Published April 10th, 2018 by St Martins PR Biography, Autobiography, True Crime
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SYNOPSIS:
Longlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize Winner of the Victorian Prize for Literature Winner of the Australian Book Industry Awards
A woman who sleeps among rubbish she has not put out for forty years. A man who bled quietly to death in his loungeroom. A woman who lives with rats, random debris and terrified delusion. The still life of a home vacated by accidental overdose.
Before she was a trauma cleaner, Sandra Pankhurst was many things: husband and father, drag queen, gender reassignment patient, sex worker, small businesswoman, trophy wife… But as a little boy, raised in violence and excluded from the family home, she just wanted to belong. Now she believes her clients deserve no less. Sarah Krasnostein has watched the extraordinary Sandra Pankhurst bring order and care to these, the living and the dead – and the book she has written is equally extraordinary. Not just the compelling story of a fascinating life among lives of desperation, but an affirmation that, as isolated as we may feel, we are all in this together.
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MY REVIEW:
The Trauma Cleaner is the extraordinary story of Sandra Pankhurst, who created a trauma cleaning company that takes care of a wide range of cleaning needs from hoarding to decomposition. I went into this expecting a story about a woman who cleans crime scenes but this ended up being so much more.
Pankhurst was born male and raised in a violent home where her sexuality and gender identity was used against her. She transitioned as an adult and has worn a variety of hats, including husband, father, drag queen, sex worker, small business owner, and trophy wife, before opening her trauma cleaning business. Author Sarah Kranostein spent a few years with Sandra, interviewing her and accompanying her on a number of her cleaning jobs, something that allows her to not only tell us Sandra’s story, but that of some of her clients.
The book is filled with lots of fascinating characters, but none are more intriguing than Sandra herself. She’s quite the character and it is impossible not to be drawn to her. She’s a complex person who has lived a life filled with sadness and trauma and there are some dark and graphic scenes in the book. She is also an unreliable narrator, though we are never sure if this is a case of outright lies or her past drug use and trauma. And although she can be selfish, she is also warmhearted and non judgemental, able to talk to anyone or put herself on any level.
Powerful, moving, funny, and compelling, this book reminds us of the importance of kindness, compassion, and human contact and connection in our lives. Highly recommended.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Sarah Krasnostein is a multi-award winning writer and critic. She is the best-selling author of The Trauma Cleaner (2017), The Believer(2021), the Quarterly Essay, Not Waving, Drowning(2022) and On Peter Carey (2023). She holds a PhD in criminal law and is admitted to legal practice in New York and Victoria.
Sarah has been awarded the Victorian Prize for Literature, the Australian Book Industry Award for General Non-Fiction, the Victorian Premier’s Prize for Non-Fiction, the Dobbie Literary Award, and the Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction at the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. She was a finalist for the Walkley Book Award, the National Biography Award, the Melbourne Prize for Literature and the Wellcome Book Prize (UK). In 2022, she was awarded the Pascall Prize for Arts Criticism.
Published September 14th, 2023 by Gallery Books Autiobiography, Memoir, Biography, Cults & Demonism, Other Religions
TW: Sexual abuse, neglect, religious indoctrination, trauma
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SYNOPSIS:
For the first time, discover the unedited truth about the Duggars, the traditional Christian family that captivated the nation on TLC’s hit show 19 Kids and Counting. Jill Duggar and her husband Derick are finally ready to share their story, revealing the secrets, manipulation, and intimidation behind the show that remained hidden from their fans.
Jill and Derick knew a normal life wasn’t possible for them. As a star on the popular TLC reality show 19 Kids and Counting, Jill grew up in front of viewers who were fascinated by her family’s way of life. She was the responsible, second daughter of Jim Bob and Michelle’s nineteen kids; always with a baby on her hip and happy to wear the modest ankle-length dresses with throat-high necklines. She didn’t protest the strict model of patriarchy that her family followed, which declares that men are superior, that women are expected to be wives and mothers and are discouraged from attaining a higher education, and that parental authority over their children continues well into adulthood, even once they are married.
But as Jill got older, married Derick, and they embarked on their own lives, the red flags became too obvious to ignore.
For as long as they could, Jill and Derick tried to be obedient family members—they weren’t willing to rock the boat. But now they’re raising a family of their own, and they’re done with the secrets. Thanks to time, tears, therapy, and blessings from God, they have the strength to share their journey. Theirs is a remarkable story of the power of the truth and is a moving example of how to find healing through honesty.
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MY REVIEW:
From the moment I first stumbled upon an episode of ‘19 Kids and Counting’ I was an avid viewer. Like many, I was fascinated by this huge family and their fundamentalist beliefs that were even stricter than my own fundie-lite upbringing. And while I didn’t buy that they were as perfect as they tried to portray, I was blindsided and horrified when the dark truths they were hiding were revealed.
In this memoir the Duggar’s fourth child, Jill, finally tells her story, bravely narrating the audiobook version that I listened to. A story of indoctrination, control, fear, trauma and abuse, Jill discusses the strict religious doctrine, purity culture and modesty culture they were raised in, their set gender roles that included the girls being parentified from a young age under the guise of ‘buddy teams’, the bleak reality of their poverty-stricken life before TV fame, and how religion was used as a way to control, silence and shame. Also woven through Jill’s story is the cost, which was not just financial, but emotionally, talking about how affording a better lifestyle because of the show meant there were prices to pay and how the money became another tool used to control them. Some things should not be for sale, she says, and I agree.
I decided to listen to this on audiobook which Jill bravely narrates, and you can hear the emotion in her voice throughout. There were a number of revelations in this book that I was unprepared for despite the shocking secrets that had already come out of the Dugger closet. My jaw hit the floor and I was enraged at how her parents treated their children and the lengths they went to to try and keep control. While her mother, Michelle, isn’t innocent, it is clear that her father, Jim Bob, is the greater villain of the two and I was disgusted by so many of his actions. He retains a tight grip and control on most of the family and my heart broke for Jill as she discussed being painted as the black sheep for daring to live her own life.
A powerful, heart-rending and ultimately inspirational story, I highly recommend this book, particularly if you have an interest in cults or controlling families.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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MEET THE AUTHORS:
Jana, Jill, Jessa, and Jinger Duggar appear with the rest of their family on TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting, which airs five times a week and is now in its tenth season. The Duggars have appeared on such national TV shows as the Today show, Good Morning America, The View, Inside Edition, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and more.
Derick Dillard has been in the public eye since his first date with Jill Duggar, and over 4.4 million people tuned in for their two-hour wedding special on TLC. He starred on the TLC shows 19 Kids and Counting and Jill & Jessa: Counting On. Derick served in fulltime Christian ministry for five years, working in Asia while single, and then together with his wife Jill in Central America. Before going to law school, Derick worked in management at the Walmart headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, as a tax accountant. He is a practicing attorney, licensed in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Derick and Jill live in northwest Arkansas with their three sons.
