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Books inspire us.
Books
inspire
us
They teach us.
They
teach
us
They let us escape into new worlds.
They
let
us
escape
into
new
worlds
But some books do much more than this.
But
some
books
do
much
more
than
this
These books hit a collective nerve,
These
books
hit
a
collective
nerve
and have had a profound and lasting effect on society.
and
have
had
a
profound
and
lasting
effect
on
society
What are the titles that had this impact?
What
are
the
titles
that
had
this
impact
There are many, many books that fit this definition,
There
are
many
many
books
that
fit
this
definition
but we've managed to narrow it down to five books
but
we've
managed
to
narrow
it
down
to
five
books
that have truly shaped our world.
that
have
truly
shaped
our
world
...wrote Robert Burton in his enormous 900 page book,
wrote
Robert
Burton
in
his
enormous
900
page
book
The Anatomy of Melancholy.
The
Anatomy
of
Melancholy
Which was first published way back in 1621.
Which
was
first
published
way
back
in
1621
So in the 17th Century,
So
in
the
17th
Century
there weren't books about melancholy,
there
weren't
books
about
melancholy
or as we would call it today, depression.
or
as
we
would
call
it
today
depression
It looks as if Robert Burton himself suffered from depression.
It
looks
as
if
Robert
Burton
himself
suffered
from
depression
And there's a real sense
And
there's
a
real
sense
as he writes it, that he's writing himself into a position
as
he
writes
it
that
he's
writing
himself
into
a
position
of expertise about depression, so he can help himself
of
expertise
about
depression
so
he
can
help
himself
as well as other people.
as
well
as
other
people
And it's remained such a kind of influential book
And
it's
remained
such
a
kind
of
influential
book
over the centuries since then.
over
the
centuries
since
then
Not simply because of its subject matter,
Not
simply
because
of
its
subject
matter
it's the way it's written - it explores inner life
it's
the
way
it's
written
it
explores
inner
life
in a way that hadn't really been explored before.
in
a
way
that
hadn't
really
been
explored
before
So it's the patient's voice.
So
it's
the
patient's
voice
And one of the things that we've learnt over the last 20 years
And
one
of
the
things
that
we've
learnt
over
the
last
20
years
is the importance of the patient's voice,
is
the
importance
of
the
patient's
voice
in targeting research and clinical treatment.
in
targeting
research
and
clinical
treatment
To 1960s America now,
To
1960s
America
now
where many people still thought that a woman's place was in the home.
where
many
people
still
thought
that
a
woman's
place
was
in
the
home
Betty Friedan wrote The Feminine Mystique in 1963,
Betty
Friedan
wrote
The
Feminine
Mystique
in
1963
and in the introduction describes it as,
and
in
the
introduction
describes
it
as
"The problem that has no name."
The
problem
that
has
no
name
It was a book writing about the experience and aspirations
It
was
a
book
writing
about
the
experience
and
aspirations
of women in suburban America.
of
women
in
suburban
America
It stood out as a book at this time because the experience of women
It
stood
out
as
a
book
at
this
time
because
the
experience
of
women
wasn't being written about in this way for the general population.
wasn't
being
written
about
in
this
way
for
the
general
population
It stood out because she was standing up and saying,
It
stood
out
because
she
was
standing
up
and
saying
"We need to acknowledge that there is more to life for these women
We
need
to
acknowledge
that
there
is
more
to
life
for
these
women
than being the perfect wife, the perfect mother."
than
being
the
perfect
wife
the
perfect
mother
She developed the idea that women needed to become politicised,
She
developed
the
idea
that
women
needed
to
become
politicised
they needed to think about their experience at home.
they
needed
to
think
about
their
experience
at
home
However, and there is a big however,
However
and
there
is
a
big
however
the biggest criticism came from her exclusion of women of colour.
the
biggest
criticism
came
from
her
exclusion
of
women
of
colour
Poor women's experience was excluded, she also excluded lesbians.
Poor
women's
experience
was
excluded
she
also
excluded
lesbians
Despite these shortcomings,
Despite
these
shortcomings
this book had real impact at the time.
this
book
had
real
impact
at
the
time
It bought feminism to a very wide audience and that's a huge positive.
It
bought
feminism
to
a
very
wide
audience
and
that's
a
huge
positive
Bill McKibben's 1989 book, The End of Nature,
Bill
McKibben's
1989
book
The
End
of
Nature
is considered to be the first book to bring global warming
is
considered
to
be
the
first
book
to
bring
global
warming
to a general audience.
to
a
general
audience
The End of Nature is about how humans are changing the planet.
The
End
of
Nature
is
about
how
humans
are
changing
the
planet
It's a sad lament on human destruction.
