Every day, we hear about and experience griefs, large and small, in our families, friendships, communities, and worldwide. The grief of a loved one passing. The grief of a way of life ceasing to exist. The grief of global pandemic, war, climate collapse. In The Snag, the acclaimed author of Shame On Me, Tessa McWatt, takes on personal and collective grief, and climate change, in her much-anticipated second nonfiction book. As her mother's dementia advances and it becomes apparent that she can no longer live independently, Tessa considers griefs personal and political, and finds solace in trees. She asks: How do we grieve? And: What can we learn from nature and those whose communities are rooted in nature about how to grieve - and how to live?From the newest seedling, to the oldest snag in the forest, there is meaning to be found in every stage of a tree's life, all of which contribute to a thriving forest community; it is in this metaphor that Tessa begins to find answers to her questions about how to live (for each other), how to grieve (radically), and how to die (with love and connection). The Snag is an essential book about living and dancing and singing and praying, even in the face of unimaginable sadness, and in this way, growing together and supporting one another, like the trees in the forest.
An unforgettable story of survival, sisterhood, and the fight for a brighter future. In 1970s Brazil, two teenage sisters are thrust into a chaotic world. Fear and hunger stalk them in a sugarcane town choked by a constant rain of ash, a testament to the ravaged environment in which they are trying to grow. With only each other for comfort, they set out to search for their missing mother and the father they've never known. Every desolate road becomes a gauntlet, every stranger a potential threat. Yet, amidst the dangers, a fierce bond blossoms. Each sister clings to the other, a lifeline in a world teetering on the brink. Their dignity is their own quiet rebellion. Burning Seasons lays bare the scars of a nation, the plight of marginalised people, and the silent suffering of women, girls, and the environment itself. It's also a story of resilience and the power of love - a journey in which innocence seems lost, but hope burns defiant.
A hilarious, heartwarming rom-com that proves that sometimes home is exactly where you belong. Jack Jr woke up from a two-year coma with a pounding headache, a brand new ex-fiancée, and the distinct feeling he'd missed something big. Like, global pandemic big. Reluctantly returning to New Jersey, and a kitchen job at the sushi restaurant his family runs, he finds himself suddenly dependent on his dysfunctional and very estranged Asian American family: headstrong fishmonger father, Jack Sr; his recovering alcoholic brother, James; and his rebellious teenage nephew, Juno. And then there's Emil Cuddy, Jack Jr's former nurse, who may offer a glimmer of hope, but who's struggling with complicated feelings of his own ...Can Jack Jr navigate the family chaos, rebuild his life, and maybe even find love (or at least a decent date) in a world that's moved on without him?
Monsters, in all their terrifying glory, have preoccupied humans since we began telling stories. But where did these stories come from?In Monsterland, award-winning author Nicholas Jubber goes on a journey to discover more about the monsters we've invented, lurking in the dark and the wild places of the earth - giants, dragons, ogres, zombies, ghosts, demons - all with one thing in common: their ability to terrify. His far-ranging adventure takes him across the world. He sits on the thrones of giants in Cornwall, visits the shrine of a beheaded ogre near Kyoto, travels to an eighteenth-century Balkan vampire's forest dwelling, and paddles among the shapeshifters of the Louisiana bayous. On his travels, he discovers that the stories of the people and places that birthed them are just as fascinating as the creatures themselves. Artfully written, Monsterland is a spellbinding interrogation into why we need these monsters and what they can tell us about ourselves - how they bind communities together as much as they cruelly cast away outsiders.
How do we manage to transition to a more sustainable world without the collapse of the economy?Capitalism has brought about many positive things. At the same time, however, it is ruining the climate and the environment, so that humanity's very existence is now at risk. 'Green growth' is supposed to be the saviour, but economics expert and bestselling author Ulrike Herrmann disagrees. In this book, she explains in a clear and razor-sharp manner why we need 'green shrinkage' instead. Greenhouse gases are increasing dramatically and unchecked. This failure is no coincidence, because the climate crisis goes to the heart of capitalism. Prosperity and growth are only possible if technology is used and energy is utilised. Unfortunately, however, green energy from the sun and wind will never be enough to fuel global growth. The industrialised countries must therefore bid farewell to capitalism and strive for a circular economy in which only what can be recycled is consumed. Herrmann makes a convincing argument that we won't get anywhere without personal restrictions and government planning. Her example for a solution is the British war economy of the 1940s. This is not a utopian scenario, but a comprehensive example of the restrictions and government-led plans needed now and in the future.