Craig Borlase is a bestselling ghostwriter specializing in memoir. Previous works include the New York Times bestseller Finding Gobi and My Name Is Tani, the story of an eight-year-old chess prodigy.
Published October 24th, 2023 by Simon and Schuster UK Memoir, Autobiography, Biography
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SYNOPSIS:
The Woman in Me is a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope.
In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice—her truth—was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey—and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history.
Written with remarkable candor and humor, Spears’s groundbreaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love—and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms, at last.
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MY REVIEW:
“The woman in me was pushed down for a long time.”
When I heard Britney Spears was releasing a memoir I wasn’t sure I’d read it. I wouldn’t call myself a huge fan, but I have always enjoyed her music and was interested in hearing her side of the story after she spent so many years silenced. This was definitely a case of ‘Bookstagram made me do it’ but I was glad I decided to listen to this at the end of last year. Powerful and heartrending, The Woman in Me left me with a new-found respect and admiration for Ms. Spears. The writing can be shaky, it’s obviously written by a ghost-writer, and it was sometimes hard to follow, but it was good to finally hear Britney’s side of her story.
This was an emotional listen. There’s sadness, anger, frustration, heartbreak and joy, taking you on a rollercoaster of emotions as Britney recounts her personal and family history. We learn that the Spears family have been beset by tragedy and trauma for generations. Britney talks about how her alcoholic father, Jamie, continued the cycle of abuse and they all lived under a constant cloud of fear where nothing was ever good enough. At a young age Britney became a ‘little entertainer’, discovering that she came alive, was taken out of her bleak reality, and felt a sense of taking back control whenever she sang or performed on stage. But what felt like an escape for her soon became another tool for control and she was repeatedly let down and betrayed by her family; the very people she should have been able to rely upon most. Even the supposedly heartwarming memories she discusses are concerning and it is so hard to listen to as she’s mistreated again and again. I was enraged and incensed as I listened to the many awful things her family has put her through.
Obviously this wouldn’t be a memoir from one of the biggest female pop stars of her generation without discussing her fame and having achieved huge stardom when she was just a teenager, this is something that has been a massive part of her life. The way she has been treated by the media and paparazzi is vile. It made me so angry to hear how she was slut shamed and mocked, especially when compared to how men in the industry were treated so differently in the same situations. My rage was also inflamed as I listened to Britney’s side of her infamous breakdown and break-up with Justin Timberlake, revealing the media spin that was put on those situations so that she was portrayed as the problem, feeding into what her father wanted the world to see so he could keep control.
Heart-rending, maddening, and illuminating, The Woman in Me is a candid memoir which serves as a stark warning of the negative side of fame and fortune.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album …Baby One More Time in 1999. During her first decade within the music industry, she became a prominent figure in mainstream popular music and popular culture, followed by a much-publicized personal life. Her first two albums established her as a pop icon and broke sales records, while title tracks “…Baby One More Time” and “Oops!… I Did It Again” became international number-one hits. Spears was credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s.
In 2001, she released her third studio album Britney and expanded her brand, playing the starring role in the film Crossroads. She assumed creative control of her fourth studio album, In the Zone released in 2003, which yielded chart-topping singles “Me Against the Music”, “Toxic” and “Everytime”. After the release of two compilation albums, Spears experienced personal struggles and her career went under hiatus. Her fifth studio album, Blackout, was released in 2007 and despite receiving little promotion, it spawned hits “Gimme More” and “Piece of Me”. In 2008, her erratic behaviour and hospitalizations caused her to be placed in a conservatorship. The same year, her sixth studio album Circus was released, with the global chart-topping lead single “Womanizer”. After embarking on The Circus Starring Britney Spears, she released greatest hits The Singles Collection, which featured U.S. and Canadian number-one single “3”. In 2011, Spears returned with her seventh studio album, titled Femme Fatale, which was released on March 29, 2011, including the lead single “Hold It Against Me” which has become Spears’ fourth U.S. number-one single. The album debuted at #1 on Billboard 200. This made Spears the only female artist ever to have six number one debut albums, and have seven albums debut in the top two spots.
Spears has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists in the history of contemporary music. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she is the eighth top-selling female artist in the United States, with 33 million certified albums. Spears is also recognized as the best-selling female artist of the first decade of the 21st century, as well as the fifth overall. She was ranked the 8th Artist of the 2000s by Billboard. In June 2010, Spears was ranked sixth on Forbes list of the 100 Most Powerful and Influential celebrities in the world; she is also the third most mentioned musician on the internet, according to Forbes.
Published September 28th, 2023 by Hachette Books True Crime, Biography, Autobiography
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SYNOPSIS:
Former CNN/HLN anchor and veteran broadcast journalist Susan Hendricks takes an investigative deep-dive into the still-unsolved double homicide of two teens in Delphi, Indiana—and its lasting impact on the community
On February 13, 2017, two teenage girls—13-year-old Abby Williams and 14-year-old Libby German—decided to enjoy a day off from school by exploring the popular hiking trails near the Monon High Bridge just a few minutes’ drive from Libby’s home in Delphi, Indiana. Libby’s sister, Kelsi, dropped the two girls off at the head of the trail and waved to them as they walked down the path, which was the last time they’d ever be seen alive. Less than 24 hours later, their bodies were found on the north bank of Deer Creek, about a mile from where they were last seen. There were few clues and little to go on in terms of physical evidence, except for the visual and audio remnants of a strange encounter the girls had with a stranger just hours before their disappearance, an encounter unsettling enough that Libby had thought to record it on her cellphone as it unfolded. In the years since the murders were first made public, Libby’s audio and video recordings have been released and two very different composite sketches of the suspect have been shown, but local law enforcement remained vague about developments for years—until finally, in October 2022, the long-awaited suspect was arrested and a trial date was set.
Longtime anchor and journalist Susan Hendricks was one of the first reporters to cover the case. A broadcast veteran with decades’ worth of experience under her belt, she was no stranger when it came to sharing the tragedies of the day with viewers. But there was something about this case that rattled her to her core. A year after the murders, Susan went to Delphi to interview the victims’ families for an in-depth special report where Kelsi drove Susan down the same path that she drove her sister down on the last day of her life. Over the years, Susan has built close relationships with family members, and law enforcement officials and armchair detectives alike who are determined to get justice for Abby and Libby.
