The Chancellor by Kati Marton

When you understand Merkel’s childhood (the daughter of Lutheran pastor and growing up behind the Wall in East Germany), and her career path (she is a scientist, and seeks to question and understand everything in a methodical but curious way), and put those two factors in the context of the world events that she governed through (the 2008 world financial crisis; Brexit and keeping the EU together; the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014; the influx of refugees into wealthy European countries; the rise of nationalism; and COVID), her record is nothing short of astounding.

The biography is peppered with anecdotes that reveal some of Merkel’s oddities and strengths – her avoidance of email; hosting a party that included a lecture by one of her favourite historians; her interactions with other world leaders. Perhaps because there is so little known of her private life, the singular moments are amplified, and the common theme is her consistency and integrity.

I am drawn to anything that explores the deeply rooted sense of grief and shame held by German people over the Holocaust, particularly the way that it has carried through generations. Merkel’s ongoing efforts to have her country accountable for past wrongs, and to continue to ensure that ‘no person is left behind’ are examined (for example, in 2015 she agreed that Germany would take an unlimited number of refugees and although her own party disagreed, Merkel sold it as an ethical decision rather than a political one). One of the sentiments that was expressed throughout her time as Chancellor was the importance of learning from history, and the risk that when the people who lived through significant events (such as the Holocaust) die, we are at risk of ‘forgetting’, allowing for the rise of the beliefs and values that we had worked hard to be rid of.

There’s a lot to be said for Merkel’s steady, considered approach in a world where razzmatazz politicians grab the space.

4/5

Rebel by Rahaf Mohammed

Rebel tells of Rahaf Mohammed’s carefully planned escape from her abusive family in Saudi Arabia. Rahaf made it to Bangkok in 2019 before being stripped of her passport. She knew that if she was forced to return home, she would be killed. She barricaded herself in the hotel room where she was being detained, opened a Twitter account and appealed to the world for help. She gained 45,000 followers in one day (including an Australian journalist who was instrumental in her rescue), and those followers helped her seek asylum, ultimately in Canada (note that the Australian government at the time was very slow to assist Rahaf). 

Rahaf’s descriptions of her life in Saudi Arabia were terrifying and, quite honestly, so foreign that her story was almost beyond the realms of my comprehension. There were some parts that I didn’t understand, for example how the teenagers were conducting so many secret relationships given how strictly they were supervised, but the suspenseful way she tells her story had me moving past my questions toward the dramatic conclusion.

3.5/5

Do I Need to See a Therapist? by Donna Maria Bottomley

Bottomley’s practice focused originally on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, but she came to EMDR and the oddly named Brain Spotting when she was seeking a way to understand trauma, and the physical response to thoughts, emotions and memories. The first part of the book looks briefly at these therapies, and the second part examines why people might be reluctant to go to therapy; dispels myths; and explores ways that people might access therapy. Bottomley reveals halfway through the book her own trauma experience – I wish this had been disclosed at the beginning for additional context.

Ultimately, I was left wondering how likely it was that a person who was reluctant to go to therapy, would read a book about their reluctance. I’m guessing this is the kind of book that a well-meaning friend would press into your hands…

Although the book didn’t offer much for me (granted, I am not the intended audience, and I don’t have any mandated clients), I will be pinching an exercise Bottomley describes at the beginning of the book where she has readers summon an image of eating a lemon, and the physical response that triggers – it’s a great demonstration of how thoughts and physical response are linked.

2.5/5