The Books That Made Me

In the final episode of 'The Books That Made Me' series one, Ben Keene (Co-founder of Rebel Book Club) talks to ⁠Ruby Warrington about the nonfiction books that have had a massive impact on her to date and how they have shaped her life leading up to her most recent nonfiction title, Women Without Kids. Ruby also shares her personal wisdom on the decision so many people grapple with, whether or not to have children. And, the fascinating insights from her cultural and historical research for 'Women Without Kids', that has sparked a much-needed global conversation... Enjoy!   ‍ ---  Ruby Warrington is the creator of the term Sober Curious. Author of the 2018 book of the same title, her work has spearheaded a global movement to reevaluate our relationship with alcohol. Other works include Material Girl, Mystical World (2017), The Numinous Astro Deck (June 2019), and The Sober Curious Reset (Dec 2020). With 20+ years’ experience as a lifestyle journalist and editor, Ruby is also the founder of self-publishing imprint Numinous Books, and is known as a true innovator in the “Now Age” space. Her latest book, Women Without Kids, was published in by Orion Spring in the UK in April 2023.  @RubyWarrington ---  1. Selfish, Shallow, Self-Absorbed by Meghan Daum 2. You're A Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero 3. Pleasure Activism by Adrienne Maree Brown‍ ---   xigxag aims to make reading easier and more accessible, engaging, and sustainable so that everyone can enjoy more books. Don't forget, if you sign up to Rebel Book Club now, you get your first xigxag audiobook for free!  ⁠@rebelbookclub⁠⁠ ‍@xigxag⁠  Terms + Conditions apply. Ruby's choices were: This podcast is powered by ⁠xigxag. ‍⁠

In this episode of 'The Books That Made Me', Ben Keene (Co-founder of Rebel Book Club) talks to ⁠Tim Marshall⁠ about the nonfiction books that have had a massive impact on him to date, including why it's important to read books that take us outside of our comfort zones and political leanings. Tim also shares the background to his latest book 'The Future of Geography' and how the solutions to some of our climate challenges could be in space, or more specifically on the moon... Enjoy!   ‍ ---  ⁠Tim Marshall is a leading authority on foreign affairs with more than thirty years of reporting experience. He was diplomatic editor at Sky News and before that worked for the BBC and LBC/IRN radio. He has reported from forty countries and covered conflicts in Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. He is the author of Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World; The Age of Walls: How Barriers Between Nations Are Changing Our World; and A Flag Worth Dying For: The Power and Politics of National Symbols. He is founder and editor of the current affairs site TheWhatandtheWhy.com. ‍⁠ @Itwitius⁠ ---  Tim's choices were*: 1. Paradise and Power: America and Europe in the New World Order by Robert Kagen 2. Milestones by Sayyid Qutb 3. Cosmos: The Story of Cosmic Evolution, Science and Civilisation by Carl Sagan *Please note due to some technical issues, the episode only features Tim's comments on book one, 'Paradise + Power'. ---   xigxag aims to make reading easier and more accessible, engaging, and sustainable so that everyone can enjoy more books. Don't forget, if you sign up to Rebel Book Club now, you get your first xigxag audiobook for free!  ⁠@rebelbookclub⁠⁠ ‍@xigxag⁠  Terms + Conditions apply. Tim's choices were: This podcast is powered by ⁠xigxag. ‍⁠

In this episode of 'The Books That Made Me', Ben Keene (Co-founder of Rebel Book Club) talks to Sophie Morgan about 3 nonfiction books that have had a massive impact on her to date. Sophie describes one book as a catalyst for a huge adventure and another that has such deep resonance with her, 'it feels like coming home'. Sophie also shares with us her activism around Rights on Flights + why she feels bookshops should be curating disabled writers within their own section in bookstores. Watch this space for a Rebel Book Club backed campaign on that one... Enjoy!   ---  Sophie Morgan is one of the first female TV presenters in the world with a physical disability. Best known for presenting the Paralympics, Sophie also reports on hard-hitting documentaries, live-event broadcasting and most recently, fronting her prime-time travel series whilst appearing as a regular panelist on a popular daytime talk show. She is one of the first female wheelchair users to become a T.V. personality in the U.K. and the world. Sophie is co-founder of Rights on Flights, a campaign & member organisation which provides educational resources for the airline industry and empowers disabled travellers. Global Ambassador for Can-Am, Airbnb and PADI, Sophie is an avid traveler and writes about inclusive travel in her brand-new monthly column for Condé Nast Traveler. Her first book, a bestselling memoir, “Driving Forwards”, was published in 2023 by Little Brown. @sophlmorg  ---  Sophie's choices were:  1. Lone Rider: The First British Woman to Motorcycle Around the World by Elspeth Beard (Michael O'Mara | 2017) 2. Big Magic: How to Live a Creative Life, and Let Go of Your Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert (Bloomsbury Publishing | 2015) 3. Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body by Rebekah Taussig (HarperOne | 2020) ---   This podcast is powered by xigxag.  xigxag aims to make reading easier and more accessible, engaging, and sustainable so that everyone can enjoy more books. Don't forget, if you sign up to Rebel Book Club now, you get your first xigxag audiobook for free!  @rebelbookclub@xigxag  Terms + Conditions apply.