In Down the Hill, Hendricks digs deeper in into the mystery that has captivated our nation for years, exploring the family’s enduring resilience and advocacy, as well as the rippling impact the case has had on not just Delphi, but the very heart of the American heartland. As a result, this book is more than just a book about a double homicide; it’s about a small town in middle America that’s been haunted by an unfathomable act of violence; it’s about the ways families and communities cope with grief and move forward after tragedy; it’s about the limitations of local law enforcement and the rise of technology in helping to solve cases in new ways. But it’s also about compassion, connection, empathy, and resilience—on a very real, very human level.
Libby German (left) and Abby Williams (right)
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MY REVIEW:
“It was like a sick locked-room mystery. A killer among them. With a villain more devious than Agatha Christie could muster up.”
Down the Hill was my first book read as part of non-fiction November. True crime is my favourite non-fiction genre and I’ve discovered I particularly enjoy listening to it on audiobooks rather than reading a physical book which is why I decided to ‘read’ this via audiobook.
On February 13th, 2017 best friends Libby German, 14, and Abby Williams, 13, decided to make the most of their day off school and the unseasonably warm weather by exploring the hiking trails near Monon High Bridge, just a few minutes drive from Libby’s home in Delphi, Indiana. Her sister, Kelsi, dropped the two girls off and as she waved them goodbye she had no idea that would be the last time anyone would see them alive. Their bodies were found less than 24 hours later about a mile from where they were last seen. There were few clues and no real leads other than a recording Libby took of their encounter with a stranger on the bridge the day they disappeared. Could it help them identify the killer? For years there was little news, but in October 2022 an arrest was finally made. In this book longtime anchor and journalist Susan Hendricks, who was one of the first to cover the case, explores the crime and investigation, talking to the girls’ families, officials, and armchair detectives.
This is a case that has haunted me since I first heard about it. I was horrified that two innocent young girls could be murdered in broad daylight when they should be enjoying a care-free day off from school. My own sons were a similar age to the girls at the time and I couldn’t help imagining them in their place along with the anguish their families must be feeling. No one expects to drop their kids or siblings off at the park in the middle of the day and never see them again. The book opens with a heartrending foreward by Libby’s sister, Kesli, that reduced me to tears. You can hear the pain in her voice and it really brings home what was lost that day.
I love that this book is sp victim-focused. Through interviews with the victims family and friends the author paints a picture of who Abby and Libby were, reminding us of what was taken from the world when they were brutally murdered. She explores the effect of the crime on those who loved the girls and how they dealt with their grief while navigating public interest and a police investigation that seemed to go nowhere. Hendricks also discusses the things taken from those left behind that we might not think about. Things we take for granted, such as a sense of safety. Knowing there was a killer somewhere in the midst of this small town destroyed that feeling for so many and Kelsi discusses her lingering fear and suspicion, how she didn’t know who she could trust and was forever wondering if men she saw could be the monster that took her sister away from her. Hendricks also examines the effects of the crime on the small town and how the residents deal with their home suddenly becoming infamous across the globe.
Powerful, piercing, heartbreaking, raw and deeply human, this is a sensitively written account of a harrowing crime. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys this genre.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✮
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Veteran CNN and HLN journalist Susan Hendricks anchored the network’s live news program Weekend Express from 2016 to December 2022. Among her many assignments at HLN, Hendricks anchored extensive coverage on the Delphi double murder investigation including the special report, “Delphi Murders: Teen Girls’ Killer in Custody?” along with retired veteran cold case investigator Paul Holes. Hendricks also anchored the “Gabby Petito Investigation: Where is the Fugitive Fiance?” Susan recently sat down for a one on one exclusive interview with Gabby Petito’s father Joe Petito, who shared the struggles he and his family have gone through and the action they are taking to change laws and make it easier for the families of missing loved ones. Additionally, Hendricks delivered news updates for 5 years on Anderson Coopers CNN primetime show, AC360. Prior to joining CNN/HLN, she served as a morning news anchor at NBC affiliate station WMIR-TV, and a reporter at ABC affiliate KESQ-TV, both in Palm Springs, CA. Raised in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Hendricks attended the Hun School of Princeton and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Arizona State University. She resides in Atlanta with her husband, Joe, and two children, Emery and Jack.
Published June 29th, 2023 by Ebury Biography, Memoir, True Story, LGBTQ+ Biography, LGBTQ+ Political and Social Issues, Sex, Health and Social Issues
Today is the last day of Transgender Awareness Week so I’m sharing my review of the powerful, moving and thought-provoking, The T in LGBT.
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SYNOPSIS:
Hey, I’m Jamie, a 29-year-old trans guy from the UK. I’ve been transitioning for 12 years now after realising I was trans (by accident!) at sixteen years old. I knew I was a boy since the age of four, but realised whilst growing up that I was different. It was only in my teens that I found the words to express who I was and what I needed to do. Since then, I’ve been on testosterone for more than a decade – I know, I can’t believe it either – I’ve also had top and bottom surgery and legally changed my sex, so I know a few things about the transitioning process and being trans!
I want to welcome you to The T in LGBT where you can explore and learn about so many topics surrounding gender identity: realising you’re trans, starting hormones, considering surgery, and everything in between. Whether you’re questioning your own identity and are looking for advice on certain stages of transition, or whether you’re wanting to learn about the trans experience to support someone or understand allyship, I hope this book can be your one-stop guide to everything trans related.
And don’t just take my word for it either – this book is packed full of advice, tips, and the personal stories of a range of trans voices, because no one journey is the same.
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MY REVIEW:
Jamie is a transgender man who has documented his transition on his YouTube channel, which also includes commentary on LGBTQ+ and lifestyle issues. I’ve been a loyal subscriber for about four years and his channel is one of my favourites. He is charming, likeable, witty, and relatable, and I appreciate how well-researched his videos are whatever their topic. As an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, Jamie and his wife, Shaaba, have been two of my biggest sources of education about transgender and LGBTQ+ issues, so when he announced he was releasing a book this summer I immediately pre-ordered myself a copy but had yet to find time to read it. When I learned that this week is Transgender Awareness Week I decided it was the perfect time to finally do so and added the audiobook to my playlist so I could fit it in more easily.
The T in LGBT is a book for everyone. The tagline refers to it as a book that will tell you ‘everything you need to know about being trans’. But it isn’t just for those who identify as trans, or a great tool for anyone questioning their gender identity, it is also for allies or anyone who wants to understand more about what it means and feels like to be transgender. Raines narrates the audiobook himself and I loved the familiarity of his voice, which is easy to listen to. He tells us at the start that it can be listened to in any order but I decided to listen chronologically as he took us through a wide range of subjects and I liked that he not only tells his own story, but also gives quotes from others in the community, and provides tips for allies.
