The Books that Made Me - Ms Rodgerson, History Teacher

We are asking members of staff to share ‘the books that made them’.  Below are the choices of Ms Rodgerson, History Teacher

I am currently reading: Fall of Giants by Ken Follett. This book is the first in a series called The Century. What I like about this book is that it documents the period of the First World War on a personal level by telling the story through individuals. It covers the many sides of the world- discussing the working class British perspective all the way to the role of the Russian Revolution in shaping the outcome of the war.

My favourite book as a child was: Enid Blyton's The Faraway Tree. My mother and I would read these books together and they were my first real look into the different world’s you can discover through reading.

The last book that made me cry was: The Long Song by Andrea Levy. This book tells the story of those living in Jamaica during the last turbulent years of slavery and the early years of freedom that followed emancipation.

The last book that made me laugh was: This Is Going To Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay. This is a funny and moving book which details the experience of Junior Doctors working in the NHS.

As a child of the 1990s my comfort reads are any of the Harry Potter Series. I am a huge fan of the series and I love listening to Stephen Fry reading the books as it reminds me of listening to the tapes!

The one book I think everyone should read is: It’s Not OK to Feel Blue and Other Lies by Scarlett Curtis. This is a series of essays written by a number of inspiration people. They open up about their experiences with mental health and well-being. Reading it made me more aware of how important to recognise how we feel and to talk about it.

Just an extra recommendation which I think it really nice to read during lock down is The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy.