Maxine Mei-Fung Chung - Ten books that continue to inspire me
By Hutchinson Heinemann
Maxine Mei-Fung Chung - Ten books that continue to inspire me
By Hutchinson Heinemann
As a psychotherapist who loves to read, learn, question, feel truly moved and connected these ten books remain my beloved and steady companions. Whilst Audre Lorde and James Baldwin remain my literary heroes, I know why the caged bird sings is a book I read every year without fail. Maya Angelou’s coming of age story illustrates how one’s love of literature and strength of character acts as balm against racism and trauma, and on reading it for the first time my poor nerves were all cracks. I was destroyed. And I still believe my heart is all the better for it. Reading stories undoubtedly inspired me to become a therapist, and author.
What Women Want: Conversations on Desire, Power, Love and Growth
Maxine Mei-Fung Chung
£18.99 £18.04
Playing and Reality
D. W. Winnicott
£21.99D.W. Winnicott (psychoanalyst and paediatrician) in Playing and Reality asks: What are the origins of creativity and how can we develop it - in ourselves and in others? It is a landmark book, a collection of essays, that offer theories on human development and behaviour and introduces the idea of how nurturing creativity in early years can offer a rich and rewarding life. Winnicott himself was playful and used playing not only to distract and observe patients, but also as a therapeutic technique.
I Ching or Book of Changes: Ancient Chinese wisdom to inspire and enlighten
£18.99 £18.04
I Ching, or The Book of Changes is a source of Confucianist and Taoist philosophy. Used for divination, The I Ching is a way of exploring the unconscious which is done through the symbolism of hexagrams where we are guided towards the solution of life’s problems. As well as throwing coins to accompany this book, I also read it as a text on wisdom because it reveals the laws of life which, if we are to live in peace and harmony, we must attune ourselves to.
Toward a Social Psychoanalysis: Culture, Character, and Normative Unconscious Processes
USA) Layton Lynne (Harvard Medical School
£37.99Lynne Layton is among the most prolific and important psychoanalytic writers of our time. Toward a Social Psychoanalysis charts the consequences of power relations in clinical practice and in society. Seasoned therapists and training therapists will want to read and re-read this book (as I have!) so they can be inspired by Layton’s passion for civic life and social justice.
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Zora Neale Hurston
£9.99 £9.49Set in Southern Florida, Their Eyes were watching God is a dazzling and lyrical novel that explores gender roles with Janie ‘defined’ by her marriages to her two husbands, Jody and Logan. Both men insist on Janie’s domesticity and silence. It is a book about voice, surviving two oppressive marriages before eventually reaching and finding love. Every page is a stunning tribute to Zora Neale Hurston’s literary crusader. And as someone who was initially dismissed, ignored and misunderstood I can’t help but feel it impossible not to acknowledge her voice, and her work as one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century.
Time Is a Mother
Ocean Vuong
£14.99After reading On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous – a searching and tender tale told in the form of a letter from a son to his mother – I fell equally in love with Vuong’s Time is a Mother. This intimate poetry collection searches for life’s meaning after the death of his mother and the paradox of being with that grief while determined to survive through and beyond it.
Assembly: The critically acclaimed debut novel
Natasha Brown
£9.99 £9.49Assembly is narrated by a black, British woman who, while preparing to attend a garden party in the English countryside, asks: Is it time to take it all apart? This novel is so timely and so powerful that it left me breathless, questioning and utterly captivated. Themes explored are micro-aggressions, hostility and how British culture is assembled.
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: 50th Anniversary Edition
Shunryu Suzuki
£17.99 £17.09This book was given to me by my training analyst and remains a deeply personal and frequently re-read companion as well as inspiration for my clinical work and writing. Suzuki was a Sōtō Zen monk who made accessible his Zen teachings. It is a book that I treasure, its message a reminder that I keep my mind open for enquiry.
Your Silence Will Not Protect You: Essays and Poems
Audre Lorde
£13.99 £13.29Your Silence Will Not Protect You brings together Lorde’s prose and poetry in essay form. They are truly inspiring and drenched in Lorde’s stunning use of language that honour selfhood and challenge injustice. The essays focus on shifting language into action and the importance of history. This book sits proudly beside me in my clinical practice.