Jamie talks about believing in ‘education through entertainment’ and that really shines through in the book. Like the man himself, this book is overwhelmingly positive, upbeat, funny and entertaining, never feeling heavy despite the difficult subjects that are addressed. It offers us a deeply personal look inside the difficult journey faced by trans men and women, reminding us that behind the headlines we have become so used to seeing are real people going through an incredibly difficult, emotional and life-changing experience. And by merging this with factual evidence that he gives credible sources for, Raines educates while reminding us that kindness and understanding is key. He also encourages the reader to check out the sources he provides and do their own research so they can make up their own mind about everything that is discussed, and I know I’ve learned so much from both this book and his videos.
Powerful, thought-provoking, moving, inspiring, and eye-opening, The T in LGBT is an important book that everyone should read.
Rating: ☕☕☕☕☕
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Jamie Lotun-Raines is an English YouTuber and LGBT advocate also known as ‘Jammidodger’. His videos include commentary on gender identity and other LGBTQ+ issues as well as general lifestyle topics. Raines is a trans man and has documented his transition on his chanel, which has over one million subscribers.
Raines has a masters degree and a PhD in Psychology from the University of Essex, receiving his doctorate in 2021. He has conducted research into the sexual response of trnasgneder men as well as other topics relating to gender and sexuality. The T in LGBT is his first book.
Raines lives in Essex with his wife Shaaba, who he married in 2022, and their cats Apollo and Prawn.
Published: September 23rd, 2021 Publisher: Pen and Sword Books Genre: Biography Format: Hardcover
I’m delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for this wonderful book. Thank you to Pen and Sword Books for the invitation to take part and the gifted copy of the book.
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SYNOPSIS:
The suffragette movement swept the country in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Led by the Pankhurst’s, the focus of the movement was in London with demonstrations and rallies taking place across the capital. But this was a nationwide movement with a strong northern influence with Edith Rigby being an ardent supporter. Edith was a controversial figure, not only was she was the first woman to own and ride a bicycle in her home town but she was founder of a school for girls and young women. Edith followed the example of Emmeline Pankhurst and her supporters and founded the Preston branch of the Women’s Social and Political Union. She was found guilty of arson and an attempted bomb attack in Liverpool following which she was incarcerated and endured hunger strike forming part of the ‘Cat and Mouse’ system with the government. During a political rally with Winston Churchill Edith threw a black pudding at a MP.
There are many tales to tell in the life of Edith Rigby, she was charismatic, passionate, ruthless and thoroughly unpredictable. She was someone who rejected the accepted notion of what a woman of her class should be the way she dressed and the way she ran her household but she was independent in mind and spirit and always had courage in her own convictions. As a suffragette, she was just as effective and brave as the Pankhurst women. This is the story of a life of a lesser known suffragette. This is Edith’s story.
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MY REVIEW:
“Edith was just one of these special women that made it possible for women today to vote, they all stood up to be counted and faced their enemy head on. They were game changers; they were suffragettes.”
I am absolutely delighted to be taking part in this blog tour and so proud of my fellow blogger Beverley Adams for writing this wonderful book. The Rebel Suffragette shines a spotlight on one of the lesser known suffragettes, Edith Rigby I knew nothing about Edith before reading this book. In fact, I hadn’t even heard of her. But my interest was piqued by this little-known northern suffragette who had captured the imagination of a fellow book blogger.
The suffragette movement swept the country in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Led by Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst, the fight to secure votes for women featured rallies and demonstrations that often descended into vandalism and violence as a way to draw attention to their cause.
Edith was a staunch socialist who believed in equality for women and the social classes. Though she was wealthy she treated her household staff like family and caused outrage in her neighbourhood by being seen to do her own household chores. She was a feisty, charismatic, spirited and determined woman who was an independent, controversial and unpredictable figure from a young age. She was both ruthless and brave in her fight for equality, founding the Preston branch of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) and taking part in rallies and demonstrations. She even threw black pudding at an MP during a political rally with Winston Churchill and was incarcerated for arson and an attempted bomb attack in Liverpool.
I loved getting to know Edith and learning more about the movement that allowed me to have the rights that I enjoy today. The book is well written and informative but never feels overwhelming. And at just 138 pages this is a quick read you will devour in no time. Fascinating, compelling and poignant, this book is a great reminder of what the ladies of the suffragette movement endured and the debt we owe them for fighting for our rights.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
Beverley Adams is an author and book blogger from Preston, Lancashire. The Rebel Suffragette is her first book.
Today I’m taking part in a blog tour that’s a little bit different. I was contacted by Midas PR asking if I would like to take part in a tour to celebrate the return of Cheltenham Literature Festival. They sent me a surprise book from an author who was appearing at the event, which I’m featuring today along with some information about the festival itself.
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I was thrilled to discover that the book I’ve been sent is Murder Isn’t Easy by Carla Valentine as this is one of my most anticipated October releases. I was so excited when I found out and can’t wait to read this fascinating book.
SYNOPSIS:
While other children were devouring the works of Enid Blyton and Beatrix Potter, Carla Valentine was poring through the pages of Agatha Christie novels. It was this early fascination that led to her job as a pathology technician, trained in forensics and working in mortuaries.
Nearly every Agatha Christie story involves one – or, more commonly, several – dead bodies, and for a young Carla, a curious child already fascinated with biology, these stories and these bodies were perfect puzzles.
Of course, Agatha herself didn’t talk of ‘forensics’ in the way we use it now, but in each tale she writes of twists and turns with her expert weave of human observation, ingenuity and genuine science of the era. Through the medium of the ‘whodunnit’, Agatha Christie was a pioneer of forensic science, and in Murder Isn’t Easy Carla illuminates all of the knowledge of one of our most beloved authors.
Published October 21st by Sphere books
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MEET THE AUTHOR:
From Amazon UK: I’m a qualified Anatomical Pathology Technologist (Mortuary Technician) who assisted pathologists with autopsies for almost 10 years. I’m now the technical curator of a Pathology Museum, author and broadcaster and after I finish my Masters Degree I hope to write more books!
*Taken from the website* Cheltenham Literature Festival is the world’s first literature festival, leading the way in celebrating the written and spoken word, presenting the best new voices in fiction and poetry alongside literary greats and high-profile speakers, while inspiring over 9,000 school children with a love of books through its Literature for Schools programme.
Cheltenham Literature Festival is part of Cheltenham Festivals – a charity delivering a pioneering year-round educational programme culminating in four internationally-acclaimed Jazz, Science, Music and Literature Festivals. Cheltenham Festivals creates experiences that bring joy, spark curiosity, connect communities and inspire change.
The Festival has an accompanying year-round programme of education and talent development outreach including its flagship Reading Teachers = Reading Pupils project which has rolled out nationally, enabling teachers and their pupils to rediscover the joy of reading. The other programmes include: the award-winning Beyond Words, a creative writing project working with vulnerable young people unable to access mainstream education in Gloucestershire, Words That Burn, a national human rights poetry project created in partnership with Amnesty International and Write Now, a unique mentoring, workshop and networking project that nurtures young people’s creative writing abilities.
