Prince Harry - Spare

 

Prince Harry - Spare 

4 ⭐

Genre: Memoir, Autobiography, Biography, Non-Fiction

Time: 15h 37mins

Narrator: Prince Harry 

Format: Audiobook

Publisher: Random House Audio/Audible  

Date Published: 10th January 2023 

 

Book Blurb: 

It was one of the most searing images of the twentieth century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother’s coffin as the world watched in sorrow—and horror. As Princess Diana was laid to rest, billions wondered what Prince William and Prince Harry must be thinking and feeling—and how their lives would play out from that point on.

For Harry, this is that story at last.

Before losing his mother, twelve-year-old Prince Harry was known as the carefree one, the happy-go-lucky Spare to the more serious Heir. Grief changed everything. He struggled at school, struggled with anger, with loneliness—and, because he blamed the press for his mother’s death, he struggled to accept life in the spotlight.

At twenty-one, he joined the British Army. The discipline gave him structure, and two combat tours made him a hero at home. But he soon felt more lost than ever, suffering from post-traumatic stress and prone to crippling panic attacks. Above all, he couldn’t find true love.

Then he met Meghan. The world was swept away by the couple’s cinematic romance and rejoiced in their fairy-tale wedding. But from the beginning, Harry and Meghan were preyed upon by the press, subjected to waves of abuse, racism, and lies. Watching his wife suffer, their safety and mental health at risk, Harry saw no other way to prevent the tragedy of history repeating itself but to flee his mother country. Over the centuries, leaving the Royal Family was an act few had dared. The last to try, in fact, had been his mother. . . .

For the first time, Prince Harry tells his own story, chronicling his journey with raw, unflinching honesty. A landmark publication, Spare is full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.

My Review: 

I had to listen to this, as I have seen so many excerpts from it all over social media after its release. So, I gave it a go. I also wanted to hear Prince Harry’s side of the story and not just tabloids. Honestly, it was interesting, and I am glad I listened to it rather than read it. I feel like if I read it, I would have DNF’ed it halfway through, as it felt so long whilst I was listening to it. It was way too long. Surely some things could have been edited out, as there was so much repetition.

That said, I did enjoy parts of this book and it was refreshing to hear Prince’s POV on everything that has happened and take a glimpse into his childhood and growing up. I mean I can’t relate to anything in this book, as I am not rich or royal, but it was nice to see that he experiences just as many emotions as anyone else is. It was also interesting to read about the pressures of being royal and privileged, as well as having your life covered by media 24-7.

Overall: It was an interesting read. I don’t think I need to cover anything else, since this book was covered and scrutinised in bits by people. I enjoyed listening to it. I also enjoyed learning about Harry and seeing his POV. I do think, however, that it was a very long book that could have used more editing.  

About the Author:

Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, is a husband, father, humanitarian, military veteran, mental wellness advocate, and environmentalist. He resides in Santa Barbara, California, with his family and three dogs.

https://princeharrymemoir.com

Neil Johnson - Simply Complexity

 

Neil Johnson - Simply Complexity: A Clear Guide to Complexity Theory 

4 ⭐

Genre: Non-Fiction, Science, Academia, Research, Physics, Nature, Environment

Pages: 256

Format: Paperback

Publisher:  OneWorld Publications

Date Published: 1st October 2009

 

Book Blurb: 

What do traffic jams, stock market crashes, and wars have in common? They are all explained using complexity, an unsolved puzzle that many researchers believe is the key to predicting – and ultimately solving—everything from terrorist attacks and pandemic viruses right down to rush hour traffic congestion.

Complexity is considered by many to be the single most important scientific development since general relativity and it promises to make sense of no less than the very heart of the Universe. Using it, scientists can find order emerging from seemingly random interactions of all kinds, from something as simple as flipping coins through to more challenging problems such as the patterns in modern jazz, the growth of cancer tumours, and predicting shopping habits.

My Review: 

As someone who didn’t know anything about Complexity and Complexity Theory before, yet needed to learn about it for a PhD project, this book is fantastic. It is very accessible and easy to understand. It doesn’t use any of the overcomplicated scientific jargon and explains very complex ideas in an easily understandable way with some great real-life examples. Yes, this book was also written a while ago, but the examples that the author uses are still very much relevant today.

The book itself explains the idea behind Complexity and Complexity Theory, its evolution and where it all is today, as well as what needs to be done to take this idea even further and make it a part of scientific research and academia. It looks how Complexity covers a wide range of subjects and disciplines, from anthropology, and economics, to, geography, physics and maths.

