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Articles by Dawn Bebe
THE NINE LIVES OF PAKISTAN: Dispatches From A Divided Nation by Declan Walsh book review
There are a number of common ways to structure books that tell the story of one particular country. An author might choose to do so geographically, moving from region to region, or chronologically.
The best books of 2020: history of place
Our own category, ‘history of place’ covers all those books that tell the story of a particular location – its landscapes, people, wars, celebrations and culture.
MAGDALENA: River of Dreams by Wade Davis book review
Here is a towering revelation of the magnificent, tragic country of Colombia. One of the most biologically rich and most diverse states in the world and yet, throughout its turbulent history, it has been ravaged by savage conflict and rapacious commercial abuse, culminating in La Violencia, the period of violence that lasted for ten years from 1948 to 1958.
The best books of 2020: Travel
We’ve delved into the archive to select our favourite travel books of 2020. From far-flung adventures to those closer to home, these books are sure to entertain, inspire and intrigue WANDERLAND: A Search for Magic in the Landscape by Jini Reddy ‘I want to connect with the spirit of the land. I want to feel heard, cared for, led. I want signs, synchronicity, the whole deal!’ writes Reddy.
Nature by Artavazd Peleshyan
A new film by renowned Armenian film maker Artavazd Peleshyan depicts the violence and power of nature Born 22 February 1938 in Armenia, Artavazd Peleshyan is a film director, screenwriter and film theorist. Hardly conventional, he is known for short films in black and white and mostly without dialogue.
Ocean Film Festival World Tour 2020 – escapism, without getting wet - Geographical Magazine
The Ocean Film Festival World Tour 2020 brings the water to your home on 25–27 October and 17–19 November The ocean can be a refuge from the difficulties of life – in 2020, it’s fair to say that many of us long for a rejuvenating escape in nature. Without getting your feet wet, you can experience the wonders of the deep with the Ocean Film Festival World Tour. Two shows, on 25–27 October and 17–19 November each bring hand-picked, uplifting and inspiring ocean films.
Best netflix documentaries to watch in 2020
2020 has, for many people worldwide, been a dramatic year that has changed the way we see the world and our place within it. Luckily, there is a wealth of recent documentaries out there that can help us make sense of it all.
Woman at War review: Benedikt Erlingsson
One woman’s determined plot to tackle multi-national industry through activism exposes the moral panic of our environmental and climate crises Trombones sound in mock militaristic style, and a maddening drum beat that recurs somewhere in the subconscious ripples through the teal-soaked Icelandic landscape. A strident figure, wielding a bow and arrow, steps up to take the shot.
Rebuilding Paradise review: Californian communities are already living with the consequences of climate change
Acclaimed documentarian Ron Howard brings an intimate depiction of the lingering effects of a climate disaster, and the resilience of a community to rebuild from ashes With Australia shocked by infernal bush fires, Jakarta under siege from the worst floods in decades, and Alaska and Siberia struck by record-high temperatures, our news feeds are populated by stories of intensifying climate emergencies.
THE BOOK OF TRESPASS: Crossing the Lines that Divide Us by Nick Hayes book review
It’s tempting to think of the English countryside as a bucolic landscape that, with minor restrictions, we are all free to roam. Picturesque rivers, hills, woodlands and meadows criss-crossed with public footpaths that we can explore to our heart’s content. Yet that’s far from the reality. In fact, most of England is out of bounds to the general public. Today, around 92 per cent of land in England is off limits, as well as 97 per cent of the country’s waterways.
AU REVOIR, TRISTESSE: Lessons in Happiness from French Literature by Viv Groskop book review
It is always a treat to come across a fellow Francophile, particularly one as engaging, intelligent and witty as Viv Groskop – a distinguished British writer, journalist and comedienne. Her latest book is a heart-felt and beautifully written love letter to France and to French literature in which Groskop introduces the reader to her favourite twelve French writers – from Francoise Sagan to Albert Camus, via Hugo, Flaubert, Maupassant and others.
STRANGE RITES: New Religions for a Godless World by Tara Isabella Burton book review
Religion – or more precisely formal, institutional religion – is facing a crisis in the USA. The number of religiously unaffiliated (or ‘nones’ as Burton labels them) are creeping up: 15 per cent of Americans said they didn’t affiliate with any church in 2007. By 2012, that figure stood at 20 per cent and rising. But here’s the catch: they aren’t turning their backs on faith.
TO THE LIGHTHOUSE: Lockdown Swansea by Smartphone and Bike by Nick Smith book review
Photographer Nick Smith has spent the past three decades travelling with his camera to more than 100 countries. He has crossed the Namib Desert, photographed elephants in the Okavango Delta, penguins in Antarctica and polar bears at the North Pole. Without a doubt, one of the most bizarre ventures of his career was a 75-day, 1,500-mile voyage that took him no more than five-miles from his home in Swansea.