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The festival is taking place both in person and online in 2021. Events take place 8th-17th October.
You can book tickets to watch online here and find tickets for in-person events here.
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Please check out the posts from the other bloggers taking part in this tour.
October is almost upon us, so it’s time for the books I’m most excited about being released. Thanks to October 1st having even more releases than Fiction the Third, this was another month that was difficult to decide, which is why I’m so late posting this month.
So, without further ado, here are my most anticipated books for October:
SYNOPSIS: A murder on the high seas. A detective duo. A demon who may or may not exist.
It’s 1634 and Samuel Pipps, the world’s greatest detective, is being transported to Amsterdam to be executed for a crime he may, or may not, have committed. Travelling with him is his loyal bodyguard, Arent Hayes, who is determined to prove his friend innocent. But no sooner are they out to sea than devilry begins to blight the voyage.
A twice-dead leper stalks the decks. Strange symbols appear on the sails. Livestock is slaughtered. And then three passengers are marked for death, including Samuel. Could a demon be responsible for their misfortunes?
With Pipps imprisoned, only Arent can solve a mystery that connects every passenger onboard. A mystery that stretches back into their past and now threatens to sink the ship, killing everybody on board…
WHY I’M ANTICIPATING THIS BOOK: As a big fan of historical fiction and mysteries, this synopsis sings to be. I’ve also heard great things about this author. I’m lucky to have a proof so will be diving in ASAP. Pre-order here
People of Abandoned Character by Clare Whitfield
Published: October 1st, 2020 Publisher: Head of Zeus Genre: Thriller, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Gothic Fiction, Historical Mystery, Medical Thriller
SYNOPSIS: He is my husband. To honour and obey. Until murder do us part.
London, 1888: Susannah rushes into marriage to a young and wealthy surgeon. After a passionate honeymoon, she returns home with her new husband wrapped around her little finger. But then everything changes. His behaviour becomes increasingly volatile and violent. He stays out all night, returning home bloodied and full of secrets.
Lonely and frustrated, Susannah starts following the gruesome reports of a spate of murders in Whitechapel. But as the killings continue, her mind takes her down the darkest path imaginable. Every time her husband stays out late, another victim is found dead.
Is it coincidence? Or is he the man they call Jack the Ripper?
WHY I’M ANTICIPATING THIS BOOK: Murder, one of my favourite historical eras, medical fiction and based on a true crime that’s one of the most enduring unsolved murder mysteries in history. This ticks all my boxes. Pre-order here
SYNOPSIS: For one young girl, discovering what it means to become a woman in a family, a community and a country determined to silence her will take all the courage she has.
Growing up in a small Ugandan village, Kirabo is surrounded by powerful women. Her grandmother, her aunts, her friends and cousins are all desperate for her to conform, but Kirabo is inquisitive, headstrong and determined. Up until now, she has been perfectly content with her life at the heart of this prosperous extended family, but as she enters her teenage years, she begins to feel the absence of the mother she has never known. The First Woman follows Kirabo on her journey to becoming a young woman and finding her place in the world, as her country is transformed by the bloody dictatorship of Idi Amin.
Jennifer Makumbi has written a sweeping tale of longing and rebellion, at once epic and deeply personal, steeped in an intoxicating mix of ancient Ugandan folklore and modern feminism, that will linger in the memory long after the final page.
WHY I’M ANTICIPATING THIS BOOK: The striking cover and fascinating synopsis made this an immediate addition to this list. I’ve been seeing great reviews for it too, so I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on a copy. Pre-order here
Mother Mother by Jessica O’Dwyer
Published: October 1st, 2020 Publisher: Apprentice House Press Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction
SYNOPSIS: A married couple in California grapples with race, betrayal, love, and loss when their son comes home from a Guatemalan orphanage.
Contemporary art museum curator Julie Cowan achieves her dream of motherhood through adoption, but her life is far from perfect. Her pathologist husband, Mark, is distracted by his gorgeous, young intern, while her hotshot new museum director boss doubts Julie’s curatorial chops. And Julie’s six-year-old son, Jack (born Juan), may never recover from trauma inflicted by early life spent in a Guatemalan orphanage.
Then Jack suffers a major health crisis, and everything pales next to saving his life. As much as Julie clings to being Jack’s “only” mother, she needs to find his Guatemalan mother to unlock his medical history. Julie hires a professional searcher, and what she learns turns her world upside down. At the same time, Jack’s birth mother, an indigenous Ixil Maya, navigates her own tumultuous path, beginning with surviving a horrific massacre.
In this gripping tale told from alternating perspectives, both mothers must draw on fierce inner strength to reckon with their life choices.
WHY I’M ANTICIPATING THIS BOOK: This sounds like an emotional read and I was excited to see it was available to ‘read now’ on Netgalley. So of course I broke my self-imposed request ban to download it. Pre-order here
The Haunting of Alma Fielding by Kate Sumnerscale
Published: October 1st, 2020 Publisher: Bloomsbury Genre: Biography, True Crime
SYNOPSIS: London, 1938. In the suburbs of the city, an ordinary young housewife has become the eye in a storm of chaos.
In Alma Fielding’s modest home, china flies off the shelves, eggs fly through the air; stolen jewellery appears on her fingers, white mice crawl out of her handbag, beetles appear from under her gloves; in the middle of a car journey, a terrapin materialises on her lap.
Nandor Fodor – a Jewish-Hungarian refugee and chief ghost hunter for the International Institute for Psychical Research – reads of the case, and hastens to the scene of the haunting. But when Fodor starts his scrupulous investigation, he discovers that the case is even stranger than it seems.
By unravelling Alma’s peculiar history, he finds a different and darker type of haunting: trauma, alienation, loss – and the foreshadowing of a nation’s worst fears. As the spectre of Fascism lengthens over Europe, and as Fodor’s obsession with the case deepens, Alma becomes ever more disturbed.
With rigour, daring and insight, the award-winning pioneer of non-fiction writing Kate Summerscale shadows Fodor’s enquiry, delving into long-hidden archives to find the human story behind a very modern haunting.
WHY I’M ANTICIPATING THIS BOOK: As I’ve already said, I love history and true stories, so this so this immediately jumped out at me. Pre-order here
What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez
Published: October 1st, 2020 Publisher: Virago Genre: Literary Fiction
SYNOPSIS: A woman visits a friend who is dying of cancer. Brilliant and stubborn, her friend makes a momentous request. She wishes to end her life on her own terms – and she wants the narrator’s help. Stricken, she agrees. ‘I promise,’ says the friend, ‘to make it as much fun as possible.’