Overall: Very accessible and exciting book, with no complicated language and no scientific jargon. Examples are also given to consolidate the understanding and to provide a bigger picture of the Complexity around us. It definitely gave me ideas and was one of the only Complexity books that didn’t include a lot of complex explanations and maths that I would never be able to understand. 

About the Author:

Neil Johnson is the head of a new inter-disciplinary research group in Complexity at University of Miami in Florida. Previously he was Professor of Physics and co-director of research collaboration into Complexity at Oxford University.

https://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/Simply-Complexity/Neil-Johnson/9781780740492

Ilan Kelman - Disaster By Choice

 

Ilan Kelman - Disaster By Choice: How Our Actions Turn Natural Hazards into Catastrophes 

4 ⭐

Genre: Non-Fiction, Environmental Studies, Academia

Pages: 352

Format: Hardback

Publisher:  Oxford University Press

Date Published: 1st May 2020

 

Book Blurb: 

An earthquake shatters Haiti and a hurricane slices through Texas. We hear that nature runs rampant, seeking to destroy us through these 'natural disasters'. Science recounts a different story, however: disasters are not the consequence of natural causes; they are the consequence of human choices and decisions. we put ourselves in harm's way; we fail to take measures which we know would prevent disasters, no matter what the environment does.

This can be both hard to accept, and hard to unravel. A complex of factors shape disasters. They arise from the political processes dictating where and what we build, and from social circumstances which create and perpetuate poverty and discrimination. They develop from the social preference to blame nature for the damage wrought, when in fact events such as earthquakes and storms are entirely commonplace environmental processes We feel the need to fight natural forces, to reclaim what we assume is ours, and to protect ourselves from what we perceive to be wrath from outside our communities. This attitude distracts us from the real causes of disasters: humanity's decisions, as societies and as individuals. It stops us accepting the real solutions to disasters: making better decisions.

This book explores stories of some of our worst disasters to show how we can and should act to stop people dying when nature unleashes its energies. The disaster is not the tornado, the volcanic eruption, or climate change, but the deaths and injuries, the loss of irreplaceable property, and the lack and even denial of support to affected people, so that a short-term interruption becomes a long-term recovery nightmare. But we can combat this, as Kelman shows, describing inspiring examples of effective human action that limits damage, such as managing flooding in Toronto and villages in Bangladesh, or wildfire in Colorado.

Throughout, his message is clear: there is no such thing as a natural disaster. The disaster lies in our inability to deal with the environment and with ourselves.

My Review: 

I think for those who are interested in different geological and geophysical hazards and want to learn more, this book perfectly summarises it all. It uses very simple and non-scientific language to explain why disasters are not natural and show real-life examples. For me, this book lacked more depth, but that said, I have a degree in geological hazards and read quite a lot about it all. Yet, if you are a beginner and want to learn more, then I cannot recommend this book enough.

Ilan Kelman touches on reasons why people are vulnerable to hazards and how it runs much deeper than just our infrastructure and households. He looks into our history, cultures, traditions, colonialism, economy and different social factors that all make us vulnerable in one way or another. The author also discusses why hazards are natural but disasters that they create are not. Resilience on societal and community levels is also touched upon.

I really enjoyed the case studies in this book, as they gave all the technical and theoretical visual/real-life explanations and examples. I just wish this book gave more examples and case studies, to show different ends of the spectrum.

Overall: Very accessible and easy-to-read book, that uses very simple and non-academic language to explain the reality of disasters and hazards that our society face. I recommend this book to someone who is a beginner and wants to learn more about hazards and disasters. 

About the Author:

Ilan Kelman, Professor of Disasters and Health, University College London, and Professor II, University of Agder Ilan Kelman is Professor of Disasters and Health at University College London, England and a Professor II at the University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway. His overall research interest is linking disasters and health, including the integration of climate change into disaster research and health research.

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/risk-disaster-reduction/people/dr-ilan-kelman

Colin Yeo - Welcome to Britain

Colin Yeo - Welcome to Britain: Fixing Our Broken Immigration System 

5 ⭐

Genre: Non-Fiction, Politics, Law, General Knowledge

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback

Publisher:  Biteback Publishing 

Date Published: 29th June 2020

 

Book Blurb: 

How would we treat Paddington Bear if he came to the UK today? Perhaps he would be made destitute as a result of extortionate visa application fees; perhaps he would experience a cruel term of imprisonment in a detention centre; or perhaps his entire identity would be torn apart at the hands of a hostile environment that seems to delight in the humiliation of its victims.

