This week is ‘Book Week Scotland’ and we thought it was a great time to share what we’ve been reading in 2018. All of the books are essential reading for those who support care experienced young people and their families.

Here are the top five books we’re reading at Staf.

📚 Poverty Safari – Darren McGarvey

@lokiscottishrap

If you haven’t read this already, this Orwell Prize winning book should be top of your 2019 reading list. Darren weaves together his own lived experience with his views on the pressing issues facing working-class communities – challenging us all to see society differently and take action to change it.

📚 The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog – Dr Bruce Perry

@BDPerry

Dr Bruce Perry is a world-renowned expert on trauma and early development that founded the ChildTrauma Academy based in the USA. In this groundbreaking book Dr Perry set out the impact of emotional trauma on a child’s brain and how they can be supported to heal from their trauma.

📚 Me, My Bike and a Street Dog Called Lucy – Ishbel Holmes

@WorldBikeGirl

In 2014 Ishbel Holmes – also known as ‘World Bike Girl’ – set of on a once in a lifetime adventure to cycle across the world solo. This compelling memoir recounts her own experience of care and how rescuing a street dog in Turkey helped her understand the true meaning of unconditional love.

📚 In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction – Gabor Maté

@DrGaborMate

Dr Gabor Maté is a physician and internationally-respected expert in addiction, stress and childhood development. His work on addiction emphasises the impact of early adversity and trauma on a child’s brain and, as a result, the development of addiction. In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts weaves together the spiritual, the medical and political – making this a compelling must-read.

📚 Glue – Louise Wallwein MBE

@LouiseWallwein

Louise Wallwein is a renowned and award-winning poet, playwright and performer. She is currently on tour with Glue, her acclaimed one-woman show that tells the true story of her first two meetings with her birth mother, three decades after being put up for adoption. This isn’t an easy read, but Louise’s beautiful writing and breathtaking imagery make it unputdownable.

📸 Photo by Drew Coffman on Unsplash