What follows is an extraordinary tale of a friendship put to the greatest test: to witness, unflinching, its end. It is also a portrait of the way we live now, in a world endlessly troubled by crises, and the dramatically changing nature of human relationships in our time.
WHY I’M ANTICIPATING THIS BOOK: As someone living with chronic pain, the question of assisted dying is one that fascinates me. And the idea of examining that issue through not only the eyes of someone who wants to die, but the person they ask to help them, is one I knew I had to read. Pre-order here.
Present day: Thea Rust arrives at an exclusive boarding school in the British countryside, only to find that she is not only having to look after the first intake of girls in its 150-year history, but that she is to stay with them in Silk House. A converted silk factory from the 18th century, where the shadows hide more mysteries than she could ever imagine…
1700s, Oxleigh: Leaving her village to work in the home of an English silk merchant Rowan Caswell finds herself thrust into a new and dangerous world, where she must hide her secret even more than ever before.
1700s, London: Mary-Louise Stephenson lives amid the clatter of the weaving trade and dreams of becoming a silk designer. Arriving in Oxleigh she brings with her a length of fabric woven with a pattern of deadly plants, that will have far-reaching consequences for all who dwell in the silk house.
Intoxicating, haunting and inspired by the author’s background, The Silk House is the exceptional new gothic mystery by Kayte Nunn.
WHY I’M ANTICIPATING THIS BOOK: This is another book that ticks so many of my favourite boxes. It also helps that I’ve been meaning to read a book by this author for a long time. Pre-order here.
SYNOPSIS: Sisterhood binds them. Trauma defines them. Will secrets tear them apart?
Leah’s perfect marriage isn’t what it seems but the biggest lie of all is that she’s learned to live with what happened all those years ago.Marie drinks a bit too much to help her forget. And Carly has never forgiven herself for not keeping them safe.
Twenty years ago The Sinclair Sisters were taken. But what came after their return was far worse. Can a family ever recover, especially when not everyone is telling the truth…?
WHY I’M ANTICIPATING THIS BOOK: I loved Louise Jensen’s last novel so as soon as she announced this one I knew it would be on this list. Pre-order here.
Mr. Cadmus by Peter Ackroyd
Published: October 1st, 2020 Publisher: Canongate Genre: Thriller, Mystery
SYNOPSIS: Two apparently harmless women reside in cottages one building apart in the idyllic English village of Little Camborne. Miss Finch and Miss Swallow, cousins, have put their pasts behind them and settled into conventional country life. But when a mysterious foreigner, Theodore Cadmus – from Caldera, a Mediterranean island nobody has heard of – moves into the middle cottage, the safe monotony of their lives is shattered.
The fates of the two cousins and Mr Cadmus, and those of Little Camborne and Caldera, become inextricably enmeshed. Long-hidden secrets and long-held grudges threaten to surface, drawing all into a vortex of subterfuge, theft, violence, mayhem . . . and murder.
WHY I’M ANTICIPATING THIS BOOK: I’ll admit, it was the gorgeous, purple cover that first caught my attention. But it is the synopsis that had made it one of my most anticipated reads. I’m a sucker for a mystery. Pre-order here
Pandora’s Jar by Natalie Haynes
Published: October 1st, 2020 Publisher: Picador Genre: Fairy Tale, Fiction
SYNOPSIS: Sisterhood binds them. Trauma defines them. Will secrets tear them apart?
Leah’s perfect marriage isn’t what it seems but the biggest lie of all is that she’s learned to live with what happened all those years ago. Marie drinks a bit too much to help her forget. And Carly has never forgiven herself for not keeping them safe.
Twenty years ago The Sinclair Sisters were taken. But what came after their return was far worse. Can a family ever recover, especially when not everyone is telling the truth…?
WHY I’M ANTICIPATING THIS BOOK: I’ve been seeing rave reviews for this online. And the combination of fairy tale and an exploration of how they are affected by trauma is intoxicating to me. Pre-order here
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E Schwab
Published: October 6th, 2020 Publisher: Titan Genre: Historical Fantasy
SYNOPSIS: For someone damned to be forgettable, Addie LaRue is a most delightfully unforgettable character, and her story is the most joyous evocation of unlikely immortality. Neil Gaiman In the vein of The Time Traveler s Wife and Life After Life, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab s genre-defying tour de force.
When Addie La Rue makes a pact with the devil, she trades her soul for immortality. But there’s always a price – the devil takes away her place in the world, cursing her to be forgotten by everyone.
Addie flees her tiny home town in 18th-Century France, beginning a journey that takes her across the world, learning to live a life where no one remembers her and everything she owns is lost and broken. Existing only as a muse for artists throughout history, she learns to fall in love anew every single day.
Her only companion on this journey is her dark devil with hypnotic green eyes, who visits her each year on the anniversary of their deal. Alone in the world, Addie has no choice but to confront him, to understand him, maybe to beat him.
Until one day, in a second hand bookshop in Manhattan, Addie meets someone who remembers her. Suddenly thrust back into a real, normal life, Addie realises she can’t escape her fate forever.
WHY I’M ANTICIPATING THIS BOOK: The synopsis of this book immediately piqued my interest; but it was when I saw the comparison to The Time Traveller’s Wife – one of my favourite books of all time – I knew I had to read it. Pre-order here
The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida by Clarissa Goenawan
Published: October 8th, 2020 Publisher: Scribe Genre: Literary Fiction
SYNOPSIS: A bewitching novel set in contemporary Japan about the mysterious suicide of a young woman.
Miwako Sumida is dead.
Now those closest to her try to piece together the fragments of her life. Ryusei, who has always loved her, follows Miwako’s trail to a remote Japanese village. Chie, Miwako’s best friend, was the only person to know her true identity ― but is now the time to reveal it? Meanwhile, Fumi, Ryusei’s sister, is harbouring her own haunting secret.
Together, they realise that the young woman they thought they knew had more going on behind her seemingly perfect façade than they could ever have dreamed.
WHY I’M ANTICIPATING THIS BOOK: I’m guilty of another cover-love addition here. But, in my defence, it sounds like a fantastic story. I first saw this recommended on a friend’s Instagram stories and knew that if she loved it, so would I. Pre-order here
Deputy Stuart Kofer is a protected man. Though he’s turned his drunken rages on his girlfriend, Josie, and her children many times before, the police code of silence has always shielded him.
But one night he goes too far, leaving Josie for dead on the floor before passing out. Her son, sixteen-year-old Drew, knows he only has this one chance to save them. He picks up a gun and takes the law into his own hands.
In Clanton, Mississippi, there is no one more hated than a cop killer – but a cop killer’s defence lawyer comes close. Jake Brigance doesn’t want this impossible case but he’s the only one with enough experience to defend the boy.
