Heart Matters: Personal Stories About That Heart-Stopping Moment

Stories of hope and survival

Most of us don't think much about the workings of our hearts until something goes wrong with them. When that happens, our responses can vary as widely as the nature of the problem itself.

Heart Matters brings together fifteen personal stories by some of Australia's best writers, each telling of a medical incident that may have changed their lives. Their conditions range from the chronic to the dramatic, from heart murmur to heart attack, arrhythmia and aneurism. For David Williamson, the experience sparked his creative impetus; for Alex Miller, it affirmed the intricate mystery of life. At the same time, Max Gillies found hope in others' kindness, and Gillian Mears threw out one life and ushered in another.

Heart Matters is by turns moving, humorous, poignant, and always honest. In addition to providing an insight into the lives of some influential writers, it is an invaluable guide for anyone who's suffered from this most common of ailments, or knows someone who does. And because heart disease can be difficult to recognise, it may be a book that saves a life or two. Give it to someone you care about.