Every month, GWL team members and volunteers share what we’ve read at our Book Picnic. Here’s what we’ve been reading recently:
Change Everything: how we can rethink, repair and rebuild society by Nathalie Bennett
Gaby recommended this important book which sets out a plan for tackling not only climate change and environmental destruction but the social problems both in the UK and globally. Natalie Bennett was Leader of the Green Party from 2012-2016 and has toured the UK for over a decade as a speaker and visiting many grassroots projects. Her book provides hope for the future as well as many practical suggestions for creating necessary change within our societies and globally.
The Paris Peacemakers by Flora Johnston
Elaine recommended this historical novel, written by a Scottish writer who has also been working in Scottish museums, researching and writing for exhibitions, so this is a well-researched book. Set in 1919 after the World War I, it describes the lives of two Scottish sisters, one of whom is working at the International Peace Conference in Paris. The other is heading for France whilst her husband is one of the few remaining members left of a celebrated Scottish rugby team and a surgeon who has been working on the front line and dealing with the horrors of war. Interestingly, some characters are real and some are fictional, with fictional characters marked with an asterisk at the start of the book. The novel cleverly blends fact and fiction to tell an engaging story.
Through the Garden Gate and Another Wild by Linda France, with illustrations by Kim Lewis and Birtley Aris
Aileen has been reading two poetry pamphlets by Linda Wild, which she thoroughly recommended.
Another Wild is the second edition of a pamphlet first produced in 2002, when poet Linda and artist Birtley visited one favourite place in the North of England (where they lived) every month, seeking out the flora and fauna of both urban and rural landscapes, finding they were also “summoning the wildness we all carry inside ourselves”. Aileen felt the sharp observations and beautiful descriptions of the landscape of the area made a wonderful collection of poetry. She read some of the poems to the group, particularly the ones she found soothing. She enjoyed the appreciation that Linda had for the things many people would simply pass by.
Through the Garden Gate is a collection of poems which resulted from Linda’s residency at Moorbank, Newcastle University’s botanic gardens. Kim Lewis’ beautiful artwork adds to the joy of this collection, providing a poetic tour of the gardens and a deep appreciation of the wonders of the natural world and the connection we can form with it. Aileen also recommended Linda’s online ‘postcards’ on Substack https://substack.com/@lindafrance – “slow thoughts in a frenzied world”.
The Other Side of Hope: journeys in refugee and immigrant literature
Wendy recommended this literary magazine, written and edited by immigrants, “those unsure of every word they write, the frowned-upon ones and the mostly unwelcomed, the beautiful strangers”.
She especially liked the poems written by groups, including groups of young people, which she found very moving.
Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy
Caroline recommended this classic feminist novel. Coincidentally, Doreen happened to arrive at the group wearing a Glasgow Woman’s Library T-shirt with this title on it – available from the GWL shop! – just as Caroline started talking about the book. The novel is about a Puerto Rican woman who has been in and out of the mental health system because no one believes what she has been through or believes in the empathic ability that she possesses.
The novel is set half in her brutal present reality and half in a future utopia. It explores racism and sexism in the US. Caroline felt it was still relevant to what we are experiencing now.
The Time Travellers Herbal by Amanda Edmiston
Caroline also recommended this non-fiction book by storyteller Amanda Edmiston, who is also knowledgeable about herbs and folklore. She includes recipes for the things she is talking about.
The book links cultures throughout time as well as geographically. Starting in ancient Rome, the book takes us on a journey through history, telling the story of the craft of the herbalist.
Assata by Assata Shakur
Gaby recommended this autobiography by ‘the FBI’s most wanted woman’, now in exile in Cuba following her escape from prison. The book is set in the early 1970s when Assata was a member of the Black Liberation Army. She describes how members were randomly arrested and charged for things they hadn’t done. The book tells of her time in prison, as she was awaiting trial for a long time, and the horrendous treatment she received in prison.
It’s about being an American in the US at that time. Gaby really enjoyed it and felt she hadn’t realised all the tactics used in the US to stop activism from happening.
Words Unravelled podcast by Rob Watts and Jess Zafaris
Doreen has been enjoying this entertaining podcast about all things language related, which explores topics like why the English language is hopeless and discusses things like the world’s smallest language, which incidentally was invented by a woman. The podcast is on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@WordsUnravelled
