Wider Reading Club Dec 23

Wider Reading Club A SMALL INTRODUCTION WELCOME TO THE FIRST EDITION OF THE WIDER READING NEWSLETTER! AT THE END OF EACH TERM, THERE WILL BE A SMALL NEWSLETTER FULL OF RECOMMENDATIONS OF BOOKS TO READ ALONGSIDE YOUR SUBJECTS. (HOPEFULLY) THERE’S SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE! IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A WAY TO START FINDING THINGS TO PUT ON YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT OR JUST LOOKING FOR YOUR NEXT BOOK, HAVE A LOOK! HOPEFULLY, YOU’LL FIND SOMETHING TO ENJOY HERE! PLEASE DO COME ALONG TO THE NEXT SESSION AFTER CHRISTMAS BREAK ON THE 10TH OF JANUARY AND LET US KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS OR FEEDBACK! HAPPY READING!

JIYA

BIOLOGY THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS ~ REBECCA SKLOOT

4.5

HER NAME WAS HENRIETTA LACKS, BUT SCIENTISTS KNOW HER AS HELA. BORN A POOR BLACK TOBACCO FARMER, HER CANCER CELLS – TAKEN WITHOUT ASKING HER – BECAME A MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR INDUSTRY AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOLS IN MEDICINE. YET HENRIETTA’S FAMILY DID NOT LEARN OF HER ‘IMMORTALITY’ UNTIL MORE THAN TWENTY YEARS AFTER HER DEATH, WITH DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES . . .

THIS BOOK IS A GREAT PLACE TO START IF YOU WANT TO START READING MORE MEDICINE BASED BOOKS. IT DISREGARDS THE USUAL BOREDOM OF NON-FICTION, CONTAINING BOTH THE SCIENCE AND THE STORY OF HENRIETTA LACKS. IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO START YOUR WIDER READING, IT’S THE PERFECT BRIDGE FROM FICTION (WHICH I’M SURE MOST OF US WOULD RATHER BE READING) TO NON-FICTION

UNI DEGREES: BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, MEDICINE

HISTORY THE SILENT STARS GO BY ~ SALLY NICHOLS

4

THREE YEARS AGO, MARGOT’S LIFE WAS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN WHEN HER FIANCÉ, HARRY, WENT MISSING IN ACTION ON THE WESTERN FRONT. WORSE, SHE WAS LEFT WITH A DEVASTATING SECRET WHICH THREATENED TO RUIN HER LIFE AND DESTROY THE REPUTATION OF HER FAMILY. AS A RESPECTABLE VICAR’S DAUGHTER, MARGOT HAS HAD TO GUARD THAT SECRET WITH GREAT CARE EVER SINCE, NO MATTER HOW MUCH PAIN IT CAUSES HER. NOW IT’S CHRISTMAS 1919, AND MARGOT’S FAMILY IS GATHERING BACK HOME IN THE VICARAGE FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE END OF THE GREAT WAR. AND MIRACULOUSLY HARRY HAS RETURNED, HOPING TO SEE MARGOT AND REKINDLE THEIR ROMANCE. CAN MARGOT EVER REVEAL THE SHOCKING TRUTH TO THE ONLY MAN SHE HAS EVER LOVED? ON TOP OF BEING A BEAUTIFUL, HEARTWARMING BOOK, THE SILENT STARS GO BY EXPLORES MANY THEMES OF POST-WW1 SOCIETY FEMINISM, GRIEF, ETIQUETTE, ETC - AND IS A GREAT PLACE TO START FINDING OUT MORE ABOUT WHAT SPECIFICALLY INSPIRES YOU. IT MIGHT INSPIRE YOU TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUR ONE PARTICULAR ASPECT OR YOU MIGHT FIND YOURSELF FALLING IN LOVE WITH ALL OF IT.

UNI DEGREES: HISTORY. POLITICS, FEMINIST STUDIES

ENGLISH LIT ANIMAL FARM ~ GEORGE ORWELL

5

WHEN THE DOWNTRODDEN ANIMALS OF MANOR FARM OVERTHROW THEIR MASTER MR JONES AND TAKE OVER THE FARM THEMSELVES, THEY IMAGINE IT IS THE BEGINNING OF A LIFE OF FREEDOM AND EQUALITY. BUT GRADUALLY A CUNNING, RUTHLESS ÉLITE AMONG THEM, MASTERMINDED BY THE PIGS NAPOLEON AND SNOWBALL, STARTS TO TAKE CONTROL. SOON THE OTHER ANIMALS DISCOVER THAT THEY ARE NOT ALL AS EQUAL AS THEY THOUGHT, AND FIND THEMSELVES HOPELESSLY ENSNARED AS ONE FORM OF TYRANNY IS REPLACED WITH ANOTHER.

