Second LifeAmanda HessLabel: AbacusDescription: One of TIME Magazine's Most Anticipated Books of 2025 . One of LitHub's Most Anticipated Books of 2025.'Acutely empathetic thoroughly researched funny irreverent and moving' Observer'What a book! Has the lyricism and intelligence of a literary masterpiece and the urgency of a thriller' Marianne Levy author of Don't Forget to Scream'So interesting astute and beautifully crafted. I loved it' Lucy Jones author of MatrescenceIn the summer of 2020 when Amanda Hess was pregnant for the first time a routine ultrasound screening detected a mysterious abnormality in her baby. Without hesitation she reached for her phone looking for answers online. But rather than allaying her anxieties her search unleashed a destabilizing onslaught of data and technology and she was vulnerable - more than ever - to conspiracy myth judgement commerce and obsession. In Second Life Hess tells her deeply personal story of a pregnancy that falls outside the fêted category of 'normal'. But this is also a story about all of us. For as she made her way through a bizarre digital world of pregnancy apps prenatal genetic tests gender reveal videos rare disease Facebook groups 'freebirth' influencers and hospital reality shows Hess realised that ideas of eugenics surveillance ableism and hyper-individualism are being sold through shiny technologies to a new generation of parents.At once funny surreal and heartbreaking Second Life asks compelling questions about how our most fundamental human experiences are fractured and reshaped by technology.
"The 'Amanda Hess Second Life' would be an ideal fit for readers interested in a relatable and intriguing portrayal of the complexities of human relationships and the digital world."
