Read on the street 27 June 2020
Good morning,
Life beyond screens, beyond the ongoing inquest into whose dirty chopping board is lying abandoned in the sink, beyond screaming matches with parents who think it possible to consciously “suck up all the wifi”; it seems distant, doesn’t it?
As a household, we are still on the emotional edge – half are grumpy and working, the other half furloughed and apathetic. We spend our days brushing for prints around the sink (“but I already did the dishes two Saturdays ago”), spitting out sickly sarcastic back chat (“oh yeah, sorry mum, I forgot, let me just turn off my wifi Hoover”), and generally bursting into tears at the agitation of the whole thing.
For me, books have been a much-needed constant, a place away from this place, these people, and myself. Sure, we can go to the pub soon, but that’s no escape from my own stupid thoughts which are, quite frankly, very well-thumbed and so boring they hurt my teeth to even conjure.
So, with this, and a long summer of staycation stretching ahead of us, the Charlotte Street Partners team has decided on a change to our usual line-up. This week we have compiled our favourite books of 2020 so far. Hopefully there is something for everyone – fiction for the optimistic escapists; economics for the brutal realists; history for those hungry for a simpler time.
But I’ll shut up now and let the list speak for itself. Have a fantastic weekend.
FICTION
Scarlett Regan, Researcher
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
The Dutch House, set over five decades, tells the story of a brother and sister who desire to move forwards and lead their own lives but who often find themselves knocking on the locked door of their past. This is a beautifully written story of siblinghood at its strongest. I’ve also heard that the audio version read by Tom Hanks is a treat.
Katie Stanton, Associate Partner
This is the story of Emira Tucker, a babysitter in Atlanta who encounters racism – both directly, but also indirectly, from well-intentioned liberals who think it’s an achievement to have a black friend round for dinner. It is engrossing, important and wonderfully real.
Katie Stanton, Associate Partner
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
The Nickel Boys is loosely based on a true story of systemic abuse at a boys’ reform school in the American south. Incredibly emotive, elegant and jarring prose depicts youthful innocence in stark contrast to the most heinous atrocities. A short but stunning read.
NON-FICTION
Charlotte Street Book Club
Motherwell: A Girlhood by Deborah Orr
In a fantastic feat of self-exploration, the late Guardian journalist, Deborah Orr, unpacks her upbringing, and how her Scottish industrial town shaped her character. This will remind you of your childhood.
India Malkani, Design Associate
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
Don’t let the title deceive you, this isn’t a mushy romance novel. Everything I Know About Love is dense with relatability on enduring the challenges of life; from self-love to family and friendship, heartache to the struggles of being a millennial.
You can also pre-order Dolly’s next book, and first novel, from Waterstones now.
Iain Gibson, Associate Partner
Chaucer: A European Life by Marion Turner
Geoffrey Chaucer’s most famous work, The Canterbury Tales, is seared to our national collective consciousness. Unlike most poets from the 14th century, we have significant documented evidence about this London-born son of a wine merchant, his spell in the household of the King’s daughter-in-law, and some of his travails on the continent, including languishing in a French jail after he was captured at the siege of Rheims during the Hundred Years War. This first biography of Chaucer by a woman, Dr Marion Turner, goes beyond the masterpieces that made his name and vividly brings the medieval middle classes to life.
BUSINESS AND LEADERSHIP
Harriet Moll, Creative Director
Manifesto for a Moral Revolution by Jacqueline Novogratz
We are capable of so much, if only we care enough. The founder and CEO of Acumen brings us a practical guide to standing with the poor and doing work worth doing.
Harriet Moll, Creative Director
Lessons from a War Zone by Louai Al Roumani
It was our pleasure to talk to Louai who wrote this remarkable book about his experience of running the strategy of a growing bank in Syria during the bloodiest war of our lifetimes. His advice and learning is often counter-intuitive and very very pertinent for the times we live in.
HISTORY
Scott Reid, Associate Partner
Square Haunting by Francesca Wade
One silver lining for many in lockdown has been the chance to get to know their neighbourhood. And for me, Square Haunting - in addition to its billing as the history of five remarkable women who lived on Bloomsbury's Mecklenburgh Square in London between the wars - was just that; the history of a neighbourhood. Read it for an exciting take on just how important the rooms, buildings and places we find ourselves at a critical points in time can also be to our lives!
ECONOMICS
Andrew Wilson, Founding Partner
Radical Uncertainty: Decision-Making Beyond the Numbers by John Kay and Mervyn King
It is true that uncertainty underscores our big decisions. How and when should we buy a house? Expand the business? Pay into a pension? This fascinating book draws on all manner of methods for dealing with an unknowable future. Spoiler alert: numbers are limited; human instinct and wisdom is not.
Andrew Wilson, Founding Partner
Might Nature be Canadian? by William A. Macdonald
Mutual accommodation is about cooperation, compromise and inclusion. It is a big idea equal to freedom science and compassion. In this book Macdonald looks at the theme through the lens of the Canadian experience. Taking inspiration from British philosopher Alfred North Whitehead who said that "civilisation is the triumph of persuasion over force" Macdonald argues that the urgent spread of mutual accommodation, a charge led by Canada, is central to achieving a bearable world for everyone.
Andrew Wilson, Founding Partner
Angrynomics by Eric Lonergan and Mark Blyth
Considering the majority of people globally are getting steadily richer, why is anxiety on the rise? Why do we feel entrenched unfairness and uncertainty more than ever? In Angrynomics, Lonergan and Blyth explore the power of anger – for good and bad – and propose solutions for an increasingly polarised and confusing world.