Britain thinks of itself as a welcoming country, but the reality is, and always has been, very different. This is a system in which people born in Britain are told in uncompromising terms that they are not British, in which those who have lived their entire lives on these shores are threatened with the most unyielding of policies, and in which falling in love with anyone other than a British national can result in families being ripped apart. Here, citizens are called on to police each other, targets matter more than people, and death in detention centres is far from uncommon.

In this vital and alarming book, campaigner and immigration barrister Colin Yeo tackles the subject with dexterity and rigour, offering a roadmap of where we should go from here as he exposes the iniquities of an immigration system that is unforgiving, unfeeling and, ultimately, failing.

My Review: 

One of the most interesting non-fiction books that I read in a while. Immigration is such a hot topic in the UK at the moment, as well as it is a topic that I am really interested in. This book is a non-complex insight into super complex UK immigration policy and system, with easy-to-understand language and explanations.

The author, explains all of the complexity in a very understandable fashion, without much jargon and with some real-life examples of immigration cases. Each chapter is dedicated to a very specific issue, such as asylum seekers, student visas, citizenship, etc. Also, measures on how to make the immigration system better, are suggested. However, the main point author is trying to portray in this book is that migrants are humans and should not be mistreated as in some cases they are now.

I liked that this book is from a migration lawyer's POV, as it explains the complexity of the system and shines a light on how media spreads wrong or misinterpreted messages to the public about migration and migrants who come to the UK.

Overall: I think everyone who cares or is interested in migration topics should read this superbly written book, as it will shine a light on so many different aspects of the UK’s immigration system and policies through the years, and especially prior and post-BREXIT.

 

About the Author:

Colin Yeo is a barrister, blogger, writer and campaigner. He appears regularly in the media and has given evidence in Parliament on several occasions. He writes regularly for newspapers and websites, including a celebrated piece on Paddington Bear as a refugee in modern Britain. He runs the campaigning website freemovement.org.uk, which receives around 2.5 million page views per year. He lives in Bristol.

https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/colin-yeo

Minoli Salgado - Twelve Cries From Home: In Search of Sri Lanka's Disappeared

Minoli Salgado - Twelve Cries From Home: In Search of Sri Lanka's Disappeared

4 ⭐

Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoirs, True Stories

Pages: 250

Format: Digital (Netgalley)

Publisher: Repeater Books

Date Published: 8th February 2022

Thank you to NetGalley and Repeater Books for e-arc of this book to read and review.

Book Blurb: 

Twelve Cries from Home speaks out against Sri Lanka's official silencing of war crimes, reclaiming the stories of survivors who insist on being heard.

Since August 2020, the intimidation of witnesses and journalists has surged in Sri Lanka. Twelve Cries from Home navigates the memories and stories of twelve war survivors, mostly women and relatives of the disappeared, who wished to have their stories retold so that a permanent record might be made, and so that those outside the country might understand their experiences.

The outcome of a journey across the island in late 2018 by writer and Professor of Literature Minoli Salgado, who was revisiting her ancestral home, Twelve Cries from Home is deeply-layered and localised work of travelling witness. It returns to the concept of home as a place of belonging and security, which is a lost ideal for most, and uses a Sri Lankan measure of distance - the call, or hoowa - to ask how we might attend to stories that are difficult to tell and to hear.

Exploring the bitter complexity of war by presenting stories from four regions of Sri Lanka, it reveals the complex network of relationships between the agents of conflict and their victims, as well as the blurred boundary between victims and perpetrators, the role of informers and the process of ethical repair after traumatic experience.

Twelve Cries from Home offers a rare glimpse into a country subject to enforced self-censorship, allowing us to take stock of social and political developments in Sri Lanka and what has and has not been achieved in light of the transitional justice mechanisms promised to the UN.

My Review: 

This book took me quite a long time to read, mainly because I had to take breaks every so often as the topics discussed in this book are at points very hard to read. This book is the account of different people, who all lived and lost loved ones through the Sri Lankan war. The author interviews them all around the island of Colombo and each interview is filled with pain, harsh realities, losses, and heartbreaks, but also hope for a better future and love.

This book is a very important read and I am glad I read it. I also learned so much about Sri Lanka and the war that raged there for decades. Before reading this book, I wasn’t familiar with it as much, but reading this book made me look into the war and Sri Lankan history more and to educate myself. It is a hard book to read, but at the same time it is powerful and it gave a voice to people who otherwise not be heard.

Overall: It is a hard read, full of pain, and suffering, but also hope and love. It’s people’s accounts of how their lost their loved ones and family members, as well as how they suffered themselves during war years. I think it is a very important read, albeit not a light one. I am glad I picked up this book and educated myself more about Sri Lanka and its history, as well as the recent war, through the accounts of those who lived through it. 

