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autobiography

(https://dublinbookfestival.com/beyond-the-tape-questions-with-dr-marie-cassidy/)

When you open Dr. Marie Cassidy’s new book, ‘Beyond the Tape’, you can feel her look you up and down, assessing whether or not you can handle what she is about to tell you. With a discerning, frank and removed gaze, she sizes you up – and decides to tell you anyway.

‘Forensic pathology is a problem-solving speciality, and this is the greatest problem to be solved; murder or not. No prizes for a correct answer. The possibility of being struck off the medical register for a wrong one. No pressure, then!’

With over thirty years as a forensic pathologist under her belt, Dr. Cassidy has more than a few stories to tell. The book starts with a bang, landing us in her early years of training as a doctor, and finding herself unsuited to the wards of the living, preferring the far less reputable (at the time) forensic pathologist mortuary. We leap from story to story, while she barely pauses for breath to contextualise us, setting the fast-paced tone that is laced with a dark and dry wit. She occasionally glances back at us, to check if we’re still there (we are, we’re just clutching our stomachs and hanging on to every word) before plunging back in.

Her voice doesn’t revel in the scenes she reveals to us, gory as they are. It is not a murder mystery documentary, nor a true crime show, glorying in the horrifying details. She strives to keep the tone matter of fact throughout, remaining removed, while lifting the curtain on a part of life that we’re morbidly curious about, but can hardly stand to look at. The cast of the dead rise through the years of her memories, reanimated in their final dark moments through her analysis.

‘The post-mortem is a snapshot of the last moments of life. It tells you the state of the organs at the time of death. Like looking at a photograph taken on a night out showing happy faces, but not the events leading up to it, or what happened next.’

She takes us to the dark underside of life and shines a light on the intricate processes involved in a suspicious and complex death. This is no courtroom drama – this is the part of the show that you don’t see; The delicacy required in the removal of the body, the dissections that discover or rule out the cause of death. We can almost smell the sharp sterility of her instruments as she lifts the veil on death and somberly beckons you forward to view.

This colourful and at times, suffocating account (fair warning), walks through the different kinds of death Cassidy has encountered over the years. The burned and battered bodies, the sadistic sexual assaults, the suspicious and strange strangulations – this is not a book for the faint of heart.

And yet, at its core, is Cassidy, approaching every death with an almost holistic approach. Her job is monstrous, and she recalls even prostitutes telling her they would hate to do it. And with the nightmarish mounds of bodies that builds up as her career unfolds, we have to agree. And yet, with each death, Cassidy gives each person their due dignity and is compassionate in her approach. There is an incredible science, creativity and tenacity that goes into the process of identification alone, never mind actual identification of the cause of death.

To her, the job is about bringing dignity to a horrific death, closure to the family, and seeing justice done for the deceased. While she is matter of fact about death itself, she is softer, and empathetic when discussing the people behind the deaths. One would have to appear removed, would have to develop coping mechanisms when surrounded with the evidence of how awful humans can be every day. She gives the victims the dignity of being known, not just as a murdered body, but as a person who had their life unfairly and unexpectedly ended. To her, the least she can give someone is the ‘how’ of their death. It’s the police that uncover the ‘why’.

‘There is never a happy ending in these circumstances, but at least a name had been restored to its rightful owner and the deceased returned to her family.’

A study of pathology and indeed, of death, Cassidy performs technical examinations before our eyes. He subject shifts every few pages, a new way to die, to be harmed, to look like an innocent death, but really have a suspicious underlying cause. These examinations begin broadly and slowly focus in more and more narrowly, like a microscope, until we get to the minute detail in her ‘body reading’ that pinpoints how this victim came to be.

Though Cassidy deals in death she holds people's lives in her hands. Both the living and dead. Their future identities, their future plans, whether they're guilty or not, all hinge upon her verdict. Will someone become a murderer upon her verdict? Or rather, a confirmed, and known murderer? Will the victim's widow grieve the rest of their days, thinking there might have been something they could have done, come home earlier, called to check in? The lives affected by her examinations of death are numerous.

‘The marks and injuries on a body speak as loudly to me as a voice. Like translating French, or sign language, I have been trained to interpret it. And I may have to think carefully about what I have seen and recorded before I can be sure that I’ve ‘listened’ to the deceased and understood exactly what happened to them.’

