic honesty. Four stars.

Wrenching and well-worth reading.

Celebrity aside: Diamond was married to Nigella Lawson, the chef my true love adores watching. ( )

A start on a book about Alternative medecine by John, interrupted by his death and filled out by articles he had written at the time. Heartbreaking but humourous. ( )

TBR