What a fascinating read.
How external factors affect our life expectancy. From access to healthcare, gun control, driving, smoking, clean water and diet.
Taking examples of good and bad practices all over the world.
It's a book that will make you stop and think not just about your own choices but about policies in your home country and others around the world.

When I requested this book from Netgalley I assumed that it wasn't exactly a self-help book, but rather a book that might give overall personal health/lifestyle guidelines. On discovering it was more about changing government policy I thought, oh dear, not what I wanted and prepared to DNF.

If you think the same then don't stop reading. This book is absolutely fascinating in a "how on earth can I now make my government take notice?" way.

Devi Sridhar gives examples of how we can increase our age by living in healthier environments - statistics of policies that have been proven around the world. For instance the push by parents in The Netherlands to provide safer, cleaner routes for their children to travel to school has brought down air pollution in that country; when the Dunblane school shooting occurred, a small group of parents pushed hard for tighter gun controls which means it's much harder for people to buy a firearm (let alone an automatic weapon) in the UK. These are just two examples of how people power can change life expectancy.

I won't lie, there are some horrifying statistics in this book from across the world and no one country gets everything right but there are incredible changes that can be made, if only our governments were brave enough to make them.

I'd highly recommend this to anyone interested in the health and wellbeing of their society. After all, certain changes will benefit us all in the long run (and end up costing our health care services less).

Thankyou to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the advance review copy. Very much appreciated.

Three and a half stars.

This book is full of information but I felt a bit overwhelmed by it all. I felt like it could be a book you could dip in and out of rather than read cover to cover. It definitely was an interesting read but maybe in small chunks.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read the ARC.

A rather complicated read, full of facts, percentages and masses f information.
Rather too much for a bed-time reader.
More suitable for a medical professional

This book is a fascinating and information-rich exploration of what truly determines our chances of living a long, healthy life. It’s not just about personal choices. Professor Devi Sridhar takes a bold and timely stance: health is indeed a political issue. From clean air and safe water to reliable transportation and access to mental healthcare, she argues convincingly that governments, not individuals, hold the key to public well-being.

I appreciated the way she broke complex global health topics into digestible chapters, highlighting how where you’re born can often matter more than how many steps you take a day. She doesn’t just present a bleak picture. Throughout the book, Sridhar provides real-life examples of change. Japan reduced air pollution. Amsterdam promoted cycling. Kenya improved school zone safety.

Some parts are shocking, especially around gun violence in the U.S. or the lack of access to clean water in other countries. Others are hopeful. Her argument for community-level mental health support and lay therapy was especially compelling. She also reminds us that health inequality is deeply tied to race, class, and wealth, and that it's time we held policymakers accountable.

Stylistically, the book is clear and accessible, though it occasionally feels like a series of connected essays or columns. A few statistics could have been more consistent, as sometimes data is quoted per capita and sometimes not. I also would have preferred more sensitive language around topics like suicide. However, these issues did not detract from the critical and urgent message.

Sridhar ends with five policy areas we can push for. These are practical and realistic changes governments can make to help everyone live longer. I found myself pausing often to reflect and even made a small change by standing up to move every half hour, one of her simple, research-backed suggestions.

This is a compelling, sometimes unsettling, but ultimately hopeful book. Whether you're new to public health or already familiar with the field, "How Not to Die (Too Soon)" will offer fresh insights, supported by global examples and thoughtful analysis. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone interested in health beyond the headlines.

This book takes a look at health issues. Professor Devi Sridhar tells what the government should be doing to make our population more healthy. Some of the suggestions are highlighted. It's not just about health. IN America she talks about how easy it is to have firearms and the mass killings, especially in schools. In other parts of the world she talks about how not everybody has access to clean water. This is an interesting and informative read.

Published 12th June 2025

I would like to thank #NetGalley #PenguinGeneralUK and the author #DeviSridhar for my ARC of #HowNotToDieTooSoon in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book, so much information presented in an easy to understand way. I read this book slowly so that I could absorb and reflect on it. There were things I needed reminding of and new information for me, some of which I was surprised and shocked by.

Sridar is an acclaimed public health researcher and writer with other publications already out, a colum in a national paper and a sideline in personal training. Here she gives us her take on the ten things that we can do to prolong our lives naturally and how actually most of it isn't down to personal judgement and strength of mind but is affected by government policies, whether that's taking more exercise (hard to do if you live somewhere hot with few indoor exercise facilities), eating right (but what if you live in a food desert?), drinking enough water (but what if government ignores water companies pumping sewage into public waterways?) and avoiding car accidents (if there's a public transport infrastructure you can trust and the rich don't get away with mowing down the poor).

A lot of our outcomes are to do with where we happened to be born, and some seem to see accidents as unchangeable and healthy/unhealthy countries as always having been like that - but Japan sorted out its polluted air and Sweden got down its car accidents, Kenya has improved road safety outside schools, and Amsterdam didn't used to have that many bicycles.

