‘How to Kill a Language’ by Sophia Smith Galer

William Collins Books, Hbk £22

Here’s something relevant to our own Year of Manx Language…journalist Sophia Smith Galer delivers a compelling and meticulously researched investigation into one of the world’s least‑discussed emergencies: the rapid extinction of languages.

Anchored in the personal loss of her Nonna’s Northern Italian dialect, Smith Galer uses her family story as a gateway into a broader global pattern.

She travels across continents to document communities confronting the disappearance of their linguistic heritage, revealing how war, nationalism, climate change and migration accelerate this decline. Her reporting is vivid and humane, capturing both the sorrow of cultural erosion and the determination of those fighting to preserve their voices.

What emerges is a powerful argument for linguistic diversity as a form of knowledge, identity and resilience. This book is both a warning and a call to action, urging readers to recognise the value of the world’s languages before they vanish.

Ben Giles lifts the curtain on a profession defined by silence: the biohazard cleaners who step in after tragedy.

Over 30 years, Giles has seen the Britain most of us never will - rooms marked by violence, homes overwhelmed by hoarding, and scenes of heart-breaking solitude.

His stories are raw and unforgettable, yet he writes with a surprising gentleness, recognising the humanity behind every call‑out. From his early days armed with little more than Dettol to building the UK’s leading specialist‑cleaning network, Giles captures both the grim realities and the resilience required to face them.

Darkly funny, deeply compassionate and utterly absorbing, this memoir reveals the emotional weight carried by those who clean up after the unthinkable. It is a testament to the dignity of unseen work and the lives touched in its wake.

Both titles are available at the Bridge Bookshop in Port Erin and Ramsey