January is a tough month for many, the sky is grey and the mornings are dark, the lustre of the festive season is fading and we have to wrap up warm and get our heads down…BUT…there are plenty of joys still to be had and the BGS Library’s Wellbeing Collection has a really diverse range of books that remind you to look after yourselves and others and can help raise your spirits high again. There are books about neurodiversity, mental health, self-care, guides, studies, essays, memoirs and informational non-fiction all designed to help us navigate the trickier parts of life.
Here are a few of our recommendations…
You Got This by Bryony Gordon
Upbeat yet informative, You
Got This is a girl’s guide for all things adolescent. Bryony Gordon talks
through issues ranging from social media, puberty and school with simple, straightforward
advice. Her discussions about mental health throughout the book are honest and
relatable as she shares humorous and personal anecdotes from her own teen
years. There’s even a page at the back dedicated to mental health
resources. While I am (slightly) above the target age group,
I’d still recommend this book because it was as funny as it was educational and
it’s well worth a flip through if you have a minute. Recommended for ages 11+
Miss Poole
Positively Teenage: A Positively Brilliant Guide to Teenage Well-Being by Nicola Morgan
If you need something to help you make sense of the
scramble that is teenage life including understanding your mood, attitude,
health, brain, social skills and identity, look no further. This is a
brilliantly written book that sets out very clearly all the multifaceted things
that teenagers generally have to grapple with. In conversational style and relatable
language the ultimate take away is: go easy on yourself! If things are getting
confusing or worrying, this book will help you to compartmentalise some of the
madness. Recommended for ages 11+
Black Joy: Love, Community, Identity and Everything in Between edited by Timi Sotire and Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff
A long overdue and much needed collection of perspectives
on the joy of being black. So often depictions of black people in the media,
film and TV industry reinforce a sense that black identity is wrapped up in trauma
and endurance but the editors of this book wanted to remind us that there is a
special and unique kind of joy to be had in being a black British person. These
are fond essays that talk of laughter, pride, beauty, community, food and love.
Such titles as ‘Fresh Trim: The babble and buzz of the barbershop’ and ‘Chicken
and Chips After School: How a girl gang allowed me to be my unfiltered self’
offer emotive and open accounts of the things that celebrate identity,
heritage, culture and lifestyle. For anyone who wants to listen, emote and
share in ‘black joy’! Recommended for age 11+
Lighter Than My Shadow by Katie Green
This graphic memoir of Green’s development of a childhood
eating disorder is recommended reading for all whether you have experience of
disordered eating or not. It is the reminder that the most seemingly
meaningless occurrences in life can worry young people and snowball to become
bigger problems in the long run. This is inspiration to be kind, listen and
respect each other as you never know the silent or invisible things that people
are going through. It is also an uplifting story of survival and growth, openness
and compassion demonstrating the good practice of sharing your anxieties, fears
and grievances with those around you. Recommended for ages 13+
Misfits: A Personal Manifesto by Michaela Coel
This short book is at once funny and challenging. It takes
you through Coel’s personal journey to the realisation that she was not emoting
effectively, struggling to drill down into her own past and overwhelmed by what
can sometimes seem a very cruel and dark world. We experience her break downs,
dramas and epiphanies, concluding that, yes, her feelings are difficult and
messy but also perfectly authentic and natural. If you need support during a
time of reflection this is both a truthful and an entertaining read.
Recommended for ages 16+
Ms Johns