5 Books Changing Our Minds
If we grow through discomfort, which authors are pushing us out of our comfort zones with their words, and challenging our perceptions of the world? Here are our 5 picks of the books changing the way we think.
By Erin O’Connor
This year, social restrictions were put into play, movement in the outside world was reduced to a few hours here and there. Lockdown kept us in our homes, forcing us to make do with what we had in our vicinity and trying to create joy and enjoyment out of our possessions.
Times might be uncertain and a lot of what’s going on in the outside world may be out of our control, but what we can control is how we spend the time we have right now.
I don’t know about you, but lockdown has drawn me into a space of learning, growing, and serious re-evaluation of the way I think. There’s no doubt that 2020 has been a sh*tshow of a year, in more ways than one. But it’s also prised open our eyes so wide to the fact that we are in a huge cultural, environmental and social shift. Now is really the time to broaden our minds, challenge old and decrepit thought patterns that no longer serve us, and start to think expansively so that we can work together to create a more just, better and healthier society.
After all, to live mindfully is to live in a way that allows us to grow, connect and make the world a better place.
This is our pick of the books that are challenging the way we think that you can buy right now.
1. Uju Asika, Bringing Up Race, How to Raise a Kind Child in a Prejudiced World
Credit: @babesabouttown/ Instagram
Uju Asika is a screenwriter, blogger and now author. We recently had Uju on the latest season of The Quiet Life podcast, where she chatted with Michael about how talking about race really starts within the home and how parents across all races can start to approach the subject with their kids. She is an advocate for fostering a generation of kind and compassionate children who will grow up to change this world for the better, and she’s written a book about it. If you aren’t a parent yourself this is still a great read, packed full of human stories that are sure to open your eyes.
2. Mikki Kendall, Hood Feminism
Credit: @karnythia / Instagram
Mikki Kendall is an author and activist for racial equality, feminism and how the two intersect. Her book, Hood Feminism, takes a real world perspective on feminism and shows how all social issues, especially race, are feminist issues. Her fantastic insight shows how traditional feminism can be very alienating for anyone that’s not white, and is an important call to action for change.
At this point, being a feminist should be a given. However, something that admittedly didn’t cross my mind is how hierarchical feminism is, and how important it is for us to recognise how all issues that affect society (race, politics, education, poverty, gun violence etc.) are feminist issues but they are all too often left out of the feminist conversation.
3. Greta Thunberg et al, Our House is On Fire
Credit: penguin.co.uk
By now we should all know who Greta Thunberg is. She is a 17 year old Swedish environmental activist, who pioneered the School Strike for Climate movement that has now expanded globally.
Greta’s name has quickly become synonymous with environmental activism, and for good reason. This book, co-written with her family, is a courageous account of how she went from protesting solo outside of the Swedish embassy to sparking global protests and challenging our current political landscape. This book is a story of how the Thunberg family fought the problems they were having at home (the discovery of Greta’s autism) by taking global action against climate change.
4. Paul Arden, Whatever You Think, Think The Opposite
Credi: penguin.co.uk
The late Paul Arden was the creative director of Saatchi and Saatchi, and wrote several books (including this) on advertising and motivation. This book will challenge everything you once took as given, showing that if you want to create change and a difference in the world we need to start thinking differently.
Making bad decisions, taking risks, being unreasonable. We’re told not to do these right? Paul is saying we should. His book challenges the way we show up in the world and how we approach our work. This is a favourite of our Creative Director, who says it’s an essential read for everyone who has any interest in how the human mind works.
5. Lucy Jones, Losing Eden
Credit: penguin.co.uk
‘Why did nature end, Granny?’
Granny sighed. ‘We didn’t love it enough,’ she said. ‘And we forgot that it could give us peace.’
This is a beautiful and somewhat galvanising excerpt from the preface of Lucy’s latest work. In this book, she explores the relationship between the natural world and the human psyche; a wide-ranging inquiry into the mechanism by which our contact with nature is therapeutic.
This book serves is not just a wonderful reminder of how we need to connect more with nature, and how taking care of the planet is a priority that we just cannot ignore. The incredible research woven together with a beautifully depicted narrative really shines a light on how we’ve forgotten the natural world around us and how critical it is for us to reconnect.
Lucy Jones is a journalist and author, and has been featured in a plethora of reputable publications such as BBC Earth, the Guardian and the Independent. We were lucky enough to welcome her onto our podcast The Quiet Life - which you can listen to here.
Support your local bookstore
If you want to get a copy of any of these books, we implore you to support your local bookstores, where possible, and buy from them. If you need guidance on where to find more ethical bookstores at the link below, if you are in the UK you can also visit bookshop.org
ERIN O’CONNOR
Erin is a writer based in London. When’s she’s not attending a space rave, or attempting to make her own face scrub she is writing about anything and everything to do with wellbeing and mindfulness.
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