As a sustainability advocate, I naturally gravitate towards books that allow me to better understand our world. I enjoy the beautiful and the horrifying in equal measure as I personally feel that we must see it all in order to renew our core values and to focus on what really matters.

During lockdown, I finally got to read a few books that were patiently waiting for me to give them a chance. One of those books was the heart-breaking The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells. In my opinion, Mr Wallace-Wells struck the perfect balance between depicting the likely future of our planet, as well as the possible future if everyone gets on board. It’s a cry for help but an educated, fact-based one.

Next up: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. I feel that this novelisation of human history is bound to appear on several coffee tables and favourite lists. I always carry a specific quote from this book with me “What looks inevitable in hindsight was far from obvious at the time”. We could apply that to so many aspects of life! Mr Harari made me ask myself what would have happened if the other species of human had survived? Would we be living in harmony? His book got my mind visiting places that I will never get to see but that are always so wonderful to explore, even if only through my imagination. Sapiens was full of interesting facts and ideas, with the potential to change how we view the human race and our history.

As the mother of two little boys, I try to incorporate reading into their daily lives and one of the best storybooks I’ve come across is Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers. However, this isn’t your classic storybook; it’s a piece of art with delightful images and a rather poignant message – humanity at its best. When I find myself worrying about the world we are raising our children in, this book gives me hope.

Another transportive book I recommend is Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed. Cheryl writes about how her epic trip acted as a way of coping with grief after the death of her mother, when her other relationships disintegrated and how she felt guilty about what was happening in her life. She decides to go on a life-changing journey by herself and ends up meeting incredible people who supported her. Cheryl tells her story with exceptional honesty and self-deprecating humour which is quite endearing. This book has made me want to plan an equally epic trip.

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