About the Author

Anthony Costello studied medicine and psychology at Cambridge University. An award-winning professor of child health, he directed the Institute for Global Health at University College London, and until March 2018 was director of maternal, child and adolescent health at the World Health Organization in Geneva. For twenty years he studied the science of community participation through women's sympathy groups with teams in Bangladesh, India, Malawi and Nepal. A well-known commentator on global health with over 340 academic publications, he chairs the Lancet Countdown on Tracking the Health Impacts of Climate Change. In 2016 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Medical Journal. His own sympathy groups have encompassed a book circle, a soul band, a cricket club, and research teams in different cultures. He lives in London with his wife and three children.

Reviews

Melissa Benn, author, journalist and campaigner This is a wonderfully unclassifiable but deeply absorbing book. Part autobiography, part research monograph, part political essay, Anthony Costello shows us the power of the 'sympathy group' to aid healing and counter loneliness, promote sustainable growth and social innovation and enrich democracy itself. A lyrical must read. Chris van Tulleken, doctor, scientist and TV presenterAn extraordinary work that will change the way you think about your body, your friendships, your family and mankind as a whole. Science is beautifully explained alongside often hilarious anecdotes and stories: it reads as much like a novel as a work of scholarship. The product of an extraordinary career ranging from patients' bedsides, to the most marginalised communities on earth, to the highest levels of the WHO, this is a book of huge significance for anyone interested in health and humanity.Marina Cantacuzino, founder, 'The Forgiveness Project'This is an immense book in every sense. Costello´s extensive knowledge takes us on a journey of human history across continents, civilizations and centuries to demonstrate that social connection is not only a fundamental human need but also the solution to many of today´s most intractable problems. Drawing on literature, philosophy, social science, plus his own remarkable global health initiatives, Costello leaves the reader in little doubt that coming together in small groups is the catalyst for change. Part social commentator, part master storyteller, no other author has argued so effectively for the restorative power of sympathy groups. Vast in scope, yet rich in detail, The Social Edge begs to be read by every person who cares about the future of our planet.Richard Horton, editor, The LancetAnthony Costello has dedicated his life to creating and assembling the best available evidence to advance the health of women and children worldwide. The Social Edge distils his unrivalled global experience into a compelling tour de force to guide humanity through the 21st century. This book must be a bestseller.