This review was first published on NetGalley: https://www.netgalley.co.uk/book/247157/review/959200

About the Author: 

Minoli Salgado is a Sri Lankan writer and academic based in the United Kingdom who was born in Malaysia and educated mainly in England. She has written extensively on migrant studies and diasporic literature and is the author of the critically acclaimed work Writing Sri Lanka. She also writes fiction and poetry, and her debut novel A Little Dust on the Eyes won the inaugural SI Leeds Literary Prize.

https://minolisalgado.com/about/

Carolyn Hays - A Girlhood: Letter to My Transgender Daughter

Carolyn Hays - A Girlhood: Letter to My Transgender Daughter

3.5⭐

Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir, LGBTQIA+

Pages: 336

Format: Paperback Proof 

Publisher: Picador Books 

Date Published: 

 

Huge thank you to Picador Books for sending me a proof copy of this book to read and review. 

Book Blurb: 

When Carolyn Hays’s child made clear to the family that they were all wrong, he was not a boy, but, in fact, a girl, the Hays shifted pronouns, adopted a nickname and encouraged her to dress as she felt comfortable. One ordinary day, a caseworker from the Department of Children and Families knocked on their door to investigate an anonymous complaint about the upbringing of their transgender child. It was this threat that instilled in them a deep-seated fear for their child’s safety in the Republican state they called home. And so they uprooted their lives to the more trans-accepting Northeast United States, though they were never far from the hate and fear resting at the nation’s core.

Intimate, lyrical and thought-provoking, A Girlhood is an ode to Hays’s brilliant, brave child, as well as a cathartic revisit of the pain of the past. It tells of the brutal truths of being trans, of the sacrificial nature of motherhood, and of the lengths a family will go to shield their youngest from the cruel realities of the world. Hays asks us all to love better, for children everywhere who are enduring injustice and prejudice just as they begin to understand themselves. A Girlhood is a celebration of difference, a plea for empathy, and a hope for a better future, but moreover, it is a love letter to a child who has always known herself and is waiting for the rest of the world to catch up.

My Review: 

I am glad that I read this book, as it opened my eyes to a lot of the problems that the transgender community face in the USA, especially in the southern states of the USA. However, I also need to say that I don’t think I am the target audience for this, thus some of the things in this book, like being a parent, how to parent, and how to accept your transgender child weren’t aimed at me, since I am not a parent. Although, I think this book is an important read and I think that it should be read by as many people as possible for awareness, understanding and educational purposes.

Carolyn Hays, under a pen name, wrote this book as a letter to her transgender daughter, who is now a teen, to show how much she learned as a parent of a transgender child, the mistakes that she made and the love that she has for her daughter. In the book, Hays shares her pain of her daughter not being accepted by most, her deep thoughts and the celebration of her daughter.  

This book is really powerful, but at times was quite hard and emotional to read too, whilst at times being a bit too slow and repetitive. I wish there was more covered about the experiences of the daughter, rather than just the experience of the mother since the book was a letter to her daughter.

I also found some of the facts, statistics and claims, especially about religion, that the author made weren’t followed up or explained in more depth, or even a footnote for readers to be able to see where the information is coming from.

Overall: Although I am not the target audience for this book, I enjoyed reading it as it opened my eyes to a lot of issues and problems that the transgender community face, especially in the south of the USA. I was also glad to learn more about LGBTQ history, which was mixed into the narrative of this book.

About the Author:

Carolyn Hays is an award-winning, critically acclaimed, bestselling author who has chosen to publish to A Girlhood: Letter to My Transgender Daughter under a pen name to protect the privacy of her family. Her previous books have been listed as New York Times Notable Books of the Year and Kirkus’s Best Fiction of the Year, and have been translated widely. She’s written for National Public Radio and the Washington Post.

https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/carolyn-hays/42198

Nona Fernandez - Voyager: Constellations Of Memory

Nona Fernandez - Voyager: Constellations Of Memory  

5 ⭐

Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction, Latin American Literature, Translated Literature 

Translated by: Natasha Wimmer  

Original Title: Mapa de Las Lenguas 

Original Language: Spanish 

Pages: 126

Format: Paperback 

Publisher: Daunt Books Publishing 

Date Published: 21st February 2023

Huge Thank You to Daunt Books Publishing for a copy. 

Book Blurb: 

A startling book-length essay, at once grand and intimate, from National Book Award finalist Nona Fernández.

Voyager begins with Nona Fernández accompanying her elderly mother to the doctor to seek an explanation for her frequent falls and inability to remember what preceded them. As the author stares at the image of her mother’s brain scan, it occurs to her that the electrical signals shown on the screen resemble the night sky.

