Culture Articles

The Good Prison Officer: Inside perspectives, edited by Andi Brierley

08 June 2023 | by Tim Newell

'Working with people, not doing it to them, reflects the restorative justice approach to communication and relationships.' | Book cover of The Good Prison Officer: Inside perspectives, edited by Andi Brierley

This book is written by past prisoners, all of whom are now professional practitioners and educators in the criminal justice field. They draw on lived experience, as well as diverse literature on penal policy, to explore examples of professional practice.

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The day and the seed of small things

08 June 2023 | by Dana Smith

'What can change if I cannot believe in the thousands of trees sprung from one seed' | Joshua Lanzarini on Unsplash

How will it come, the day of small things between the heart-break and herb robert; the rape and the ox-eye daisies?

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75 Years of Stories: Caux 1946-2021, by Initiatives of Change Switzerland

01 June 2023 | by Daniel Clarke-Flynn

‘A succinct and inspiring presentation of IofC values, but also a plea for its mission. | Book cover of 75 Years of Stories: Caux 1946-2021, by Initiatives of Change Switzerland

This is a remarkable book of personal stories, all of which took place at the Caux Palace Hotel in Switzerland. In 1946 this 500-bed hotel was about to be pulled down. It had been a refugee centre through much of world war two, and was in disrepair. But 100 Swiss who were...

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Scree at Pendle Hill

01 June 2023 | by Jeffrey Loffman

'I breathe in, aim for the ascent...' | by ewan bullock on Unsplash

i                                                        Metal pins heal warts, ground-to-cloud lightning strikes the summit, nightmares the yellow sun of St. John’s Wort might soothe, arthritic...

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Time For Socialism: Dispatches from a world on Fire, 2016-2021, by Thomas Piketty

25 May 2023 | by Reg Naulty

'The Assembly would be composed of elected parliamentarians from all twenty-seven countries.' | Book cover of Time For Socialism: Dispatches from a world on Fire, 2016-2021, by Thomas Piketty

This book is a call for more socialism. It also presents a case for the redesign of the European Union. Thomas Piketty envisages a large-scale re-distribution of income, using progressive taxation on super-rich corporations and individuals, whose wealth has increased by an astonishing amount since the low tax regimes inaugurated...

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Style or Not to Style, That is the Question: A story of the book, by Gaia Vince

25 May 2023 | by Martin Dickinson

‘The visitor who pushes through the front door, which sticks, and climbs the narrow staircase, is warmly welcomed by a friendly and highly-professional team.’ | Book cover of Style or Not to Style, That is the Question: A story of the book, by Gaia Vince

This short (ninety-page) book is imaginatively and clearly presented. It tells the story of the printed word, from the earliest of times until the present day. In particular, it tells the story of the printed word in York – and who better to tell the story than Michael Sessions, a director...

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Come to good

25 May 2023 | by Dana Smith

'I never blew out a sputtering candle, I extinguished the wavering wick.' | by Eyasu Etsub on Unsplash

I will not break a bruised reed. I broke a bruised reed. I did not come to own the world. I tried to own the world. I never blew out a sputtering candle I extinguished the wavering wick.

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Nomad Century: How to survive the climate upheaval, by Gaia Vince

18 May 2023 | by Moragh Bradshaw

‘Hopeful and very readable.’ | Book cover of Nomad Century: How to survive the climate upheaval, by Gaia Vince

This book is subtitled ‘How to survive the climate upheaval’. Given the state of the world my grandson will inherit, I decided to buy it for him as an antidote to the economics he will soon begin studying. I ended up borrowing it myself.

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The Meeting

18 May 2023 | by Reg Naulty

'There is no need for questions, presence surpasses explanations, the one sought is found.' | by Miah Rose on Unsplash

In the soul’s deepest recesses there is a meeting like winds passing and beholding each other in mutual rapture. ‘You are here at last,’ breathes the soul in welcome, ‘you have come’.

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Inner Healing, Inner Peace: A Quaker perspective, by John Lampen and Diana Lampen

20 April 2023 | by Tim Newell

'The section on ‘Forgiveness’, and the explanation of the need for self-forgiveness, connected me to the experience in a community meeting at Grendon Prison.' | Book cover of Inner Healing, Inner Peace: A Quaker perspective, by John Lampen and Diana Lampen

This is a book full of good things to marvel at, understand and apply. So much of it rings bells after the trauma of the pandemic, and its impact on families and loved ones. The issues of tension and conflict are a focus, but there is also a remarkable section...

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