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1001 Days

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

We think of babyhood and old age as polar opposites on the spectrum of life. Yet they are profoundly linked. Our early experiences set us up for a lifetime of good mental and physical health, or for future health challenges.

The First 1,001 Days will explore these vital and often overlooked factors. Delving into the latest research in the fields of medicine, neuroscience and psychobiology, acclaimed psychotherapist and author Sue Gerhardt explains how many of the most common illnesses affecting our society today – from type 2 diabetes to cardiovascular disease, depression and dementia – have their roots in pre- and post-natal childhood development.

She challenges the political and cultural issues that hinder us from acting on what science is telling us – for example, that ill health is often seen as a result of wrong ‘lifestyle’ choices – and will change the way we approach illness, prevention, screening and cure within our healthcare and wider social systems.

There is no simple cause and effect that explains an individual’s health outcomes. But in learning about the ways your childhood continues to shape your health today, you can feel empowered to seek the help you need.

© Sue Gerhardt 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Critics Review

Sue Gerhardt is a brilliant and trustworthy researcher, and this book is a fascinating combination of rigorous science and interesting case studies. 1,001 Days is an essential guide to some of the biggest and most compelling issues in healthcare and psychology, and it should be read by anyone interested in their own health, their children's health, or building better societies.
Philippa Perry, author of 'The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read'
Jaw-droppingly important, far-ranging, and yet easy to read. Caring for babies, in and out of the womb - and for their mums and dads - emerges as the engine of lifelong health. Personally, and politically, Sue Gerhardt’s message is of immense importance. Should we ever achieve a society of glowing health, this book will be seen as a turning point that made it possible.
Steve Biddulph, psychologist and author of 'Raising Boys' and 'The Secret of Happy Children'
1001 Days is an extraordinary tour de force, one every policymaker, doctor, parent, indeed anyone who cares about the future, should read. Gerhardt seamlessly integrates an incredible breadth of research into a riveting account of how the roots of adult health, both good and bad, lie in infancy and childhood. In contrast to the world of biohacks and quick fix quackery, Gerhardt uses the latest science to show how it's the quality of our earliest relationships that etches our future health into our very cells, and how stress and trauma are irrefutably linked to the likelihood of later illnesses. This is a game changing book of the utmost importance, with a message that urgently needs shouting from the rooftops.
Dr. Graham Music, Consultant Psychotherapist at the Tavistock Clinic and author of NURTURING NATURES
Author Sue Gerhardt
Narrator Christine Hewitt
Duration 6 hours and 43 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781804952665
Format Audiobook
Publisher Cornerstone
Genre Child, developmental and lifespan psychology, Diseases and disorders, Popular medicine and health
Availability AU, GB, IE, US

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