An essential guide to one of the world's most remarkable, and often misunderstood, cities by the author of Why the Dutch Are Different.When Ben Coates injures his leg and needs to rebuild his strength by walking, he finds himself presented with an exciting opportunity: to rediscover the city he has been working in for over a decade, at a slower pace. He devises ten walks, each demonstrating a different chapter of Amsterdam's history, from its humble beginnings as a small fishing community through two Golden Ages, fuelled by the growth of the Dutch colonial empire, two world wars, and countless reinventions.Join Coates as he meanders past beautiful townhouses and glittering canals, dances at Pride celebrations, witnesses the King's apology at Keti Koti, attends a WW2 memorial, gets high at a coffee shop, walks through the red-light district, and gazes in awe at Rembrandt paintings, all the while illuminating modern Amsterdam by explaining its past.Blending travelogue and quirky history, The Invention of Amsterdam is an entertaining and sharply observed portrait of a fascinating and complicated city.
There is an old Buddhist adage: the teachings are like a finger pointing to the moon. To achieve enlightenment, you are not supposed to look at the finger. You are supposed to look to the celestial light. I am asking you to look at the finger. The finger is also the moon. A tilted head. A finger to the lips. A wave that could mean emphasis or dismissal. A raised palm of piety and fellowship. Our gestures do not simply point to our thoughts, they are our thoughts made flesh. They can be instinctive, intuitive, or calculated - or all three. They exist in the briefest moment and through history, in a gently turned wrist and across whole nations. Our gestures drag stories with them, whether they mean to or not. They are invitations to think about how our worlds are larger than they seem - how we are much larger than we seem. Join award-winning philosopher Damon Young - author of The Art of Reading and Philosophy in the Garden - as he sheds light on thirteen curious gestures. Drawing equally from classical poetry and science fiction, heavy metal and ballet, Young illuminates our varied humanity from prehistory to today.
A health coach with ADHD offers the ultimate wellness guide for neurodivergent women, full of easy-to-implement and adaptable advice to help you thrive. ADHD makes it hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but an unhealthy lifestyle can make ADHD more difficult to live with. Health and fitness coach Lisa Dee experienced this firsthand when symptoms of her undiagnosed ADHD began wreaking havoc on her physical and mental health. After finally receiving an ADHD diagnosis at the age of 31, Lisa realised she needed to consider the unique ways her brain and body operated if she wanted to feel her best. In Healthy Happy ADHD, she shares the mindset shifts, systems, and habits that transformed her life. She shows you how to revamp your routines, build new habits, and bring ease to your busy brain by learning to:Ditch the restrictive rules, shame-based ideas, and neurotypical expectations about what exercise, healthy eating, and rest 'should' look like. Eat well with 'ADHD Easy Meals', get curious about how food affects your energy and mood, and avoid the decision paralysis that comes with meal planning and grocery shopping. Prepare for the impacts of hormonal fluctuations on your ADHD symptoms, and recognise the link between ADHD, PMS, and PMDD. Reconnect with yourself and practise self-compassion through introspective exercises that encourage self-reflection and mindfulness. Featuring creative wellness hacks and empowering practices, Healthy Happy ADHD offers a life-changing blueprint for becoming your most vibrant self, both inside and out.
