In keeping with the inspirational women thread in Verve’s May edition, this month’s books celebrate some of the inspirational female authors about to visit our shores for the Auckland Writers Festival Waituhi O Tāmaki (16-21 May).
MANIFESTO: ON NEVER GIVING UP
Bernadine Evaristo
From the bestselling and Booker Prize–winning author of Girl, Woman, Other, Bernardine Evaristo’s memoir of her own life and writing, and her manifesto on unstoppability, creativity, and activism.
In this vibrant memoir, she describes her rebellious career, childhood as one of eight siblings with a Nigerian father and white Catholic mother, and her determination to bring her creative work into the world. Evaristo’s theory of unstoppability is a powerful reminder to creative people to persist in doing work they believe in, even when they feel overlooked. Manifesto is an unconventional and inspiring text that charts Evaristo’s journey to eventual triumph.
BIRNAM WOOD
Eleanor Catton
The Korowai Pass in South Island is closed due to a landslide, leaving the town of Thorndike cut off and a farm abandoned. Guerrilla gardening group Birnam Wood sees an opportunity to grow crops there, but they face competition from American billionaire Robert Lemoine. As they navigate conflicting ideals and trust issues, Birnam Wood must figure out how to ensure their survival. Booker Prize-winning author Eleanor Catton’s thriller Birnam Wood explores the human impulse for survival and the consequences of our actions. The novel is a gripping, character-driven tale with a thrilling climax.
TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW
Gabrielle Zevin
This is the story of Sam and Sadie. It’s not a romance, but it is about love.
When Sam catches sight of Sadie at a crowded train station one winter morning he is catapulted back to the brief time they spent playing together as children. Their unique spark is instantly reignited. What comes next is a story of friendship and rivalry, fame and creativity, betrayal and tragedy, perfect worlds and imperfect ones. And, ultimately, our need to connect: to be loved and to love.
HOW TO DO NOTHING: RESISTING THE ATTENTION ECONOMY
Jenny Oddell
Jenny Odell’s How to Do Nothing is a field guide to escaping the attention economy’s addictive technology and winning back our lives. Odell believes attention is our most valuable resource and shows us how to choose how we use it. Her book is not an anti-technology rant or a back-to-nature guide, but an action plan for rejecting capitalist narratives and techno-determinism. How to Do Nothing was named one of President Obama’s favourite books of 2019 and was praised by multiple publications, including The New York Times, NPR, and GQ.
