UNDER COVER
A passionate reader who leaves books in public spaces and has her own online book club, Our Shared Self, Emma Watson talks us through some of her favourite tomes.
A passionate reader who leaves books in public spaces and has her own online book club, Emma Watson reveals some of her favourite tomes.
1. Redefining Realness (Atria Books, $22.99) by Janet Mock For a trans person, telling their story, standing in their truth is a revolutionary act. Janet Mock shares all that society has told her to keep quiet in service of her truth and to help empower others. We not only see her in all her humanity, we are moved to see the world differently.
2. The Five-Minute Journal (Intelligent Change, $28.99) by Alex Ikonn and UJ Ramdas I love the idea of starting my day by listing three things I’m grateful for, and going to bed thinking about three amazing things that happened in the day. I’m a big believer in the transformative practice of gratitude.
3. Ain’t I A Woman (Routledge, $39.99) by Bell Hooks Bell Hooks wrote this book in 1981, but her commentary about the impact of racism and sexism on black women is still relevant today. The book reminds me that in order to fight for true equality for all women, we must take into account the movement’s past injustices.
4. The Mother of All Questions (Granta, $24.99) by Rebecca Solnit A brilliant follow-up to Men Explain Things to Me. I love referring people to her essay … [i.e.] when asked in the wake of the #MeToo movement whether there can’t be any jokes or fun anymore. She slays the myth that feminists don’t have a sense of humour: she’s funny as hell.
5. Rumi: Bridge to the Soul: Journeys Into the Music and Silence of the Heart (Harper-Collins, $19.99) by Coleman Barks One of my favourite lines from a Rumi poem is: ‘Stop acting so small, you are the universe in ecstatic motion.’ His words, even in grief, are so lushly drawn, full of knowing. He truly is a genius.
6. Homo Deus: : A Brief History of Tomorrow (Vintage, $24.99) by Yuval Noah Harari The author has a vision for the future in which humans have mastered most of our environment, from nature to our own biology. I want to try and understand the potential consequences of our scientific advances.
7. Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race (Bloomsbury, $19.99) by Reni Eddo-Lodge With history, context and astute commentary, Reni Eddo-Lodge gives us critical ways to see and understand how structural and damaging racism is on an everyday basis.
8. Conscious Business: How to Build Value Through Values (Sounds True, $29.99) by Fred Kofman
Conscious Business is about being mindful in your professional life. Kofman writes about responding to challenges in a way that honours your own values and builds mutually respectful relationships.
9. Stitched Up: The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion (Pluto Press, $29.99) by Tansy E. Hoskins. Tansy Hoskins begins her book with the unflinching description of the horrific fire that killed 1,133 garment workers in Bangladesh. By the end of the book, she makes a strong case for nothing less than a revolution. To see more of Emma Watson’s literary picks, go to oursharedshelf.com, where the actress selects and reads a feminist text every other month.