Ants live in communities, where everyone helps out. Everyone has a task for the community ...Everyone is needed. No one has to know everything. One morning, Emelie can't get out of bed. Her therapist calls it burnout. Her neighbour calls it the tiny work death. She needs to get away from the brightness of the city lights, the noise of the people, the constant demands, so she goes to the woods, pitches her tent overlooking the lake, breathes. And that's where she sees them, the Colony:A man with a sad face. A tall, strong, older woman. A woman in her forties, squatting to examine an ant hill. Another woman in her forties, short, long hair, ample bosom, good posture - the leader?An extremely beautiful man. A slightly younger man, in a Helly Hansen jacket and trucker hat. And a teenage boy, standing a little way from the group. Who are they? What do they mean to each other? And why do they behave in such strange ways: thanking the fish they eat, sleeping under a tree, singing off key, dancing without music, never letting the boy fully in?As Emelie becomes more and more drawn to the Colony, she begins to re-evaluate her own lifestyle. Wouldn't it be nice to live as these seven do? Apart from society and its expectations. But groups always have their dynamics and roles. Which are you? And what if you want to change?
A fresh appreciation of the magic of birds and how watching them fulfills a human need to connect with nature.Enchantment by birds is commonplace. Birdwatchers merely go a step further than others and actively seek to be enchanted. This book tells why they take that extra step. It takes the reader on a series of excursions into birdwatching's past, venturing forward to the present. With an intriguing cast of characters, avian as well as human, its lively narratives explore the emotional and aesthetic impulses behind the pastime as well as its scientific and conservationist components.Its stories of 22 Australian birds range widely: from wordy squabbles over bird names to the artistic finessing of field guides; from the Paradise Parrot's tragic fall into extinction to the everyday enjoyment of a Magpie's carol; from the evolution of citizen science to the boom in birding tourism. Interlacing them all is the insight that birdwatching is a means by which modern, urban people reach out to touch the wild. A primal desire to connect with nature lies at the heart of the pastime.Enchantment by Birds not only offers a compelling exposition of what makes birders tick; it also tells us, imaginatively and informatively, why birds have a special place in our hearts.
Empowering children to cherish and protect their linguistic heritage. My Language Rights dives into the vibrant world of languages in our communities, showing how language is more than just words - it carries our stories, memories, and culture. Drawing on PEN International's Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights, this book champions every child's right to their own language. It highlights the importance of recognising language rights as fundamental human rights. With engaging stories and vivid illustrations, My Language Rights inspires readers to appreciate multilingualism and how it enriches our shared experiences and knowledge. A must-read for anyone who believes in the power of language and the need to protect it.
This book is not about aspirational living; it's about practical living. It's about looking at the world around you and finding where it's at fault, rather than blaming yourself. It's about dropping the comfortable prisons we create for ourselves to find the real freedom and happiness we deserve. We live in a world that is overfed but malnourished, sunlight deficient, overly competitive, sedentary, and sleep deprived. Our blood pressure and stress levels are at record highs, our mental health at record lows. Our eyes are strained from looking at screens all the time, and our backs are killing us. We buy far too much of what we don't need, and we aren't even pooing in the right position!Yet step outside, maybe walk a few minutes down the road, and you will inevitably see plants bursting with nourishment, hear calming birdsong, breath in fresh air, move your stiff body. Perhaps we have the answer to all our modern malaises right here, outside our own homes. Perhaps it is time for a New Wild Order. Join forager, author, dad, and everyday fella Andy Hamilton, as he answers his own call of the wild, and discovers how it might just save his life - and yours.
From the author of A Room Called Earth, a brilliant new novel about the mess that comes before salvation. Camille lives in the country. She's forgotten her phone. She's taking the train to work. She's got period pain. She can't escape herself ... or her toxic boss, Holly. And it's Valentine's Day. The Knowing is a day in the life of a woman who goes to work as usual while dreaming of more.
Winner of the Uruguayan National Literature Prize for Fiction, the Bartolomé-Hidalgo Fiction Prize, and the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Literature Prize. A port city is in the grips of an ecological crisis. The river has filled with toxic algae, and a deadly 'red wind' blows through its streets; much of the coast has been evacuated as the wealthy migrate inland to safety, leaving the rest to shelter in abandoned houses as blackouts and food shortages abound. The unnamed narrator is one of those who has stayed. She spends her days trying to disentangle herself from the two relationships that had once meant everything to her, and looking after the young boy who's been placed in her care. As the world in which they move becomes smaller, she reflects on the collapse of the other emotional ties in her life and the emergence of a radical yet tender solitude. With striking prose and vivid characters, the multi-award-winning Pink Slime offers profound reflections on motherhood, marriage, and caregiving, set against the backdrop of a crumbling city.
