The Literary Lifeline offers an interdisciplinary investigation into the phenomenon of reading for well-being. The book is a study of the transformative potential of literature.

The Literary Lifeline is a tribute to the transporting and consoling power of reading. In this insightful and moving book, Kevin Harvey affirms the importance that language and literature can play in our lives, reminding us of reading’s enduring, and sometimes surprising, ability to help us through times of illness, grief, and uncertainty.

Interweaving fragments from his own experience of reading, Harvey takes us on a fascinating tour of reading for therapeutic effect, exploring the rise of shared reading and other uses of bibliotherapy in various social and personal contexts. He argues, through a series of compelling stories and life experiences, that reading not only benefits physical and emotional wellbeing, but that it also humanises the care process, particularly in institutional settings where personhood can be threatened or undermined completely.

Whether he’s writing about the drama and delight of reading aloud to other people, the humane magic of the public library, or the loss of his beloved brother and his improvised attempt to read through grief, Harvey offers us an engaging take on the solace of reading and the gift of the written word.

Entertaining, highly accessible, and teeming with illuminating observations and ideas, The Literary Lifeline is a book that will appeal to both scholars and general readers alike.

"An eloquent, humane book that celebrates the power of literature to bring consolation and healing: words can be medicine for the soul." - Nicci Gerrard, journalist and author of What Dementia Tell Us About Love

"Reading changes lives, as I know from first-hand experience when I turned to poetry for consolation at the height of my own depressive episodes. But how exactly does it heal us? And why? The Literary Lifeline provides astute and eloquent answers. Word-lovers everywhere will be pressing this book into one another’s hands. Oh, and phew, given the subject matter: it’s beautifully written too." - Rachel Kelly, writer and author of Sunday Times bestseller ‘Black Rainbow: How Words Healed Me, My Journey through Depression’