Media

As we prepare to return to the office, here at the MCF we’re heading to our local bookshops to stock up on reading material for the commute. But, with such massive choice, how do we decide which books are right for us?

We checked in with a few of the brilliant charities we supported with our last round of grants to see if they could help us with our dilemma. And, it turns out that they’re not just tackling some of the biggest issues facing society today, they’re also reading up on them!

Take a look at the books five charities have recommended to us and see how they could help you gain a better understanding of the people they support.

It’s Not OK To Feel Blue (And Other Lies), by Scarlett Curtis

Recommended by Leeds Mind

“This is an anthology of essays from more than 60 inspirational people, including TV personalities, writers, influencers, politicians and musicians. The essays span a broad range of experiences with mental health, such as dealing with different cultural assumptions, to LGBTQI+ trauma and pride, experiences of getting sectioned, issues of body image and much more. The beauty of the range of these varied stories being represented in one place is that it really highlights that we all have mental health, just as we all have physical health, but everyone’s experience is unique.

While there are inevitably some dark and difficult experiences detailed, overall the book is hopeful, and has been described as ‘a love letter to humanity’. Author, Scarlett Curtis goes on to say: ‘it is a shout, a scream into the noise that let’s everyone know they are not alone’. At Leeds Mind, we believe that everyone deserves support and respect. This collection offers an insight to just how broad the term ‘everyone’ is.” – Emily Cotter, Marketing, PR and Communications Officer at Leeds Mind

Benny’s Hat, by Juliet Clare Bell

Recommended by Edward’s Trust

“Benny’s Hat explores the subject of sibling bereavement in a gentle and sensitive way. It beautifully illustrates how adults and children process loss differently, whilst providing examples of how to support children when a sibling is suffering from a serious or life-limiting illness. The book is extremely helpful in supporting families, children and young people through pre- and post-bereavement. Through collaboration with the author Juliet Clare Bell we were invited to include written guidance notes for families on how to support a child in their grief. Benny’s Hat is honest and up to date exploration of sensitive subjects ‘terminal illness’ and grief and we have no hesitation in recommending this book.” – Sue Dale, Senior Children/Young Person’s Counsellor at Edward’s Trust

Somebody I Used to Know, by Wendy Mitchell

Recommended by Butterflies Memory Loss Support Group

“A truthful account of just how it feels to be someone who is living with early-onset dementia, and their struggle to carry on life as normal, from continuing to hold down a job to the daily jog.  You travel through a multitude of emotions with Wendy: anger, humour, fear, acceptance and sheer determination to not let dementia beat her.

Breaking much of the stigma associated with dementia, Wendy describes how she learns a new skill, using an ipad to help her remain as independent as she can for as long as she can, making astonishing journeys alone to spread the word to both medics and the general public about how it is possible to live life after a diagnosis of dementia. She shares a collection of coping strategies that she shaped to help with daily living. She highlights the fact that dementia does not only happen to the elderly, and how employers could be more supportive in both recognizing early symptoms and accommodating and understanding in those early stages of the disease. 

We have found the book invaluable at the Butterflies, using quotes in our carer training sessions to help families understand better what a loved one may be feeling and to develop their own unique coping strategies. An informative read, straight from the horse’s mouth!” – June Cooke  CEO/Facilitator at  Butterflies Memory Loss Support Group

Is Daddy Coming Back in a Minute, by Elke and Alex Barber

Recommended by Mosaic

“This is a book we use a lot in Mosaic and through our training courses, and the author has written a number of other books on child bereavement which we rate highly also. It beautifully explains the concept of death to very young children in ways they can understand.  For parents reading this book to their child it can help start difficult conversations around death and can be used as a prompt for children to ask questions to support their understanding.  The book is a true story of the author’s own grief journey with her little son Alex who was with his father when he died very suddenly from a heart attack. It looks at the unfolding chain of the tragic events from a child’s view point, going through each step of Alex and his mum’s grief journey. It explains the different and conflicting emotions Alex felt when dealing with his grief, such as ‘upset’, ‘disbelief’ and ‘anger’ and gives the positive message that it is still ok to be ‘happy’ and have fun when a loved one dies.

Children need honest and accurate information to support them through their grief and this book with its beautiful illustrations clearly explains to parents how important using the right language and child-centred information can help prepare children with the aftermath of a death.  Although the book is very much about death – it ends on a celebration of the resilience of children and the importance of remembering those precious memories of a loved one and that these will always remain with you. ” – Julie Monahan,  Family Therapy Services Manager at Mosaic

The Colour Monster, by Anna Llenas

Recommended by Fortalice Ltd.

“This book helps children to sort and understand their emotions through colour. The story begins with a little girl introducing her friend, the colour monster, who is very mixed up and confused and is pictured in numerous colours. As the story unfolds, each page is dedicated to a feeling relating to a colour (happiness, sadness, anger, fear and calmness). At the end, the colour monster has sorted his feelings and is left pink, asking the reader to think about how he feels now.

Children affected by domestic abuse often present as confused and conflicted with their emotions. This book helps them to understand emotions and talk about what makes them feel these ways. The book allows for numerous activities in group sessions or 1:1 sessions that we can use to support the understanding of emotions. It even has a song to go with it for children to listen to and sing along with. The Colour Monster also allows for further discussion on other feelings and coping strategies that children may have.

Children can easily connect with The Colour Monster and the drawings in the book are childlike. It introduces emotions to children in a fun and clear way and provides plenty activity opportunities for a variety of ages, predominately 4 to 11.” – Sarah Hodson, DOVE Project Worker at Fortalice Ltd

Bonus book: Pure, by Rose Bretécher

Recommended by the MCF

“This is definitely one of the best representations of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) I have ever read or seen in popular culture. Based on the author’s real-life experiences, the book completely debunks common myths about OCD sufferers being just tidy or obsessively concerned with cleaning and delves into how spiralling thought patterns and intrusive thoughts can have a devastating impact on a person’s life.

The story follows a young woman from a small village who moves to London and contends with the challenges of not only finding a diagnosis for what she is experiencing, but also her place in the big city. It’ll make you laugh and cry, sometimes on the same page, and it’ll leave you with a much better understanding of what it is like to experience OCD. I think anyone interested in mental health, particularly anxiety disorders, should give this a read.” – Anna Wilson, Marketing Executive at the Masonic Charitable Foundation

Want to find out more?

Interested in the topics raised by these book recommendations? Click on the names of the charities to visit their websites…

…or find out more about our charity grants schemes