A deeply reported work of journalism that explores the promises and perils of global microfinance, told through the eyes of those who work in small-scale lending and of women borrowers in Sierra Leone, West Africa. In the mid-1970s, Muhammad Yunus, an American-trained Bangladeshi economist, met a poor female stoolmaker who needed money to expand her business. In an act known as the beginning of microfinance, Yunus lent $27 to 42 women, hoping small credit would help them to pull themselves out of poverty. Soon, Yunus's Grameen Bank was born, and, very small but often high-interest loans for poor people took off. In 2006, Yunus and the Grameen Bank won the Nobel Peace Prize for their work on anti-poverty lending. But there's a problem with this story. There are mounting concerns that these small loans are as likely to bury poor people in debt as they are to pull them from poverty, with borrowers facing consequences such as jail time and forced land sales. Hundreds have even reportedly committed suicide. What happened? Did microfinance take a wrong turn, or was microfinance flawed from the beginning?We Are Not Able to Live in the Sky is a story about unintended consequences, blind optimism, and the decades-long ramifications of seemingly small policy choices, rooted in the stories of women borrowers in Sierra Leone. Kardas-Nelson asks: What happens when a single, financially focused solution to global inequity ignores the real drivers of poverty? Who stands to benefit and, more importantly, who gets left behind?
A is for artichokes and long spears of asparagus. It's for bright, creamy avocados and salty little anchovies ... From apple pie to zeppole, and everything in between, Artichoke to Zucchini introduces young readers to fruit, vegetables, and dishes from around the globe. Full of tasty favourites and delicious new discoveries, it's sure to lead to inspiration in the kitchen!Following from the award-winning Off to The Market, acclaimed artist Alice Oehr takes you on a mouth-watering trip through the alphabet and around the world.
We are three sisters and two brothers. This is a story about how we can't eat this cake alone. A new picture book by Kim Hyo Eun, author of I Am the Subway (2021 World Illustration Award and The New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Books Award) Kim Hyo Eun, is the second daughter of five brothers and sisters, and shares the joys and battles of sharing and compromising in a family of five children.
An urgent guide to combatting the loneliness epidemic, with 100 ways to increase connectivity right now, from the iconic therapist and Holocaust survivor appointed as New York's first-ever loneliness ambassador. US surgeon general Dr Vivek Murthy recently sounded the alarm that loneliness 'represents an urgent public health concern' - social media overuse, the effects of the pandemic, and the lack of 'third places' have all combined to make us more alone than we've ever been. Now, trusted therapist Dr Ruth K. Westheimer has made it her mission to shine a light on the problem and help us break out of the box of isolation. We are social animals. We are not meant to live in solitude. We have a shared desire to connect and create lasting bonds with the people around us. But the heaviness of loneliness can make this feel impossible. In tackling this problem with compassion and her trademark no-nonsense approach to therapy, Dr Ruth provides practical, sincere strategies for finding companionship, community, and intimacy. With her tips on navigating family, finding friends and lovers, and using technology in healthy ways, you will find wisdom and help here, whether you've been struggling with loneliness for years or only recently. The Joy of Connections isn't just a guidebook for overcoming loneliness: it's a vital kick in the pants we all need to start seeking - and finding - deep and lasting human connections.
A debut linked story collection of gritty, streetwise, and wickedly funny fiction from Mexico. Life's a bitch. That's why you gotta rattle her cage, even if she's foaming at the mouth. In the linked stories of Reservoir Bitches, thirteen Mexican women prod the bitch that is Life as they fight, sew, skirt, cheat, cry, and lie their way through their tangled circumstances. From the all-powerful daughter of a cartel boss to the victim of transfemicide, from a houseful of spinster seamstresses to a socialite who supports her politician husband by faking Indigenous roots, these women spit on their own reduction and invent new ways to survive, telling their stories in bold, unapologetic voices. At once social critique and black comedy, Reservoir Bitches is a raucous debut from one of Mexico's most thrilling new writers.
