Siddhartha Mukherjee's "biography" of cancer, The Emperor of All Maladies, has won the Guardian First Book award. The book has already been awarded a Pulitzer prize for general non-fiction. Mukherjee, an American oncologist, spent years writing the book - often on the bus to and from work. Its expansive narrative covers the history of the disease, how cancer remained a societal taboo well into the 20th century and our attitudes towards it today. Throughout Mukherjee includes moving stories and case studies of his patients.

Click here to read an interview with Mukherjee in the NS, and an essay by Will Self on why the fear of cancer haunts us all.