As the trial begins, it seems there is only one outcome: the gas chamber for Drew. But, as the town of Clanton discovers once again, when Jake Brigance takes on an impossible case, anything is possible.
WHY I’M ANTICIPATING THIS BOOK: John Grisham is one of my favourite authors. I’ve loved his book ever since I read A Time To Kill, my favourite of the many he’s written, over two decades ago. So as soon as the author announced a follow up it became one of my most anticipated books this year. Pre-order here.
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
Published: October 13th, 2020 Publisher: Little Brown Book Group Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Alternative Fiction, Occult Fiction
SYNOPSIS: In 1893, there’s no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.
But when the three Eastwood sisters join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten ways that might turn the women’s movement into the witch’s movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote – and perhaps not even to live – the sisters must delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.
There’s no such thing as witches. But there will be.
WHY I’M ANTICIPATING THIS BOOK: Gorgeous cover ✔️ Historical Fiction ✔️ Creepy ✔️ This sounds like just the kind of book I will love and a perfect Autumn read. Pre-order here.
SYNOPSIS: It was like something out of a fairytale… The grieving widower. The motherless daughters. A beautiful house in the woods.
Deep in a remote Norwegian forest, Lexi has found a new home with architect Tom and his two young daughters. With snow underfoot and the sound of the nearby fjord in her ears, it’s as if Lexi has stepped into a fairy tale
But this family has a history – and this place has a past. Something was destroyed to build their beautiful new house. And those ancient, whispering woods have a long memory.
Lexi begins to hear things, see things that don’t make sense. She used to think this place heavenly, but in the dark, dark woods, a menacing presence lurks.
With darkness creeping in from the outside, Lexi knows she needs to protect the children in her care.
But protect them from what?
WHY I’M ANTICIPATING THIS BOOK: Again, this has so many elements I love. I’m lucky to be on the blog tour for this one. My review will be posted on October 26th. Pre-order here.
Ghosts by Dolly Alderton
Published: October 15th, 2020 Publisher: Penguin UK Genre: Contemporary Fiction
SYNOPSIS: Nina Dean has arrived at her early thirties as a successful food writer with loving friends and family, plus a new home and neighbourhood. When she meets Max, a beguiling romantic hero who tells her on date one that he’s going to marry her, it feels like all is going to plan.
A new relationship couldn’t have come at a better time – her thirties have not been the liberating, uncomplicated experience she was sold. Everywhere she turns, she is reminded of time passing and opportunities dwindling. Friendships are fading, ex-boyfriends are moving on and, worse, everyone’s moving to the suburbs. There’s no solace to be found in her family, with a mum who’s caught in a baffling mid-life makeover and a beloved dad who is vanishing in slow-motion into dementia.
Dolly Alderton’s debut novel is funny and tender, filled with whip-smart observations about relationships, family, memory, and how we live now.
WHY I’M ANTICIPATING THIS BOOK: Dolly Alderson is an author I’ve seen all over bookstagram, and her first fiction novel sounds like a great, lighthearted read. Pre-order here.
SYNOPSIS: Who would you be, if you hadn’t turned out to be the person you are now?
Dawn is a death doula, and spends her life helping people make the final transition peacefully.
But when the plane she’s on plummets, she finds herself thinking not of the perfect life she has, but the life she was forced to abandon fifteen years ago – when she left behind a career in Egyptology, and a man she loved.
Against the odds, she survives, and the airline offers her a ticket to wherever she needs to get to – but the answer to that question suddenly seems uncertain.
As the path of her life forks in two very different directions, Dawn must confront questions she’s never truly asked: What does a well-lived life look like? What do we leave behind when we go? And do we make our choices, or do our choices make us?
Two possible futures. One impossible choice.
WHY I’M ANTICIPATING THIS BOOK: I’m a total Jodi fan-girl and anything she publishes is one of my most anticipated books of that year. I’m taking part in a Tandem Collective readalong for this one, which begins on October 6th. Pre-order here.
SYNOPSIS: Romilly lives in a ramshackle house with her eccentric artist father and her cat, Monty. She knows little about her past – but she knows that she is loved.
When her father finds fame with a series of children’s books starring her as the main character, everything changes: exotic foods appear on the table, her father appears on TV, and strangers appear at their door, convinced the books contain a treasure hunt leading to a glittering prize.
But as time passes, Romilly’s father becomes increasingly suspicious of everything around him, until, before her eyes, he begins to disappear altogether.
In her increasingly isolated world, Romilly turns to the secrets her father has hidden in his illustrated books, realising that there is something far darker and more devastating locked within the pages…
The truth.
The Illustrated Child is the unforgettable, beguiling debut from Polly Crosby.
WHY I’M ANTICIPATING THIS BOOK: I first heard about this book early this year and it instantly became one I was desperate to read. I’ve unsuccessfully tried to get my hands on a proof but was accepted on the blog tour, so I’ll finally be reading it soon. My review will be published on October 27th. Pre-order here.
One August Night by Victioria Hislop
Published: October 29th, 2020 Publisher: Headline Genre: Contemporary Fiction
SYNOPSIS: 25th August 1957. The island of Spinalonga closes its leper colony. And a moment of violence has devastating consequences.
When time stops dead for Maria Petrakis and her sister, Anna, two families splinter apart and, for the people of Plaka, the closure of Spinalonga is forever coloured with tragedy.
In the aftermath, the question of how to resume life looms large. Stigma and scandal need to be confronted and somehow, for those impacted, a future built from the ruins of the past.
Number one bestselling author Victoria Hislop returns to the world and characters she created in The Island – the award-winning novel that remains one of the biggest selling reading group novels of the century. It is finally time to be reunited with Anna, Maria, Manolis and Andreas in the weeks leading up to the evacuation of the island… and beyond.
WHY I’M ANTICIPATING THIS BOOK: I only heard about this book a few weeks ago (I know, I must have been living under a rock) and I immediately added it to this list. The Island is a book I fell in love with when I read it many years ago and I can’t wait to see where the author takes the story next. Pre-order here.
Starve Acre by Andrew Muchael Hurley
Published: October 29th, 2020 Publisher: John Murray Press Genre: FaHorror, Ghost Story
SYNOPSIS: The worst thing possible has happened. Richard and Juliette Willoughby’s son, Ewan, has died suddenly at the age of five. Starve Acre, their house by the moors, was to be full of life, but is now a haunted place.
Juliette, convinced Ewan still lives there in some form, seeks the help of the Beacons, a seemingly benevolent group of occultists. Richard, to try and keep the boy out of his mind, has turned his attention to the field opposite the house, where he patiently digs the barren dirt in search of a legendary oak tree.
