reviewed by Frances Churchward. Laura Lippman’s latest novel is set in 1960s USA, in times when many women were expected to stay at home and look after house, husband and children. It was also a time of huge racial discrimination, when attacks on Negro women attracted little attention from...
People in Common: Kwame Bakoji-Hume
by Sally Churchward. African Activities has been bringing art, music and storytelling to people, particularly schoolchildren, across the south for more than a decade. It’s a dream come true for Kwame Bakoji-Hume, who felt a strong desire to share African culture with the people around him. “In Ghana, not a...
In Common Launch Party at The Art House
The Art House in Southampton’s Cultural Quarter was packed on Saturday night as people came together to celebrate the launch of the city’s new community news and features website In Common. In Common aims to help bring people in the city closer together and to celebrate and promote what’s...
Opinion: adult social care services should be free
by Lorna Fielker. Councils up and down the country are struggling to meet the demand for social care. Years of central government underfunding and increases in demand due to an ageing population have forced social care to the brink of collapse. A year ago, Southampton City Council passed a...
Southampton Climate Strike
Millions of protesters have taken to the streets across the globe to demand that governments take real action on the climate crisis. Protests took place on the streets of Southampton throughout Friday, September 20. They included a protest at Carnival HQ, a meeting at October Books in Portswood, a...
Book Review: Our Women on the Ground: essays by Arab women reporting from the Arab world, edited by Zahra Hankir
by Alex Thurley-Ratcliff. A first of its kind, this collection of writing by Arab women journalists is both challenging and thought-provoking. It’s not comfortable reading but it’s well worth picking up, because it totally delivers. The nineteen essays cover an enormous range – from Lina Attalah’s “On a belated...
Book Review: Outgrowing God: a beginner’s guide by Richard Dawkins
by Alex Thurley-Ratcliff. “Should we believe in God? Do we need God in order to explain the existence of the universe? Do we need God in order to be good?” asks the back cover blurb on Richard Dawkins latest book. Dawkins does not just return a list of answers...
Opinion: properly funded education is essential
by Charlotte Ndupuechi. As the new school year gets underway, with parents and carers setting their children into new classes and teachers eagerly planning for the year ahead, it’s an interesting time to reflect on the education system. The new prime minister Boris Johnson, has promised more money for...
My Life with M.E. – Exploding the Myths
by Chrissy Russell. Myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E.), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), Yuppy Flu, post-viral fatigue syndrome (PVFS), chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS), systemic exertion intolerance disease (SEID)… The list goes on. Each decade has seen a new name, but the erroneous perception of it remains the same. The Word Health...
Book review: The Rapture by Claire McGlasson
Reviewed by Sally Churchward. I defy anyone to read even the cover of Claire McGlasson’s debut novel, and not be intrigued. “This is the Garden of Eden. Hidden in plain sight. It was here in Bedford all along. Welcome to the Panacea Society, a terribly English cult.” McGlasson’s work...