Kirjahaku

A 2023 POLITICAL BOOK OF THE YEAR (WATERSTONES) | 'GROUND-BREAKING' Bernardine Evaristo | 'UNIVERSAL AND TIMELY' Elif Shafak | 'IMPORTANT' Sathnam Sanghera | 'A GENEROUS OFFERING' Nana Darkoa Sekiyamah | 'QUIETLY RADICAL' Evening Standard | 'INTIMATE' Guardian 'I LEARNT A LOT' | Gillian AndersonWhat can ancestral practices teach us about how to live fuller lives today?Upon turning forty, Afua Hirsch had an encounter that forever altered her preconceived notions of ancestry and body image, making her question everything from body-modification rituals such as tattoos and piercings to the foundations of sexuality, as well as attitudes towards puberty, ageing and death. This book charts her year-long journey of radical unlearning. Bringing together global scholarship, on-the-ground reportage, personal anecdotes and interviews with beauty experts, practitioners and service users, she reassesses notions of body image beyond those of the colonial, patriarchal gaze.Decolonising My Body is a powerful excavation of the Eurocentric beauty standards that have long shaped how, in particular, those from the Global Majority are perceived and view themselves. Taking us from puberty to end-of-life, Hirsch shows us that the ways in which we adorn and present ourselves have spiritual implications and shape the possibilities we see for ourselves in the world.These insights and discoveries will empower you to reconnect with your own ancestry, better understand the link between beauty, history and (respectability) politics, and liberate yourself from mainstream standards and systems that aren’t serving you.*Co-host of the LOYALTY podcast with Peter Frankopan*

‘Exceptionally rich, inspiring, challenging’ Bernardine Evaristo | ‘Something on every page that you didn't know before’ Sathnam Sanghera | ‘Celebrates women how they are, as they are’ | Gillian AndersonOur bodies tell our story. This powerful global history of beauty by Sunday Times bestselling Brit(tish) author Afua Hirsch dismantles the colonial falsehoods that shape our sense of belonging and celebrates the pioneering stories and ideas of women from marginalised groups.‘A remarkable journey to unlearn western beauty standards and explore ancestral skin, hair and body modification rituals’ Funmi Fetto, Observer‘A vital, challenging account of reassessing body image beyond the colonial, patriarchal gaze’ I newspaper‘A generous offering, and a joy filled testimony’ Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, author of The Sex Lives of African Women

From Afua Hirsch - co-presenter of Samuel L. Jackson's major BBC TV series Enslaved - the Sunday Times bestseller that reveals the uncomfortable truth about race and identity in Britain today.You're British.Your parents are British.Your partner, your children and most of your friends are British.So why do people keep asking where you're from?We are a nation in denial about our imperial past and the racism that plagues our present. Brit(ish) is Afua Hirsch's personal and provocative exploration of how this came to be - and an urgent call for change.'The book for our divided and dangerous times'David Olusoga

Tate Britain: Look Again: the National Collection of British Art reimagined for today. Empire is a vital exploration of how Britain's colonial legacy has shaped its art, by one of the UK's most influential voices on the subject.

Equal to Everything is a beautifully illustrated, fictionalised tale based on the life of Lady Hale, President of the Supreme Court of England and Wales. It tells the story of Ama, a girl from Richmond in Yorkshire, who visits the Supreme Court on a school trip and learns all about the work of the court and how another little girl from her town went on to become its president. Throughout the story we learn about Brenda Hale's life - from school to university and on to becoming the most important judge in the land. The story highlights some interesting cases Judge Brenda was faced with and explains how judges make difficult decisions and teaches children about fairness, justice and how the law can be used for good and to protect us all. Equal to Everything is an inspiring story of a little girl who worked hard at school and went on to be extraordinary. It aims to empower children to believe they can achieve their dreams and never letting other people tell them they are not good enough.