Starve Acre is a devastating new novel by the author of the prize-winning bestseller The Loney. It is a novel about the way in which grief splits the world in two and how, in searching for hope, we can so easily unearth horror.
WHY I’M ANTICIPATING THIS BOOK: This sounds like a fantastic and haunting read. I’ve also heard great things about this author and I’m excited to read his work for myself. Pre-order here
Are any of these on your tbr or wishlist? What book out next month are you most looking forward to?
Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for this spectacular debut. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part and Endeavour for the gifted copy of the book.
SYNOPSIS:
Alexandra Wilson was a teenager when her dear family friend Ayo was stabbed on his way home from football. Ayo’s death changed Alexandra. She felt compelled to enter the legal profession in search of answers.
As a junior criminal and family law barrister, Alexandra finds herself navigating a world and a set of rules designed by a privileged few. A world in which fellow barristers sigh with relief when a racist judge retires: ‘I’ve got a black kid today and he would have had no hope’.
In her debut book, In Black and White, Alexandra re-creates the tense courtroom scenes, the heart-breaking meetings with teenage clients, and the moments of frustration and triumph that make up a young barrister’s life.
Alexandra shows us how it feels to defend someone who hates the colour of your skin, or someone you suspect is guilty. We see what it is like for children coerced into county line drug deals and the damage that can be caused when we criminalise teenagers.
Alexandra’s account of what she has witnessed as a young mixed-race barrister is in equal parts shocking, compelling, confounding and powerful.
MY REVIEW:
“It was watching moments like these that made me realise how important diversity is in the legal profession. I wanted to be able to give people a voice and be instrumental in changing the path of their lives.”
In Black and White is a sensational debut that tells the author’s own story; charting her journey to become a barrister.
Bold, intelligent, thorough-provoking, affecting and inspiring, Ms. Wilson draws the reader in quickly, beginning her story with her cousin’s tragic murder when they were both just seventeen. This event was a major turning point in her life and is what set her on her path to a career as a barrister. We then follow each step, from her first interest in the law, her early days in pupillage, to finally qualifying as a fully-fledged barrister.
As both a woman and person of mixed heritage, she finds herself facing obstacles of multiple kinds of discrimination along the way and examines a range of issues faced not only by her, but by people in all facets of the criminal justice system. The writing is fantastic, the story as compelling as any courtroom drama. But it’s all real. She holds the reader in her thrall, educating them without getting overly academic, using her own experiences and observations alongside the facts and figures.
Ms. Wilson is a remarkable woman who has overcome so much. Her warmth, compassion, strength and tenacity shine from every page. She often talks about not being sure if she’s the right fit for the Bar, but it is clear that she is exactly what it needs. Our justice system needs understanding, empathy, diversity and people who believe in justice and equality for all. Ms. Wilson ticks all of those boxes and is someone who can not only make great changes herself, but inspire others to do the same.
This powerful story is essential reading for anyone who cares about equality and diversity. It is a reminder of the reality of sexism, classism, racism and misogyny facing those in our legal system every day. And a reminder that through our own actions we can affect change in the places it is needed, one step at a time.
Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Alexandra Wilson is a junior barrister. She grew up in Essex and is the eldest of four children. Her mother is White British, her father is Black British and her paternal grandparents were born in Jamaica and came to England as part of the Windrush generation.
Alexandra studied at the University of Oxford and was awarded two prestigious scholarships, enabling her to research the impact of police shootings in the US on young people’s attitudes to the police. She went on to study for a Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) and her Master of Laws at BPP University in London. Alexandra was awarded the first Queen’s scholarship by the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, a scholarship awarded to students showing exceptional promise in a career at the Bar.
Alongside her paid family and criminal law work, Alexandra helps to facilitate access to justice by providing legal representation for disenfranchised minorities and others on a pro-bono basis.
Today is my stop on the tour for this fascinating book. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part and Unbound for the gifted copy.
SYNOPSIS:
Where are the women philosophers? The answer is right here.
The history of philosophy has not done women justice: you ve probably heard the names Plato, Kant, Nietzsche and Locke but what about Hypatia, Arendt, Oluwole and Young?
The Philosopher Queens is a long-awaited book about the lives and works of women in philosophy by women in philosophy. This collection brings to centre stage twenty prominent women whose ideas have had a profound but for the most part uncredited impact on the world.
You ll learn about Ban Zhao, the first woman historian in ancient Chinese history; Angela Davis, perhaps the most iconic symbol of the American Black Power Movement; Azizah Y. al-Hibri, known for examining the intersection of Islamic law and gender equality; and many more.
For anyone who has wondered where the women philosophers are, or anyone curious about the history of ideas it’s time to meet the philosopher queens.
MY REVIEW:
The Philosopher Queens is a beautifully illustrated non-fiction book that introduces the reader to the forgotten female voices of philosophy. A subject long dominated by the works of men, the author’s of this book decided it was time to bring those forgotten voices into the light for all to hear and finally give them the credit for their contributions they deserve.
The book is written as a series of essays that each focus on a different woman. The essay outlines the key points of her ideas and influence on philosophy, as well as personal details such as her upbringing, education, personal life and character. At the end of the book there is information about where you can read more about them should you wish to further explore their ideas. For me, it was the personal details combined with the stunning portrait of each woman that accompanies each essay, that brought each woman to life and made them leap from the pages in vivid technicolour.
I am not a philosopher. I’ve never studied it, and know very little about the subject. But I found this to be a fascinating read that educated me without feeling too heavy or academic. It surprised me to see some familiar names in this book, like George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans, to give her non-pen name), Iris Murdoch and Angela Davis, and I will certainly look at them, and their impact on our society, differently after reading this book.
If you’re looking for something different that you can pick up and read a little of when you have some time here or there, something educational or a book about amazing women and their ideas, then this is a book for you. It is in an important book that I hope will come to be studied in schools and universities for many years to come so that the future generations never forget the Philosopher Queens.
Rating:✮✮✮✮✰
MEET THE AUTHORS:
Rebecca Buxton is a PhD student in International Development at the University of Oxford, specialising in philosophy, ethics and forced migration. Rebecca previously studied Philosophy at King’s College London. When she’s not working on her PhD she writes as a Community Fellow for Refugees Deeply, a news organisation specialising in forced displacement. In her spare time Rebecca likes to visit her one-eyed goldendoodle, Duffy, back at home in Worthing.
Lisa Whiting is currently studying for an MSc in Government, Policy and Politics following her undergraduate degree in philosophy. She studies whilst working as a policy professional focused on the intersection of policy and ethics with a particular interest in data ethics. In her spare time, she listens to podcasts, watches documentaries and tries to keep her house plants alive.
Emma's Biblio Treasures 