Inspired by the mission of the Voyager spacecrafts, Fernández begins a process of observation and documentation. She describes a recent trip to the remote Atacama desert—one of the world’s best spots for astronomical observation—to join people who, like her, hope to dispel the mythologized history of Chile’s new democracy. Weaving together the story of her mother’s illness with story of her country and of the cosmos itself, Fernández braids astronomy and astrology, neuroscience and memory, family history and national history into this brief but intensely imagined autobiographical essay. Scrutinizing the mechanisms of personal, civic, and stellar memory, she insists on preserving the truth of what we’ve seen and experienced and finding ways to recover what people and countries often prefer to forget.

In Voyager, Fernández finds a new container for her profound and surreal reckonings with the past. One of the great chroniclers of our day, she has written a rich and resonant book.

My Review: 

This book is something else! So beautiful and lyrical! Honestly, I wish I could give it the whole constellation of stars and not just a mere 5 stars. The writing is just superb and hits just the right heartstrings at the right times. I even cried reading this...that’s how impactful and beautiful Fernandez's words are!

Memoir in a book-length essay about constellations in the sky, the cosmos, the meaning of life, memories and much more. Fernandez also touches on her mother’s illness, mythologised history of Chile’s new democracy, the importance to remember the past and people who are lost but not completely gone from our memories and from the stars.

I loved how Fernandez managed to link all of the topics that don’t seem to fit with each other, so perfectly together, as well as making the reader think outside the box. I adore her lyrical writing and making this memoir flow through the galaxy-like spacecraft that is step-by-step opening of all the secrets about our humans and Earth's beginnings. This book definitely made me think a lot about myself, my own perceptions and my own memories. Honestly, it just makes you think deeply about everything, as well as question your own mind.

Overall: It is so hard to put into words how amazing this book is and how touching it is to read those lyrical and beautifully crafted words. Honestly, you need to pick this book up yourself to explore its true brilliance. Loved it so much!

About the Author: 

Nona Fernández was born in Santiago, Chile. She is an actress and writer and has published two plays, a collection of short stories, and six novels, including Space Invaders and The Twilight Zone, which was awarded the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Prize. Space Invaders was also longlisted for the 2019 National Book Awards for Translated Literature. The Twilight Zone was a finalist for the 2021 National Book Award for Translated Literature. 

https://dauntbookspublishing.co.uk/authors/nona-fernandez

Florence Given - Women Don't Owe You Pretty

Florence Given - Women Don't Owe You Pretty   

2⭐

Genre: Non-Fiction, Feminism, Self-Help, LGBTQIA+, Mental Health 

Pages: 226

Format: Hardback

Publisher: Cassell, Octopus Publishing Group 

Date Published: 11th June 2020

Book Blurb: 

WOMEN DON'T OWE YOU PRETTY will tell you to...

love sex, hate sexism,

protect your goddamn energy,

life is short, dump them,

And that you owe men nothing, least of all pretty.

Florence's debut book will explore all progressive corners of the feminist conversation; from insecurity projection and refusing to find comfort in other women's flaws, to deciding whether to date or dump them, all the way through to unpacking the male gaze and how it shapes our identity.

WOMEN DON'T OWE YOU PRETTY is an accessible leap into feminism, for people at all stages of their journey who are seeking to reshape and transform the way they view themselves. In a world that tells women we're either not enough or too much, it's time we stop directing our anger and insecurities onto ourselves, and start fighting back to re-shape the toxic structures of our patriarchal society.

Florence's book will help you to tackle and challenge the limiting narrative you have been bombarded with your whole life, and determine feminism on your own terms. After all, you are the love of your own life.

My Review: 

Last year I read Girl Crush by Florence Given, which was her first fiction book. That book had a lot of potential but just fell flat. However, I thought I will give Given another chance and read her non-fiction book with an open mind.

I honestly tried to like this book but it was bad…Don’t get me wrong, Given touches on some very important issues in this book, but for the most part, it felt that she just continuously repeats the same things over and over again. Apart from her opinion on numerous issues and stating that these issues of sexism, abuse, representation, racism, and privilege, to name a few, exist, she doesn’t offer the reader any solutions or any deeper insights, other than her own views. Also, for me, the lack of facts and references to support Given’s opinions and claims is what made me really dislike this book. At times it just felt that she is going in circles in this book without adding any value, without offering any learning or any important messages for readers to take away from this book.