ANIMAL FARM IS ONE OF THE SHORTER CLASSICS BUT ONE WITH A VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE (YOU’RE ENGLISH STUDENTS, YOU’LL FIGURE IT OUT FOR YOURSELF). WIDER READING HERE IS ABOUT EXPOSING YOURSELVES TO DIFFERENT FORMS OF LITERATURE AND GEORGE ORWELL IS A GOOD PLACE TO START.

UNI DEGREES: POLITICS, ENGLISH LITERATURE

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS HOW WESTMINISTER WORKS... AND WHY IT DOESN’T ~ IAN DUNT

4

HOW WESTMINSTER WORKS . . . AND WHY IT DOESN'T EXPOSES EVERY ASPECT OF THE SYSTEM IN A WAY THAT CAN BE UNDERSTOOD AND CHALLENGED, FROM THE HEIGHTS OF DOWNING STREET TO THE DEPTHS OF THE NATION'S NEWSROOMS, FROM THE HALLWAYS OF THE CIVIL SERVICE TO THE GREEN BENCHES OF THE COMMONS. BASED ON INTERVIEWS WITH SOME OF THE LEADING VOICES IN POLITICS, FROM FORMER OCCUPANTS OF NO.10 TO KEY FIGURES IN WHITEHALL, WESTMINSTER AND FLEET STREET, IAN DUNT PROVIDES EXACTLY WHAT PEOPLE IN POWER HAVE ALWAYS TRIED TO AVOID: A FULL DESCRIPTION OF THE MECHANISMS OF BRITISH GOVERNMENT. AND A VISION OF HOW WE CAN FIX IT.

UNI DEGREES: POLITICS, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

READING FOR PLEASURE THE IVORY KEY - AKSHAYA RAMAN

4.5

VIRA, RONAK, KALEB, AND RIYA MAY BE SIBLINGS, BUT THEY'VE NEVER BEEN CLOSE OR EVEN LIKED EACH OTHER THAT MUCH. TORN APART BY THE DIFFERENT PATHS THEIR LIVES HAVE TAKEN, ONLY ONE THING CAN BRING THEM BACK TOGETHER: THE SEARCH FOR THE IVORY KEY, A THING OF LEGEND THAT WILL LEAD THE WAY TO A NEW SOURCE OF MAGIC. MAGIC IS ASHOKA'S BIGGEST EXPORT AND THE ONLY THING STANDING BETWEEN THEM AND WAR WITH THE NEIGHBORING KINGDOMS—AS LONG AS THEIR ENEMIES DON'T FIND OUT THAT THE MAGIC MINES ARE NEARLY DEPLETED. THE SIBLINGS ALL HAVE SOMETHING TO GAIN FROM FINDING THE IVORY KEY, AND EVEN MORE TO LOSE IF THEY DON'T. FOR VIRA, THE IVORY KEY IS THE ONLY WAY TO LIVE UP TO THE LEGACY OF HER MOTHER, THE BELOVED FORMER MAHARANI. RONAK PLANS TO GET OUT OF HIS IMPENDING POLITICAL MARRIAGE BY SELLING THE IVORY KEY TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER. KALEB HAS BEEN FALSELY ACCUSED OF ASSASSINATING THE FORMER MAHARANI, AND THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO CLEAR HIS NAME. AND RIYA NEEDS TO PROVE HER LOYALTY TO THE RAVENS, THE GROUP OF REBELS THAT WANTS TO TAKE CONTROL AWAY FROM THE MAHARANI AND GIVE IT TO THE PEOPLE. WITH EACH SIBLING HARBORING SECRETS AND CONFLICTING AGENDAS, FIGURING OUT A WAY TO WORK TOGETHER MAY BE THE MOST DIFFICULT TASK OF ALL. AND IN A QUEST THIS DANGEROUS, WORKING TOGETHER IS THE ONLY WAY TO SURVIVE.