There are hopeful notes in this dark account. Cassidy herself, is one of them, as she overhauls the system, improving and reforming as she goes, to ensure justice is being carried out to the highest degree. That dignity and closure is given to the victims and their families. She details some of the experiments she is carrying out to bring forward the process of pathology, modernising it, making it more efficient, and more accurate all the time. And while this is not a book for those with a squeamish stomach (read: me), it is an utterly fascinating and eye-opening report on a world that is thankfully foreign to many of us. Cassidy opens the door to death and allows us to peek inside, if only for a few pages.

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Lily Allen will reflect on her life both in and out of the public eye in a tell-all memoir due for release next year.

Always one to wear her heart on her sleeve, the British singer has previously opened up about her struggles with drug abuse, body image, and how she managed to cope after suffering two tragic miscarriages.

According to reports, the 32-year-old has signed a deal to publish her yet-to-be-titled autobiography with Bonnier Publishing imprint Blink.

Touching on everything from her rebellious youth to eating disorders and separation, Lily has warned that the book "might be uncomfortable and shocking and brutal" in parts.

 

A post shared by Lily (@lilyallen) on

“There will be good stuff in there too; happy times. I will try and make it funny. I know it’s about me but I hope that a lot of it will ring true with anyone who reads it. It won’t be written with shame. It will be true,” she said in a statement.

Blink managing director Ben Dunn adds: “A book like this doesn't come along very often. We were completely blown away by the proposal and sample material. It will not only appeal to her generation and fans of her music, but speaks to a wider polemic about the issues society faces today.”

Fans of the songstress have taken to Twitter to express their excitement: 

We can't wait to give this a read.

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Having spoken openly about his issues with anxiety, Zayn Malik has now revealed he suffered from an eating disorder while he was part of One Direction.

In his new self-titled autobiography, the singer admitted to not eating for days at a time in a possible bid to feel some sense of control over his life.

As reported by The Sun, the 23-year-old wrote: “When I look back at images of myself from around November 2014, before the final tour, I can see how ill I was.”

 

A photo posted by Zayn Malik (@zayn) on

“Something I’ve never talked about in public before, but which I have come to terms with since leaving the band, is that I was suffering from an eating disorder.”

“It wasn’t as though I had any concerns about my weight or anything like that,” he continued.  “I’d just go for days – sometimes two or three days straight – without eating anything at all.  It got quite serious, although at the time I didn’t recognise it for what it was.”

“I think it was about control,” confessed Zayn.  “I didn’t feel like I had control over anything else in my life, but food was something I could control, so I did.”

 

It's out now ! #ZAYNBOOK

A photo posted by Zayn Malik (@zayn) on

“I had lost so much weight I had become ill.  The workload and the pace of life on the road put together with the pressures and strains of everything going on within the band had badly affected my eating habits.”

Despite his book’s claims, on Friday Zayn told The Associated Press that he was never officially diagnosed with an eating disorder.

He also suggested that he now has a better relationship with food, saying he is “a bit older and a bit more wiser (sic)”.

 

A photo posted by Zayn Malik (@zayn) on

Feat image: Shutterstock

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We've been a fan of Bryan Cranston since his Malcolm in the Middle days, so it's safe to say if we came across this in the airport, we'd legit go crazy.

Makenna Enfinger was waiting for a flight in Love Field Airport in the US and was browsing in the Duty Free.

She came across Bryan's new autobiography with a note saying "Open Me" on the front cover. Makenna then found a message from Bryan himself.

It read: "Hi. Hey, thanks for taking a gander at my book. Take this book for yourself FREE! Really. I just bought it – see the receipt.

"I hope you enjoy the read. Have a nice day." Bryan then signed it: "Bryan Cranston, Dallas Airport, Oct 19 2016, 9.45 am."

Imagine picking that up! We have even more love for Bryan now!

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At this stage we all know that Zayn Malik felt hemmed in during his time in One Direction.

Having joined the group aged only 17, Zayn didn't even own a passport when Simon Cowell worked his magic and made him, Liam, Harry, Niall and Louis one of the biggest pop bands in living memory.

And while Zayn lapped it up at the beginning, he hasn't denied the fact that there came a point when he no longer wanted to conform to the boy band way of life, and eventually jumped ship.

And, sure, he's often cited the band's sound and image as something he railed against, but it turns out something even more pressing was weighing on his mind during his time with ID.

Zayn wanted to write about sex, and damn it, no one would let him.

Opening up about the barriers which restricted his creative process in his autobiography, the now 23-year-old explained that once he went solo he was able to write more sexy lyrics than you could shake a stick at.

"I was also able to sing about a subject that I hadn’t really been able to go near while I was in One Direction: sex," he explained.

“Every lyric I’ve ever written has a story behind it. All the hard work that went into the creation of Pillowtalk was worthwhile because, as soon as it was finished, I intuitively felt I was on the right path."