I personally really disliked the chapters on relationships, men and marriage. All those chapters felt very patronising, especially it felt that Given is telling the reader that we are all better off alone and single or queer, rather than having boyfriends or partners that are male. Also, in a very aggressive way, it was stated that if you want a marriage then you cannot be a feminist and love yourself as much, since you are stuck with a man. I just felt that the author hates males and doesn’t hide that fact, unconsciously making the reader feel bad if they are in a long-term relationship or have a partner or want a marriage.

Also, didn’t agree with the fact that Given thinks we should all be learning from social media rather than formal education and that social media these days is worth more than formal education. Again, no solutions or facts and figures were given to support this claim, which I would have been interested to read, as it is an interesting claim, but isn’t worth much if not supported by facts.

The only takeaways (which I don’t think we're the intended takeaways) from this book were that you aren’t a real feminist if you aren’t single or queer, you aren’t a feminist if you desire to have a relationship with a male partner, you are better off single as men will ruin you, and if you want to have pleasure use toys or have one-night stands, rather than have a long-term partner.

Overall: The only positives I took from this book were that it was quick and easy to read and that I finished it in a few hours. There are definitely better books about these issues and feminism from authors, such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (We Should All Be Feminist), Caroline Criado Perez (Invisible Women), and Bernardine Evaristo, that actually offer not only their opinions and experience of these issues but also offer in-depth solutions, explanations, facts and figures. Don’t think that after this book I will be ever reading anything by Florence Given. Just don’t think her writing and books are for me. 

About the Author:

Florence Given is a London based artist and writer.

In 2018, she launched a petition to cancel Netflix's controversial fat-shaming series 'Insatiable', it gained over 300,000 signatures in a matter of days. The story became global news and she appeared on many news networks across the US and UK, as well as being interviewed for various publications including Huffington Post and Grazia.

A London-based artist and writer, Florence addresses social issues with unique and playful illustrations. She grew up in Plymouth and attended London College of Fashion. Boasting over 193k followers on Instagram, her work confronts oppressive attitudes towards women and their bodies, and she uses her platform to raise awareness of issues surrounding sexuality, consent, race and gender.

Florence designed the merchandise for Rita Ora's Girls Tour in May 2018, curated her first exhibition 'Girls Interrupted, and designed a limited-edition t-shirt for the fashion brand WEEKDAY. Alongside the tee (which featured the slogan "WOMEN DON'T OWE YOU PRETTY"), the entire collection sold out in under an hour.

https://www.florencegiven.com/

Bill Gates - How To Avoid A Climate Disaster

Bill Gates - How To Avoid A Climate Disaster 

4⭐

Genre: Environmental Studies, Non-Fiction, Geography, Climate Change, Academia, Education

Pages: 272

Format: Paperback 

Publisher: Penguin Press UK, Allen Lane Books

Date Published: 16th February 2021

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Press UK for an e-copy to read and review. 

Book Blurb: 

Bill Gates shares what he's learned in more than a decade of studying climate change and investing in innovations to address the problems, and sets out a vision for how the world can build the tools it needs to get to zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Bill Gates explains why he cares so deeply about climate change and what makes him optimistic that the world can prevent the worst impacts of the climate crisis. Gates says, "we can work on a local, national, and global level to build the technologies, businesses, and industries to avoid the worst impacts of climate change." His interest in climate change is a natural outgrowth of the efforts by his foundation to reduce poverty and disease. Climate change, according to Gates, will have the biggest impact on the people who have done the least to cause it. As a technologist, he has seen first-hand how innovation can change the world. By investing in research, inventing new technologies, and deploying them quickly at large scale, Gates believes climate change can be addressed in meaningful ways. According to Gates, "to prevent the worst effects of climate change, we have to get to net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases. This problem is urgent, and the debate is complex, but I believe we can come together to invent new carbon-zero technologies, deploy the ones we have, and ultimately avoid a climate catastrophe."

My Review: 

How to Avoid a Climate Disaster reads very quickly and well, as well as covers a lot of basics of Climate Change, greenhouse gases, causes of greenhouse gases/ Climate Change, production and consumption, so it is a great book if you are a newbie and don’t know much about ins and outs of Climate Change, but want to learn more or just want a quick yet reliable summary.

The book is basically divided into two parts. The first part is all about setting the scene and explaining what is Climate Change, why it is a problem, how this all came about and summarising all the facts and figures about the problem we as a society currently face. The second part is all about solutions to Climate Change, including innovations, changes in policies, governments' attitudes, as well as binding agreements between the countries. Gates in the second part of the book doesn’t shy away from portraying future possibilities if we don’t do anything about Climate Change, but he also discusses and displays what changes need to be made in different parts of our economies, industries and societies to achieve zero carbon and to reduce Climate Change impacts on communities and humans significantly. 

