Short But Stunning: Moranifesto by Caitlin Moran

Turning to short prose, I’ll finish this series on short but stunning writing by reviewing an eagerly awaited recent addition to our bookshelves: Caitlin Moran’s new book Moranifesto, a collection of her columns and opinion pieces for the Times and others. Arranged loosely by theme, this is a delightful combination of humour, pop culture and reviews and heartfelt opinion, particularly on issues affecting poverty and feminism.

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Inspiring People: Elaine Storkey

Scars Across Humanity: Understanding and Overcoming Violence Against Women by Elaine Storkey

This week I went to the launch of Elaine Storkey’s new book Scars Across Humanity, a study of the global drivers  and impacts of violence against women.

Elaine Storkey is one of my all-time heroes, who has spoken up for justice time and time again, through her 16 years as President of the international development charity Tearfund and through her research and writing as an academic. I have heard her speak at big conferences, including Greenbelt and the SPEAK Network (a campaigns network for students and young people which is another of the charities she supports and encourages). So it was a pleasant surprise to discover she was coming to my local library on a Saturday afternoon as part of York International Women’s Festival!

Inspiring People: Waris Dirie #2

Desert Dawn by Waris Dirie and Jeanne D’Haem

After her rise to fame described in Desert Flower, what happened next?

Waris Dirie’s second book is an honest account of a life split between two cultures: her husband in America and her family in Somalia. After so many years in the West, she returns home for an extended visit to her village and describes the culture shock in both directions: her family’s expectations and her own.

Inspiring People: Waris Dirie #1

Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Story of A Desert Nomad

by Waris Dirie and Cathleen Miller

This book tells the story of Waris Dirie, from Somalia to England, from servant to international model, from a victim of violence to healing and eventually becoming a UN ambassador challenging the practice of FGM, in a world where 3 million women and girls are cut every year.

Inspiring People: I Am Malala

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb

Malala Yousafzai has become a familiar face in recent years, and her story is an adventure of principled youth against oppression. Having become a campaigner for girls like herself to be educated like the boys in Pakistan, aged 15 she was shot on her way to school by the Taliban.

Welcome to Our New Book Blog!

Welcome to our new book blog “EdBucks” (like Starbucks, but with more books. Oh, and we pay our taxes too). Two booklovers based in York (surrounded by teetering piles of books that won’t quite fit on the bookshelves*) writing about the books we love. Each week we’ll have book reviews exploring a particular theme, whether historical novels, business books or short stories, and suggestions for what to read next (whether books or blogs).

This week it’s International Women’s Day (8th March) so we’re looking at Inspiring People, with biographies of people who have made a difference in the world, from Desmond Tutu to Waris Dirie.

We’ll also have author interviews, our favourite bookshops and places to read, literary events and regular updates with the latest news from Yorkshire-based author Edward Cooke. You can follow his GoodReads page here.

*An amusing solution to the problem of having more books than shelves can be found on Bronte’s Page Turners here.