These aren’t necessarily books released in 2023, but they are books I read this year. In no particular order…
Don’t Touch My Hair – Emma Dabiri
What starts with the experiences of a black girl growing up in Dublin when there were no other black girls in Dublin turns into a fascinating exploration of Afro-Caribbean culture, Western standards of beauty, how European models of thinking aren’t the only ways of thinking and how much pressure black women are placed under to conform. Really, really enlightening.
Wasteland – Oliver Franklin-Wallis
I got the chance to see Oliver present at the September TBD event in London, and chatted with him briefly afterwards. Wasteland is a travelogue that follows the stories of where the things we throw away end up. It puts a huge amount of detail onto what goes on beyond bin day, and does so through wonderful storytelling.
Watford Forever – John Preston
Until now, whilst the remarkable story of Watford Football Club in the 1970s and 80s has been told many times, never has it really included the perspectives of one of the two characters central to what was a huge part of my childhood. Elton John collaborated with Preston on this book, and the story focuses around his and and Graham Taylor’s relationship from the mid 1970s until Taylor’s terribly early death nearly seven years ago.
The thing above all else I like about the narrative is how it entwines the story of how a town that had lost its way was given a new sense of pride and identity by what went on at Vicarage Road. For a while to be from Watford meant something.
I’m constantly learning from the creative genius that is Marcus John Henry Brown. This book, that explores how plots are structured in films, is fascinating. It’s also helped me to think more clearly about structuring the stories that I need to tell.
How They Broke Britain – James o’Brien
It’s a bit of a rant, but cathartic. O’Brien takes to task the various players that he sees as responsible for the state that the country is currently in.
I think this was my favourite read of 2023. Sherwood is a wonderful storyteller, and through a number of lenses she explores what it is to be real. Delighted that she will be joining us on WB-40 at the beginning of March to talk about some of the themes.
Demon Copperhead – Barbara Kingsolver
I don’t read a lot of fiction, but this got recommended and it is devastating – a retelling of David Copperfield through the lives of Oxycontin-addicted poor Americans.
The Idea Factory – John Gertner
Gertner’s book explorers the creative powerhouse that was Bell Labs, a place that created so many significant inventions it needs a whole book to explore. Really useful insight into the power of bringing creative people together and not telling them what to do.
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