This book was very interesting and covered quite a lot of solutions to fight climate change that isn’t usually covered by mainstream media and news. Also, Gates talks about different start-up companies, highlighting their innovations in tackling climate change, which gives a glimpse of hope that not everything is lost and we can make changes needed to restore our environment. He also makes a strong point that we need to move towards cleaner energy as soon as possible, but in order to do that we need to invest more in those industries and change our opinions on low-carbon and renewable energy into more positive ones.

Unlike in many other Climate Change books, Gates only slightly touches on individual action regarding Climate Change issues. He mainly concentrates on what different industries and governments can do to reduce their reliance on fossils, reduce consumption, change materials into more sustainable ones, etc. I really enjoyed this take on Climate Change, as there aren’t a lot of books that look at the issues regarding Climate Change from this particular viewpoint.

I also liked that Gates displayed how much Climate Change is affecting and will affect more of our everyday life and how it, directly and indirectly, links to nearly every challenge societies across the world currently face.

Overall: Verry well written, easily understood, with complex processes explained in great depth and ease. The perfect book for someone who wants to learn more about Climate Change, but doesn’t know where to start, as this book summarises everything you need to know about it in one place and without complex scientific language, which is at times hard to grasp. Additionally, relevant and simple graphs, pictures and diagrams allow information to be better digested, especially as the complex numbers and graphs that are usually associated with production and consumption are very well explained to the reader. This book also offers a glimpse of hope by diving into new innovations and technologies in tackling different issues that are arising due to Climate Change. 

I honestly didn’t think I will enjoy this book as much as I did!

This review was first published on NetGalley: 

https://www.netgalley.co.uk/book/208120/review/959200

About the Author:

Bill Gates is a technologist, business leader, and philanthropist. In 1975, he co-founded Microsoft with his childhood friend Paul Allen; today he and his wife, Melinda, are co-chairs of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He also launched Breakthrough Energy, an effort to commercialize clean energy and other climate-related technologies. He and Melinda have three children and live in Medina, Washington.

https://www.gatesnotes.com/

Prof Sarah Gilbert & Dr Catherine Green - Vaxxers

Prof Sarah Gilbert & Dr Catherine Green - Vaxxers 

4⭐

Genre: Non-Fiction, Health, Science, Academia, Medicine, Popular Science  

Pages: 352

Format: Hardback

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Date Published: 8th July 2021

Book Blurb: 

A gripping, inspirational account of the race to create a functioning vaccine to combat the spread of Covid-19, Vaxxers is the story of two scientists who have accomplished something truly remarkable at a pace that few people ever thought possible.

This is the story of a race - not against other vaccines or other scientists, but against a deadly and devastating virus.

On 1 January 2020, Sarah Gilbert, Professor of Vaccinology at Oxford University, read an article about four people in China with a strange pneumonia. Within two weeks, she and her team had designed a vaccine against a pathogen that no one had ever seen before. Less than 12 months later, vaccination was rolled out across the world to save millions of lives from Covid-19.

In Vaxxers, we hear directly from Professor Gilbert and her colleague Dr Catherine Green as they reveal the inside story of making the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine and the cutting-edge science and sheer hard work behind it.

This is their story of fighting a pandemic as ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. Sarah and Cath share the heart-stopping moments in the eye of the storm; they separate fact from fiction; they explain how they made a highly effective vaccine in record time with the eyes of the world watching; and they give us hope for the future.

Vaxxers invites us into the lab to find out how science will save us from this pandemic, and how we can prepare for the inevitable next one. 

Book Review: 

It is such a clear, scientific, simple and well-written account of the two lead scientists involved in creating the Oxford AstraZeneca Corona Virus Vaccine. This book explains in depth all the steps that were taken to create this vaccine in such a short time and ready for public use, including creation, design, development, trial, testing, trial result analysis, approval and then production.

I really liked the fact that scientific concepts around vaccine development and design in this book are very well explained in simple scientific language that makes sense for someone who is not as familiar with the terminology, processes or this field in general. A lot of really useful analogies were used to explain more complex concepts too, which helped me a lot to get my head around some of the science behind it.

Also, the book clearly explains how different types of vaccines, not only the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, are created, including the rigorous processes each has to go to be developed, tested and approves, which in turn displays the thorough safety of vaccines. Additionally, the authors discuss how the field improved the safety of vaccines for human consumption, since 1960, explaining all the ethics, policies and criteria that each vaccine has to go through to be safe to give to people.

