What PGS Staff Are Reading This Summer 4

 Dr Richmond

My summer reading (perhaps on my honeymoon?):

Johnson at 10 by Anthony Seldon. After requesting this for my birthday in May, I have not yet opened it. That could be because of the busyness of the summer term, but actually the real reason is because I am scared about what the book says! I have long been an admirer of Johnson, primarily for the way he pushed the case for Brexit (he was not always a supporter of Brexit but became one, some have suggested, after a talk from his ex-wife Marina, a lawyer who spent many years working in Brussels and who developed an intimate and in-depth knowledge of EU law) but also for the way, amazingly, he was able to speak for the ‘ordinary man’ and get thousands of them voting for him in 2019. He seemed able to speak to the toffs and the ordinary working (or not working) citizens of England which not many politicians can do.

So what I am afraid when faced with this book? Anthony Seldon claims to have questioned over 200 people, those that know Johnson intimately, and I fear the image I will be left with will be a man seeking glory and approval (rather than serving the people) rather than someone that can represent real Conservative (let’s face it, it became clear near the end of his premiership that he wasn’t a real Conservative) values and principles. No doubt Seldon will harp on about Eton and privilege, which I would expect him to do as he seeking to understand Johnson’s character and how it was formed from the beginning, but I hope this theme won’t dominate his analysis and dictate his conclusions. No doubt it will be a fascinating read, however uncomfortable, and it will be interesting how reading this book might impact my thoughts of Johnson’s legacy. Watch this space !

Dr Webb

Reading invites aspiration and I aim to fully consume as many of the books waiting for me this summer as is possible to do.

They include the series of comics published by SelfMadeHero about the lives of well-known artists, viewed through the medium of different comic art styles.  I really enjoyed Georgia O'Keefe drawn by Maria Herreros and Basquiat by Julian Voloj and Soren Mosdal, but be warned that in relating these people's lives, the content and its portrayal are necessarily disturbing.  Yet I will continue to devour them!

I enjoyed Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie and listening to Mr. Wickes' recent Lit Soc presentation on Satanic Verses, it has now risen to the top of one of my 'tbr' piles.  I bought the Vintage edition as I love their cover designs.  Harvey Hill OP pupil who left last year highly recommended Crime and Punishment and I think this is the summer in which I will tackle it.  I bought the Macmillan Collectors' edition because their design makes the biggest of books look that bit smaller and therefore so much more inviting.

 I hope you will enjoy all that you read this summer.

Andrew Milford

The ample opportunities to read for pleasure are right up there amongst my favourite aspects of the summer holidays. I have two books lined up to get me started, both of which are historical (of course!).

The first is Act of Oblivion, the latest novel by Robert Harris. Harris is one of my favourite authors, and his latest offering sounds excellent. The act referenced in the novel's title is a seventeenth century law passed by Parliament following the Restoration, which found the regicides (the men who had signed King Charles I's death warrant following the English Civil War) guilty of high treason and sentenced them to death in absentia. Against this historically accurate backdrop, Harris tells the story of two of the final regicides, who flee to the colonies of New England in the hope of escaping their fate, hotly pursued by a ruthless government official who will stop at nothing the bring the men to justice. This novel has links with the History curriculum in both Year 8 (English Civil War) and Year 12 (American Revolution).

 My second choice is The Spy and the Traitor, a non-fiction offering by the British historian Ben Macintyre. The book tells the story of Oleg Gordievsky, a very senior Russian KGB officer who was recruited by MI6 as a British agent during the Cold War years of the 1970s and 80s. In 1985 Gordievsky was recalled to Moscow, only to realise upon his return that his cover was blown. The book culminates with the extraordinary story of MI6's attempts to smuggle him out of the Soviet Union before he can be arrested and executed by the KGB. No less than John le Carre, perhaps the greatest spy novelist of all, claims The Spy and the Traitor is the 'best true spy story I have ever read'; high praise indeed. Again, there are links with the History curriculum in Year 11 (Cold War).