Mental health is included, too, and the idea of having basic counsellors put forward, as well as the need to remove stigma. And of course inequalities here and in all the other areas that are down to race, class and wealth or the lack of it are covered intensively.

She ends up with five basic policy areas we can lobby our governments on - wherever we are - in this generally positive and very readable book that does have some shocking statistics. And as a definite take-away from this book I've started to get up and move, even a little bit, every 30 minutes that I am sat down.

Blog review published 13 June 2025: https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2025/06/13/book-reviews-books-on-improving-your-health-by-devi-sridhar-and-kathy-bauernfeind/

I thought it was a really interesting exposition of all the things that government should do to ensure healthy populations. There could, potentially, have been a little bit more about the stuff that you can do yourself (rather than lobby for) but given the public health focus, it did make sense not to!

An information-packed overview of some of the major factors which affect populations around the globe's likelihoods of reaching the age of 100.

Whilst there was a lot of information to take in, Sridhar carefully construed the facts in easily digestible language and explained the benefits and risk factors for each set of facts. I came away feeling very well informed on what can be done on an individual level as well as what politicians need to do at a societal level to improve the life expectancy of everyone.

A single star knocked off for some of the facts being presented in incidence counts as opposed to per capita as it doesn't really make the data comparable. I also think the language around suicide could have been more sensitive, the term "committed suicide" perpetuates stigma surrounding suicide and mental health. "Deaths from suicide" or similar seem more appropriate when discussing mental health service failings.

Interesting book that breaks down the topic in different topics. My main issue is the way the prose flows,

A most interesting and quite different read. Would definitely recommend. Hopefully there will be more by this author.

This was an interesting book setting out differences in global health policies, both good and bad, and what countries can learn from each other to support their citizens. Not taking away from the fact that individuals also have a responsibility to maintain their health, Ms Sridhar pointed out in an easy to read style how difficult this can be when basics such as air and water are polluted. Unsurprisingly it's quite a political book and I imagine not everyone will agree with her possible solutions,, but having a conversation is a start. I did feel I was already aware of much of the information in the book, but it was helpful to have it laid out in one place
Thank you to netgalley and penguin books for an advance copy of this book.

An interesting book. The writing is somewhat simplistic in style, but the information is clear and easy to follow. I don't always agree with the author (her view that the NHS needs more money is debatable) but it was interesting to compare different approaches to healthcare across the world.

Sridhar’s advice and compilation of best public/collective health advice is an excellent book for those who have not widely read about health, the credible, repeated studies on longevity and what makes for better health.
It is easy to follow and well structured.
The tone was a little off for my tastes.
I have widely read about the topics above, but still benefited from reading this book.

How Not To Die ( too soon ) by Devi Sridhar

This is a very interesting book , it talks of health for the nation's of the world and gives further info on World health.
I'm of an age now where I'm reaping what I've sowed with regard to my own health and it was interesting to see that as a global situation as well .
Worth a read .

How Not to Die (Too Soon) is packed with information on public health issues. I'm not sure it flows very well as a book. It has a jumpy, digressive style (it feels more like a lot of newspaper columns stitched together, or a ghost-written book based on taped interviews). However as a work of reference, or a book to dip into, it will be very useful.

I'm just a general reader who takes an interest in public health and popular science and a lot of the material was familiar to me. But if you're coming to this subject for the first time, it provides a good overview, and if you already have some knowledge of the ideas, it will give you the evidence to back them up.

How Not to Die (Too Soon) by Devi Sridhar is a fascinating and thought-provoking book that completely changes the perspective on human health and who is responsible for protecting it. At a time when discussions about the next pandemic feel ever-present, its message could not be more timely.

Rather than focusing on individual health optimisation, the book highlights the wider issue of global public health and the role of governments in shaping policies that can extend lifespans. It challenges the obsession with personal well-being, arguing that real change comes from holding those in power accountable.

This is a compelling and, at times, unsettling read that serves as both a call to action and an insight into how different countries approach public health. While it offers hope by showcasing what can be learned from nations that do things better, it is also a reminder that there is still much work to be done.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

I liked the way that this was structured, and the focus on collective and social environments, rather than the person. I also loved the discussion about bringing lay therapy into the general community so that mental health is less medicalised and less in hospitals and GP surgeries.

In this book Devi Sridhar provides an easy to read portrayal of global public health in the 21st century. It is readable, compelling and, in some cases, such as the chapter on gun control, really shocking, though I don’t expect the USA to take a blind bit of notice as they take pride in taking the number 1 spot in everything! The main criticism I have is in the way the book presents statistics. In some chapters one country’s stats might be presented in absolute figures, another country in percentages and another on a per capita basis, making comparisons either difficult to work out or impossible.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.