The glittering story of April Ashley, model and trans pioneer, and the divorce case which gripped 1970s Britain and defined transgender rights for a generation. As Britain emerged from post-war austerity, no one embodied its newfound spirit of hedonism and glamour like April Ashley. A fashion model and socialite who rose from poverty in Liverpool to the heights of London society via Le Carrousel nightclub in Paris, she was also one of the first Britons to undergo gender-affirming surgery. Ashley was appointed MBE for services to transgender equality in 2012, but her journey towards acceptance was hard-won and bitterly contested. In 1961, a friend sold her story to a tabloid and she feared that she would never work in the UK again. Her brief marriage to Arthur Corbett, the son of a baron, set off a high-profile divorce battle, resulting in a landmark 1970 decision denying transgender women legal status as women - and denying Ashley her husband's inheritance. Instead, she blazed her own trail, rubbing shoulders along the way with the bohemians and jetsetters who had risen to prominence in the Swinging Sixties. Drawing on a wide variety of sources, award-winning biographers Jacqueline Kent and Tom Roberts tell the full story of April Ashley's extraordinary life at the vanguard of the sexual revolution and the movement for trans equality.
Should architecture be used for punishment? How might the spaces we inhabit nurture or damage us? How can we begin to start over after the worst has happened?Criminologist Yvonne Jewkes grapples with these questions every day as the world's leading expert on rehabilitative prison design; she also faces them in her personal life when her partner of 25 years leaves her in the middle of a nightmare renovation project and then lockdown sees her trapped there. Used to fighting the punitive prison system to create spaces that encourage reflection, healing, even hope for those incarcerated, she must learn to be similarly compassionate to herself, as she considers what might help someone at the lowest point in their life to rebuild. There are 11.5 million prisoners worldwide, and most of them will eventually be released back into society. Yvonne asks: 'Who would you rather have living next door to you? Or sitting on the train next to your daughter? Someone who has been treated with decency in an environment that has helped to heal them and instilled hope for their future? Or someone who has effectively been caged and dehumanised for years?' Challenging our expectations of what prisons are for, she takes us along their corridors, into cells, communal spaces, visitors' areas, and staffrooms, to the architects' studios where they are designed, and even into her own home, to show us the importance of an architecture of hope in the face of despair.
The gripping, true story of how leading Israeli journalist Amir Tibon, along with his wife and their two young children, were rescued on 7 October 2023 by Tibon's father - an incredible tale of survival that also reveals the tensions and failures that led to Hamas's attacks that day. On that fateful day, Tibon and his wife were awakened by mortar rounds exploding near their home in Kibbutz Nahal Oz, a progressive Israeli settlement along the Gaza border. Soon, they were holding their two young daughters in the family's reinforced safe room, urging them not to cry while they all listened to the gunfire from Hamas attackers outside their windows. With his mobile-phone battery running low, Amir texted his father: 'They're here.'Some 45 miles to the north, on the shores of Tel Aviv, Amir's parents saw the news at the same time as they received Amir's note. Immediately, they jumped in their car and raced toward Nahal Oz, armed only with a pistol - but intent on saving their family at all costs. In The Gates of Gaza, Tibon tells his family's harrowing story, describing their terrifying ordeal - and the bravery that led to their rescue - alongside the histories of the place they call home and the systems of power that have kept them and their neighbours in Gaza in harm's way for decades. With sensitivity, and drawing on Israeli and Palestinian sources, Tibon offers an unsparing but ultimately hopeful view of this seemingly intractable conflict and its global reverberations.
A playful guide to understanding the ways of 'normal people', The Autist's Guide to the Galaxy flips our usual scripts about neurodiversity. Following on from her internationally successful memoir, The Autists, Clara Törnvall has written a fun, comprehensive, and accessible explanation of neurotypical, or 'normal', behaviour. Full of facts, tips, and tests, and developed with input from other autists, this book places the difficulties autists face in the context of a world built for the neurotypical majority. It will help neurodiverse people - and their families, friends, and loved ones - navigate this world, nurture stronger relationships, and thrive.
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