ON TIME AND WATER by Andri Snær Magnason book review
You wouldn’t describe Andri Snær Magnason as a climate radical – as a former Icelandic presidential candidate, he’s much more pragmatic. His main concern is that the barrage of environmental news is starting to fall on deaf ears, leaving many climate scientists exasperated by a reception of inactivity. So, how do we move people to action? In On Time and Water, Magnason discovers a poetic answer, using family history to construct a portal through environmental time.
EAT THE BUDDHA: The Story of Modern Tibet Through the People of One Town by Barbara Demick book review
Best known for her revelatory book about North Korea, Nothing to Envy, Barbara Demick returns with a familiar style but a new location. Choosing as her focus the small town of Ngaba, located in Sichuan Province, China, but Tibetan in every way, she uses the intimate, traumatic and inspirational stories of residents past and present to tell the wider story of modern Tibet.
Geographical’s pick of the books: September
BOOK OF THE MONTH: THE BOOK OF TRESPASS: Crossing the Lines that Divide Us by Nick Hayes It’s tempting to think of the English countryside as a bucolic landscape that, with minor restrictions, we are all free to roam. Picturesque rivers, hills, woodlands and meadows criss-crossed with public footpaths that we can explore to our heart’s content. Yet that’s far from the reality. In fact, most of England is out of bounds to the general public.
OWLS OF THE EASTERN ICE: The Quest to Find and Save the World’s Largest Owl by Jonathan C Slaght book review
In the primeval and largely untouched forests of Primorye, near the borders of Russia, China and North Korea, there lives a rare bird with a two-metre wingspan called the Blakiston’s fish owl. There are probably fewer than 2,000 of them worldwide. The Russian ones are legally protected, but only 19 per cent of their Primorye habitat can say the same. Another 43 per cent is now leased out to modern logging companies.
THE UNREMEMBERED PLACES: Exploring Scotland’s Wild Histories by Patrick Baker book review
What compels someone to journey to a wild place? What strange stirrings arise on the first glimpse of remote landscapes? Places such as medieval burial grounds in Clachan Dubh in the Cairngorm Mountains; Davy’s Bourach, the highest usable shelter in Scotland; or one of the British Isle’s 3,000 abandoned settlements, devastated by the Black Death of 1348. In The Unremembered Places, Baker draws on boyhood fascinations to unravel the draw that many adventurers feel for the Scottish Highlands.
FOOTPRINTS: In Search of Future Fossils by David Farrier book review
There is surely nothing more thought-provoking in Footprints than the very concept of a ‘future fossil’. The notion that, one day, thousands or perhaps millions of years from now, the world as we know it will be wiped from existence, leaving behind mere remnants of contemporary life. Stay connected with the Geographical newsletter! In these turbulent times, we’re committed to telling expansive stories from across the globe, highlighting the everyday lives of normal but extraordinary people.
IMPERIAL MUD: The Fight for the Fens by James Boyce book review
Boston, Lincolnshire is a long way from Boston, Massachusetts, and further still from Botany Bay. But James Boyce wants us to see the long-lasting assault on the marshy lands of Norfolk, Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire in the context of colonising invasion around the world. Stay connected with the Geographical newsletter! In these turbulent times, we’re committed to telling expansive stories from across the globe, highlighting the everyday lives of normal but extraordinary people.
MAYFLOWER: A Sea Change by Dawn Bébe and Juliet Coombe book review
2020 is the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower sailing from Plymouth to what is now called New England. This small ship held 102 passengers, some religious Pilgrim separatists seeking to set up a new colony, where they would be free from persecution, and some commercial prospectors chiefly interested in trade. After a terrible stormy crossing, in ghastly living conditions, with many suffering from scurvy, they arrived to find a barren, frozen land, where they struggled to survive.
WANDERLAND: A Search for Magic in the Landscape by Jini Reddy book review
‘I want to connect with the spirit of the land. I want to feel heard, cared for, led. I want signs, synchronicity, the whole deal!’ writes Reddy.
Geographical’s pick of the books: August
BOOK OF THE MONTH: IMPERIAL MUD: The Fight for the Fens by James Boyce James Boyce wants us to see the long-lasting assault on the marshy lands of Norfolk, Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire in the context of colonising invasion around the world. It’s hard to blame Boyce for expressing his indignation, not least because meddling in the region continued up to the very recent past.
Geographers share top reads for staying connected with the wider world
Geographical's contributing geographers share their top books for 'staying connected' with the wider world during the ongoing lockdown This has been an introspective time for many of us, forced to delve deep into our own personal sources of enjoyment to stave off the lockdown boredom. Amongst any concern or ambiguity over the path forward from lockdown, a constancy to fall back on is the comfort and joy of the written word.
The grant funding revolution
As a result, there’s been growing interest in how crowdfunding may shake up the grant sector to make public money more accessible and effective. This has given rise to the concept of matched crowdfunding where funding from institutions, corporates, foundations, local authorities and other bodies can match that pledged by the crowd. This practice has grown significantly over the last three years, ranging from small community projects to larger capital or regeneration focused ventures.
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