All About People

It’s been a year full of adventure, hope, fear, adversity, opportunity, discovery, curiosity, breath holding, breathing deeply, emotion, endings, beginnings, transitions, change…. I could carry on with the words but suffice to say it’s been a year! We’ve travelled through the year with courage and friendship holding us together, when it’s been really tough and when it’s been full of joy and love. 

We have all experienced the journey through the year differently and we each have our own ways of looking after ourselves and each other. We draw much from talking and listening to each other and sharing the things that we’ve found that have made us really feel the emotion and pique our curiosity to learn more. Our Christmas gifts to you are some of the things that we have each discovered this year that we have learned from, felt deeply and grown through. We really hope you find something that nurtures you in the way that we have felt. 

Sarah has chosen from her vast selection of eclectic reading. 

I’ve chosen three books as my gifts, which are definitely some of the best I’ve read this year (as an avid reader across a number of genres I’m always very reluctant to be definitive!). My first gift is a fabulous book by my former colleague Tash Oakes-Monger, ‘All The Things They Said We Couldn’t Have: Stories of Trans Joy’, a glorious celebration of trans and non-binary lives, and of friendship and belonging. It’s also beautifully written (I read it in one sitting). 

My second gift is ‘The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity’ by David Graeber and David Wengrow, a book of paleoanthropology and archaeology which looks at ‘how we got to where we are’ (patriarchy, inequality, hierarchy etc) and explores the alternatives – which the authors argue are still possible (for ideas and options see David Graeber’s other works). 

My third and final gift is a book which is very much ‘of the present and the future’ but which I feel naturally follows on from ‘The Dawn of Everything’ – ‘Utopia for Realists: And How We Can Get There’ by Rutger Bregman. This puts forward a reasoned and evidence-based case and concrete examples of policy-measures to eradicate poverty and inequality, and allow us all to work less and be happier and healthier at the same time. A manifesto for change, and a reminder that inequality is a political and societal choice. 

Ruth frequently happens across fascinating and insightful work that challenges us to think a bit differently and really reflect. 

The first of my festive gifts is a fantastic blog, Rewriting Social Care,  by Bryony Shannon. I think about the language we use to describe what we do and who we work with a lot. It’s so important yet often hard to talk about in a useful way. Bryony’s blog is a brilliant discussion on how language can dehumanise and distance us. This post on the label of ‘patient’ is a good starting point.  As well as a great analysis of the impact of language Bryony offers some alternatives for the vocabulary we need for a kinder and better future ‘which has people and communities and stories and relationships and dreams and love and good lives and hope at its heart’.

My second gift is a book which is definitely my ‘big recommend’ from 2023. Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake was recommended to me by a close friend and is about the weird and wonderful world of fungi. On the surface it’s a great account of how central fungi are to understanding our world and our relationship to it. More than that though it has lots to say about living systems, the connections between us and what we can learn about working with complexity. See my other favourite books from 2023 in this blog post.

Rosie is always the person who finds joy and hope even through our darkest and doubtful times. 

I have just one Christmas gift and I hope it makes you cry (but in a good way) It is a YouTube video The Greatest Showman | “This Is Me” with Keala Settle | 20th Century FOX. This is a beautiful clip which I think encourages us all to stand in our own power and own our individuality. No one can be a better you than you, so shine and see the impact it has on all the people around you.

Finally, Olivia’s offerings may challenge you to explore things from many different perspectives, especially story telling and how we can use our experiences to shine a light on others. 

I was very grateful to receive a copy of “How Britain Loves the NHS: Practices of care and contestation” by Ellen A. Stewart. This is probably a pretty niche gift but one that I feel is worth sharing as it delves in to the complex relationship we have with ‘Our’ NHS and feels very timely as we end the year knowing that 2024 will be yet another year of change and challenge. 

My second gift is by a fabulous woman I have the privilege of knowing a little and who has really opened my eyes to the experiences of Autistic young people – she eloquently debunks the myths and stereotypes that surround people with Autism. “So, I’m Autistic” by Sarah O’Brien is probably the most insightful piece I’ve read that has helped me to understand a little more. It will be a common gift from me to others I know who seek to learn and work towards a more inclusive and compassionate world for all of us. 

Finally, I’d like to gift you ‘Non-Binary Lives: An anthology of intersecting identities’ edited by Jos Twist, Ben Vincent, Meg-John Barker and Kat Gupta. The personal histories this book shares offer thought provoking and insightful perspectives of what it means to be non-binary. If we were all open to hearing people’s stories and experiences maybe we would make some progress to being a more tolerant and respectful society that truly values people for who they are rather than who society expects us to be. 

We have many, many more recommendations that we have come across and maybe we’ll share more over the months ahead. For now we wish you all peace, happiness and hope that you experience some joyfulness over the Christmas period.   

Sarah, Ruth, Rosie and Olivia