In this episode of 'The Books That Made Me', Ben Keene (Co-founder of Rebel Book Club) talks to Ciaran Thapar about 3 nonfiction books that have had a massive impact on him to date, including the writers and storytellers who inspired the way he shaped 'Cut Short', his debut nonfiction title that tells the stories of four men at 'the sharp end the UK's youth violence epidemic'. Ciaran also reflects on the book that 'felt like talking to his late grandparents', by allowing him to dive deep into the history surrounding his cultural heritage, whilst also exposing crucial gaps in the British education system. Enjoy! --- Ciaran Thapar is a writer, youth worker and education consultant based in London. He has experience volunteering and working across secondary schools, youth services and the criminal justice system. His youth and education work focuses on preventing social exclusion and violence amongst young people who face systemic disadvantage. He is the Founder of RoadWorks LDN, a community interest organisation which supports young people to tell stories through music and writing workshops. As a regular contributor to the Guardian, British GQ and others, Ciaran writes longform profiles, narrative nonfiction stories and investigative features about themes like social justice, urban inequality, British-Punjabi identity and London music culture. He teaches 'Writing for Social Impact' at City University and holds an MSc in Political Theory from the London School of Economics.  --- Ciaran's choices were: 1. The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell 2. The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighbourhood by David Simon 3. Partition Voices: Untold British Stories by Kavita Puri ---  This podcast is powered by xigxag. xigxag aims to make reading easier and more accessible, engaging, and sustainable so that everyone can enjoy more books. Don't forget, if you sign up to Rebel Book Club now, you get your first xigxag audiobook for free! @rebelbookclub @xigxag Terms + Conditions apply.

In this episode of 'The Books That Made Me', Ben Keene (Co-founder of Rebel Book Club) talks to Dr. Pragya Agarwal about 3 nonfiction books that have had a massive impact on her to date, including one that inspired her own book '(M)otherhood' and what gave her the motivation to weave personal stories into her science writing. She also shares how unconscious bias, the subject of her book 'Sway', can come into play with our own reading habits and within the publishing industry as a whole. Enjoy! This episode was recorded in June 2022 and Pragya's latest book 'Hysterical' has since been published and can be found in all the usual shops and formats. --- Pragya Agarwal is a behaviour and data scientist and Visiting Professor of Social Inequities and Injustice at Loughborough University in the UK.  She is the founder of a research think-tank The 50 Percent Project investigating women’s status and rights around the world. Pragya is the award-winning author of (M)otherhood: On the choices of being a woman, SWAY: Unravelling Unconscious Bias and Wish we knew what to say: Talking with children about race, and a book for children Standing up to Racism. Her most recent book HYSTERICAL: Exploding the myth of gendered emotions was published on 1st  September 2022. @drpragyaagarwal --- Pragya's choices were: 1. 'A Life's Work' by Rachel Cusk 2. 'The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer' by Siddhartha Mukherjee 3. 'The Cancer Journals' by Audre Lord --- This podcast is powered by xigxag. xigxag aims to make reading easier and more accessible, engaging, and sustainable so that everyone can enjoy more books. Don't forget, if you sign up to Rebel Book Club now, you get your first xigxag audiobook for free! @rebelbookclub @xigxag Terms + Conditions apply.