Authors also don’t shy away from discussing other issues surrounding vaccines and vaccine design and development, such as anti-vaxxers, media influence on whether people trust vaccines or not and funding that is needed to get vaccines to people. Also, challenges when it comes to academia and doing science, as well as making those breakthroughs in developing effective vaccines are all aspects that are discussed in depth.

Each chapter is written either from Prof Sarah Gilbert’s or Dr Catherine Green’s POV, which allows the reader not only to learn about the vaccine that their team created but also allows the reader to get to know the people who worked on it, especially the long hours and sacrifices they had to make in order to deliver this lifesaving vaccine to people.

Overall: A very interesting, informative, factual and insightful book about the creation of the Oxford AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, the pandemic, and the importance of science and vaccine science in general. Definitely recommend it if you don’t know much about vaccines and want to learn more, as this book explains processes in a very simple, yet still scientific way. I will be looking out for more books like this to add to my TBR pile in the future. 

About the Author: 

Viola Davis - Finding Me

Viola Davis - Finding Me 

5⭐

Genre: Memoir, Biography, Autobiography, Non-Fiction 

Pages: 304

Format: Hardback 

Publisher: Coronet, Hodder & Stoughton 

Date Published: 26th April 2022

 

Huge thank you to Tandem Collective UK and Hodder & Stoughton for sending me this book to read and review. 

Book Blurb: 

Finding Me is Viola Davis' story, in her own words, and spans her incredible, inspiring life, from her coming-of-age in Rhode Island to her present day. Hers is a story of overcoming, a true hero's journey. Deeply personal, brutally honest, and riveting, Finding Me is a timeless and spellbinding memoir that will capture hearts and minds around the globe.

IN MY BOOK, YOU WILL MEET a little girl named Viola who ran from her past until she made a life-changing decision to stop running forever. This is my story, from a crumbling apartment in Central Falls, Rhode Island, to the stage in New York City, and beyond. This is the path I took to finding my purpose but also my voice in a world that didn’t always see me.

As I wrote Finding Me, my eyes were open to the truth of how our stories are often not given close examination. We are forced to reinvent them to fit into a crazy, competitive, judgmental world. So I wrote this for anyone running through life untethered, desperate and clawing their way through murky memories, trying to get to some form of self-love. For anyone who needs reminding that a life worth living can only be born from radical honesty and the courage to shed facades and be . . . you.

Finding Me is a deep reflection, a promise, and a love letter of sorts to self. My hope is that my story will inspire you to light up your own life with creative expression and rediscover who you were before the world put a label on you.

My Review: 

What an amazing memoir! I already loved Viola Davis in How to Get Away with Murder but after reading this book, I realised how amazing of a human being she is. I now have such a deep admiration for her! 

In parts, it was so hard to read about her challenging childhood and all the traumas she experienced through her younger years, but what amazed me the most was Viola’s determination, resilience and strength. This memoir allowed me to get a glimpse into her personal life, from a traumatic childhood where she and her family didn’t have food to eat for days, to her struggling to belong in Julliard as a Black acting student…In this book, Viola also talks openly about the film and acting industry and how hard is to get to the top. For me, this memoir was sad, and shocking yet at the same time very inspiring. It was so interesting to read how honestly Viola talks about struggling to find self-love until later in adulthood and how she felt like she finally belonged when on the set of How to Get Away with Murder.

The memoir starts from the very beginning, Viola’s hard childhood which was filled with abuse, lack of food, poverty, racism, living without hot water and being in a house infested by rats…It wasn’t pretty but even little Viola had that strong determination and passion to get out of poverty and become something bigger. Over the years she pushed herself to achieve that, even though the path was not always easy or straight. She had to go through so many obstacles and with that also had to find herself, especially start loving herself. This memoir is full of successes, changes, failures, courage, resilience, strength, love, wisdom and determination. It displays the ugly and the pretty of Viola Davis’s life from her birth up until now.

Overall: It is the best memoir I have read this year. I now love Viola Davis even more! She is such an inspiration for strength and resilience. I think this book should be on everyone’s bookshelf or their TBR. I will be definitely revisiting this book, but this time in audio format as Viola narrates the book herself, which I think would bring out some parts of the book even further and have a bigger impact on the reader. It is such an intimate, honest and raw memoir that left such a significant impact on me. 

About the Author:

Viola Davis is the only Black actor to have achieved the “triple crown” of acting, winning an Oscar, an Emmy, and a Tony for her work in film, television, and the theater. The New York Times named Davis one of the ten greatest actors of the twenty-first century. In addition to her acting work, she is an acclaimed producer and philanthropist. 

https://twitter.com/violadavis