Thrilled by his debut single's performance, Zayn gushed: "It was a sick cut, nailing the exact sound I wanted to capture in my music."

Good man yourself, Zayn.
 

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Earlier this week, Zayn Malik revealed he was releasing his own 'picture' autobiography so he can "show you as much as [he] can so that you can judge [him] on [his] own terms, not on what the press or anyone else says."

However, now Perrie Edwards is releasing an autobiography with Little Mix and if reports are true, it wil reveal ALL about her split from the former One Direction star.

 According to The Mirror, the girl band are ready to tell ALL about the "highs and lows" of their five years together, which will include Zayn splitting up from Perrie right before she headed away on tour.

Zayn's book is due out November 1 and the girls' is going to be released 11 days later.

Coincidence or do you think something sketchy is going on here?

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Get ready girls, Zayn Malik is releasing an autobiography. And it's not just any old autobiography, it's a 'photo autobiography'… interesting.

Zayn told EW: "I’m going to show you as much as I can so that you can judge me on my own terms, not on what the press or anyone else says."

 

A photo posted by Zayn Malik (@zayn) on

The official synopsis says: The first and only official book from ZAYN. Global superstar ZAYN shares a photographic journey of his life since leaving One Direction."

Emmm, OK… so basically it's just a picture book.

It continues: "ZAYN opens up with this collection of thoughts, inspiration, and never-before-seen personal photographs. 

 

A photo posted by Zayn Malik (@zayn) on

"After five years of massive success with One Direction, ZAYN launched his career as a solo artist with Mind of Mine, becoming one of the most successful artists in the world.

"Now, for the first time ever, ZAYN is going to tell and show all in this intimate and raw scrapbook of his life. 

"Never-before-released photos give readers insight to ZAYN, no-holds-barred. Gorgeously designed with hundreds of full-colour photographs and ZAYN’s notes, drawings, song lyrics, and personal stories, the book captures ZAYN’s most private moments and his candid feelings on fame, success, music, and life. 

 

A photo posted by Zayn Malik (@zayn) on

"The next chapter of ZAYN’s evolution into global superstar, told by the artist who is living it."

We still want it…

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Former Westlife star, Shane Filan has opened up about the “dark days” he endured in his new autobiography My Side of Life.

Shane, who suffered well-known money issues spoke about just how bad things got in an extract published in the Mirror: “For the previous five years I’d been leading a double life. We owed £18million and that day the banks had demanded all the money back. So there I was counting out the loose change that I jokingly called the ‘rainy day’ pot. I just broke down and sobbed when I heard.”

The singer says the difference between his life in Westlife and now is stark, as money isn’t as secure as it once was: “Westlife made a huge amount of money. I usually got a seven-figure sum every year. Now I don’t know if I will be okay next year – and it’s a bit scary.”

Shane, who is a dad to three children with his wife Gillian, spoke about the heartache of his children not knowing: “My world was crumbling around me. My three small children – Nicole, Patrick and Shane Jnr – were upstairs in bed thinking everything was grand because Daddy was a pop star. It was the most horrendous time of my life.”

However, the Westlife star, who released an album this time last year, said that Gillian saved him from losing hope: “I was wallowing in despair and could have gone under if not for Gillian. She saved my sanity and she saved us.”

Shane’s dream home in Sligo was valued at for €10million during the Celtic Tiger and sold just recently for €800,000.

He has just recently wrapped up the Asia leg of his You and Me tour. 

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Kelly Brook has revealed that she hit two of her ex-boyfriends. 

In one extract in her upcoming book Close Up, Kelly reveals that she lashed out at two of her ex-boyfriends, Jason Statham and Danny Cipriani.

Kelly started dating Jason in 1998, and they were together for seven years, but there was trouble when they went to Madonna's wedding to Guy Ritchie. 

Kelly said she saw red when she saw him talking to Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow. 

She said, "Jason started to swing his hips from side to side and do a little jive with his arms, saying: "Gywnnie, Gwynnie, Gwynnie. Sexy, sexy, sexy!..He turned round, only to be met with my fist in his face."

Danny also faced Kelly's wrath after they were at the Spearmint Rhino strip club together in Las Vegas and Kelly discovered her beau had given her number to a stripper. 

She said, "As I headed back to the table, I saw Danny walking towards me. "Babe", he said, "I've been looking for you!" I punched him straight in the face."

Kelly revealed that four bouncers leaped on her, before she tried to have another 'pop' at her boyfriend.

Woah – temper much Kelly?

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