In this episode of 'The Books That Made Me', Ben Keene (Co-founder of Rebel Book Club) talks to Elizabeth Uviebinené about 3 nonfiction books that have had a massive impact on her to date, including one that shaped how her twenties evolved and one that inspired the hugely successful, 'Slay In Your Lane', which went onto become a global movement. Elizabeth also shares why we should all be WhatsApp-ing ourselves and her take on why personal stories in nonfiction matter so much. Enjoy!   ---  Elizabeth Uviebinené is a multi-award-winning author, speaker, and columnist at the Financial Times. She is the author of 'The Reset: Ideas to Change How We Work and Live', and the co-author of 'Slay In Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible', the critically acclaimed bestseller which won the Groucho Maverick Award, the Marie Claire Future Shapers Award and was shortlisted for the Specsavers National Book Award. She is also co-editor of the anthology Loud Black Girls.  Elizabeth began her career in marketing and is now a brand strategist, working on campaigns for businesses such as Nike and Bumble. She grew up in South London where she still lives and studied Politics and International studies at the University of Warwick.  ---  Elizabeth's choices were:  1. 'The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter and How to Make the Most of Them Now' by Meg Jay  2. 'Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead' by Sheryl Sandberg  3. 'Manifesto: On Never Giving Up' by Bernadine Everisto  ---   This podcast is powered by xigxag.  xigxag aims to make reading easier and more accessible, engaging, and sustainable so that everyone can enjoy more books. Don't forget, if you sign up to Rebel Book Club now, you get your first xigxag audiobook for free!  @rebelbookclub @xigxag  Terms + Conditions apply.

In this episode of 'The Books That Made Me', Ben Keene (Co-founder of Rebel Book Club) talks to Nir Eyal about 3 nonfiction books that have had a massive impact on him to date, including some inspiring titles on both addiction and habit-forming that inspired his best-selling books, Indistractable and Hooked. Nir also shares with us why basic assumptions that 'tech is bad' lacks the necessary nuance, plus some key insights into his processes as an author + investor. Enjoy! --- Nir Eyal writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. He is the author of two bestselling books, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. Indistractable received critical acclaim, winning the Outstanding Works of Literature Award as well as being named one of the Best Business and Leadership Books of the Year by Amazon and one of the Best Personal Development Books of the Year by Audible. The Globe and Mail called Indistractable, “the best business book of 2019.”  In addition to blogging at NirAndFar.com, Nir’s writing has been featured in The New York Times, The Harvard Business Review, Time Magazine, and Psychology Today. Nir co-founded and sold two tech companies since 2003 and was dubbed by The M.I.T. Technology Review as, “The Prophet of Habit-Forming Technology.” Bloomberg Business week wrote, “Nir Eyal is the habits guy. Want to understand how to get app users to come back again and again? Then Eyal is your man. Nir previously taught as a Lecturer in Marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford. @NirEyal --- Nir's choices were: 1. 'Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties' by Beth Kobliner 2. 'Memoirs of an Addicted Brain: A Neuroscientist Examines his Former Life on Drugs' by Marc Lewis 3. 'The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do, and How to Change' by Charles Duhigg --- This podcast is powered by xigxag. xigxag aims to make reading easier and more accessible, engaging, and sustainable so that everyone can enjoy more books. Don't forget, if you sign up to Rebel Book Club now, you get your first xigxag audiobook for free! @rebelbookclub @xigxag Terms + Conditions apply.

In this episode of 'The Books That Made Me', Ben Keene (Co-founder of Rebel Book Club) talks to Jamie Bartlett about 3 nonfiction books that have had a massive impact on him to date, including how they informed his research on massive projects like 'The Missing Cryptoqueen' and the kind of writer he has become over the years. Jamie also discusses his feelings of 'imposter syndrome' when it comes to reading and how John Ronson became one of his nonfiction heroes. Enjoy!  --- Jamie Bartlett is the creator and host of the popular BBC podcast The Missing Cryptoqueen and is a bestselling author with his books: The People Vs Tech, The Dark Net, and Radicals. He has explored everything from online subcultures and hackers to blockchain and cryptocurrencies to the threat social media has on democracy. Jamie Bartlett is a Senior Fellow and former Director of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at the think-tank Demos. Jamie frequently writes for The Spectator and is a feature writer for The Sunday Times, The Guardian, Foreign Policy, and The Telegraph. His BBC Two documentary, The Secrets of Silicon Valley, explored the false promises that technology has brought for global economies, and how it has weakened many aspects of politics and society. @jamiebartlett --- Jamie's choices were:  1. 'The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11' by Lawrence Wright 2. 'Them: Adventures with Extremists' by Jon Ronson 3. 'The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt --- This podcast is powered by xigxag. xigxag aims to make reading easier and more accessible, engaging, and sustainable so that everyone can enjoy more books. Don't forget, if you sign up to Rebel Book Club now, you get your first xigxag audiobook for free!  @rebelbookclub @xigxag Terms + Conditions apply.