It's
a
sad
lament
on
human
destruction
In the 1980s, people had been talking about global warming,
In
the
1980s
people
had
been
talking
about
global
warming
but it hadn't entered the public consciousness as something
but
it
hadn't
entered
the
public
consciousness
as
something
that we should be really concerned about,
that
we
should
be
really
concerned
about
and we should be already acting on.
and
we
should
be
already
acting
on
What he did with this book is really wake people up
What
he
did
with
this
book
is
really
wake
people
up
to this dramatic change that we are having globally on the natural world.
to
this
dramatic
change
that
we
are
having
globally
on
the
natural
world
And which now is taken for granted by everybody,
And
which
now
is
taken
for
granted
by
everybody
we all are very aware of the impact we're having.
we
all
are
very
aware
of
the
impact
we're
having
And it's largely due to books like this.
And
it's
largely
due
to
books
like
this
Things Fall Apart by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe,
Things
Fall
Apart
by
Nigerian
author
Chinua
Achebe
was one of the first African novels in English
was
one
of
the
first
African
novels
in
English
to gain global recognition and acclaim,
to
gain
global
recognition
and
acclaim
and it is still read and studied all over the world to this day.
and
it
is
still
read
and
studied
all
over
the
world
to
this
day
Africa was always seen through the eyes of the white colonials.
Africa
was
always
seen
through
the
eyes
of
the
white
colonials
It was like a door opening
It
was
like
a
door
opening
into a world that white Europeans never understood
into
a
world
that
white
Europeans
never
understood
and even as it was published
and
even
as
it
was
published
people were astonished by the beauty of the book.
people
were
astonished
by
the
beauty
of
the
book
Here comes a man who's talking about Igbo villages in Nigeria
Here
comes
a
man
who's
talking
about
Igbo
villages
in
Nigeria
and their lives and their inner thoughts
and
their
lives
and
their
inner
thoughts
and their hopes and desires and we'd never seen that.
and
their
hopes
and
desires
and
we'd
never
seen
that
And for Africans - and that's the more important point -
And
for
Africans
and
that's
the
more
important
point
there were emerging writers,
there
were
emerging
writers
they knew their time was now,
they
knew
their
time
was
now
they knew that the world was ready
they
knew
that
the
world
was
ready
and it was that book that convinced them that it was.
and
it
was
that
book
that
convinced
them
that
it
was
And finally, to post-war Britain,</b>
And
finally
to
post-war
Britain
a time when many items were still rationed,
a
time
when
many
items
were
still
rationed
and to Elizabeth David's A Book of Mediterranean Food.
and
to
Elizabeth
David's
A
Book
of
Mediterranean
Food
Britain already had a reputation for poor food,
Britain
already
had
a
reputation
for
poor
food
plain food, grey food.
plain
food
grey
food
She wrote it as a memoir almost, of her time spent in southern Europe
She
wrote
it
as
a
memoir
almost
of
her
time
spent
in
southern
Europe
before and during World War Two.
before
and
during
World
War
Two
She wrote it really as a yearning for these wonderful places
She
wrote
it
really
as
a
yearning
for
these
wonderful
places
and the colours and the scents and the flavours.
and
the
colours
and
the
scents
and
the
flavours
These days we completely take for granted ingredients like chickpeas,
These
days
we
completely
take
for
granted
ingredients
like
chickpeas
lemon, garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, basil.
lemon
garlic
olive
oil
tomatoes
basil
But then, when this book was published,
But
then
when
this
book
was
published
none of those ingredients were really available.
none
of
those
ingredients
were
really
available
I mean, if you wanted to buy olive oil,
I
mean
if
you
wanted
to
buy
olive
oil
you had to go to a chemist's shop
you
had
to
go
to
a
chemist's
shop
because it was sold for treating earache.
because
it
was
sold
for
treating
earache
She triggered a movement which we still feel today
She
triggered
a
movement
which
we
still
feel
today
which is one where food becomes something important
which
is
one
where
food
becomes
something
important
not just to our daily routine of nourishing ourselves
not
just
to
our
daily
routine
of
nourishing
ourselves
but saying a little bit more about who we are.
but
saying
a
little
bit
more
about
who
we
are
So there's now multiple generations
So
there's
now
multiple
generations
of food writers and cookery presenters
of
food
writers
and
cookery
presenters
whose existence now would not have been possible without that book.
whose
existence
now
would
not
have
been
possible
without
that
book
Words on a page can do so much more than entertain.
Words
on
a
page
can
do
so
much
more
than
entertain
Some books have imagined, explored and introduced ideas
Some
books
have
imagined
explored
and
introduced
ideas
which have had a lasting impact on our society
which
have
had
a
lasting
impact
on
our
society
which we experience to this day, even if we haven't read them.
which
we
experience
to
this
day
even
if
we
haven't
read
them
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