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HIP-HOP IS HISTORY BY QUESTLOVE WITH BEN GREENMAN

WHITE RABBIT TO PUBLISH

HIP-HOP IS HISTORY, BY QUESTLOVE WITH BEN GREENMAN

Hip-HOP is History

By QuestLove WITH BEN GREENMAN

White Rabbit / HB / Audio / E-Book / 11 June 2024

Questlove’s Hip-Hop is History has been acquired by Lee Brackstone, Publisher at White Rabbit. Brackstone has acquired UK & Commonwealth rights from Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

This is a book only Questlove could have written: a perceptive and personal reflection on the first half-century of hip-hop.

When hip-hop first emerged in the 1970s, it wasn’t expected to become the cultural force it is today. But for a young Black kid growing up in a musical family in Philadelphia, it was everything. He stayed up late to hear the newest songs on the radio. He saved his money to buy vinyl as soon as it landed. He even started to try to make his own songs. That kid was Questlove, and decades later, he is a six-time Grammy Award–winning musician, an Academy Award–winning filmmaker, a New York Times bestselling author, a producer, an entrepreneur, a cofounder of one of hip-hop’s defining acts (the Roots), and the genre’s unofficial in-house historian.

In this landmark book, Hip-Hop Is History, Questlove skilfully traces the creative and cultural forces that made and shaped hip-hop, highlighting both the forgotten but influential gems and the undeniable chart-topping hits—and weaves it all together with the stories no one else knows. It is at once an intimate, sharply observed story of a cultural revolution and a sweeping, grand theory of the evolution of the great artistic movement of our time. And Questlove, of course, approaches it with not only the encyclopaedic fluency and passion of an obsessive fan but also the expertise and originality of an innovative participant.

Hip-hop is history, and also his history.

Academy Award-winning filmmaker, drummer, DJ, producer, director, culinary entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author, and member of The Roots – Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, is the unmistakable heartbeat of Philadelphia’s most influential hip-hop group. He is the Musical Director for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where his beloved Roots crew serves as house band. Beyond that, this 6-time GRAMMY Award winning musician's indisputable reputation has landed him musical directing positions for everyone from D'Angelo to Jay-Z. Questlove made his directorial debut with the Academy Award winning feature documentary Summer of Soul. The movie broke the record for the highest-selling documentary to come out of Sundance, and it has since gone on to win “Best Feature Documentary” at the 2022 Academy Awards, “Best Documentary” at the 2022 British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) and “Best Music Film” at the 2022 Grammy Awards, as well as a Peabody Award. In addition, Summer of Soul was crowned the “Best Movie of 2021” by The New York Times and included among the “best of the year” by The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, Entertainment Weekly, The Washington Post, TIME Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone and more. Outside of Summer of Soul, Questlove partnered together with Black Thought of The Roots to launch a production company, Two One Five Entertainment. Together, the pair announced a first-look deal with Universal Television to develop scripted and non-scripted programming. In 2022, the company executive produced the acclaimed feature documentary Descendant about the historic discovery of The Clotilda—the last known slave ship to arrive in America illegally transporting enslaved Africans. The documentary, which made its world premiere at Sundance in 2022, was acquired by Netflix and Higher Ground—President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company. The film earned an impressive three nominations for “Best Documentary Feature,” “Best Director,” and “Best Historical Documentary” and took home the award for “Best Historical Documentary” at the 2022 Critics Choice Documentary Awards. It also received a nomination for “Outstanding Documentary” for the 2023 NAACP Image Awards and was also named one of the “Top 5 Documentaries” of 2022 by the National Board of Review. Questlove’s web series, Quest for Craft, produced by Two One Five and launched in partnership with the single malt whiskey brand, The Balvenie, took home a Webby Award in 2023. Up next, Questlove will make his feature film directing debut with a live-action hybrid reimagining of The Aristocats for Walt Disney Studios. Two One Five is set to produce the film alongside Olive Bridge. Questlove has written multiple books, including the New York Times bestsellers Mo’ Meta Blues, Creative Quest, Music is History, and The Rhythm of Time, as well as the GRAMMY nominated audio books Music Is History and Creative Quest. Expanding his literary endeavors, in 2023 he launched his own book imprint, AUWA Books, within MCD Books, a publishing division of Farrar, Straus and Giroux. The imprint will publish both nonfiction and fiction on a wide range of topics.

Ben Greenman is a New York Times bestselling author and New Yorker contributor who has written both fiction and nonfiction. His novels and short-story collections include The Slippage and Superbad. He has been Questlove's collaborator on a series of books, including Mo’ Meta Blues, Creative Quest, and Music Is History, and he has written memoirs with Sly Stone, George Clinton, and Brian Wilson. His writing has appeared in numerous publications.

Publisher Lee Brackstone said: ‘If you had to choose any practitioner and writer in the world to write a personal history of hip hop, arguably the greatest art form of the late twentieth century, it would be Questlove of The Roots. Written to recognise the 50th anniversary of hip hop’s birth in the Bronx, Hip Hop is History is a landmark publication for White Rabbit, a book that will surely become the canonical work on the genre, its origins, many mutations and superstars. This book will be in print for decades, enrich your musical lexicon, remind you of artists you loved but have forgotten, and introduce you to pioneers you’d heard of but perhaps neglected. A masterpiece.’

All press enquiries should be directed to:

Emma Finnigan emma@emmafinniganpr.co.uk , Sarah Bennie sarah@sarahbennie.com or Francesca Pearce francesca.pearce@orionbooks.co.uk

The contact for Questlove’s team is Carleen Donovan carleen@theoriel.co

White Rabbit is dedicated to publishing the most innovative books and voices in music and literature and creating magic from the alchemical reaction where these two things meet. Led by Publisher, Lee Brackstone, White Rabbit publishes titles encompassing memoir, history, fiction, translation, traditional pop culture, lyrics, illustrated books and high-spec limited editions. Since launching in spring 2020, White Rabbit has published several Sunday Times Bestsellers (including the likes of Mark Lanegan’s Sing Backwards and Weep, Carl Cox’s Oh Yes! Oh Yes!, Chris Frantz’s Remain in Love, and Ten Thousand Apologies by Lias Saoudi and Adelle Stripe), and established itself as the go-to destination for books emerging from and celebrating the counter-culture. Feed Your Head!

 The Orion Publishing Group
Where every story matters.

The Orion Publishing Group is one of the UK’s leading publishers. Our mission is to bring the best publishing to the greatest variety of people. Open, agile, passionate and innovative – we believe that everyone will find something they love at Orion.

Founded in 1991, the Orion Publishing Group today publishes under nine main imprints: Gollancz, the UK’s No.1 science fiction and fantasy imprint; Laurence King Publishing, one of the world’s leading publishers of books and gifts on the creative arts; Orion Fiction, a heartland for brilliant commercial fiction; Orion Spring, home of wellbeing and health titles written by passionate celebrities and world-renowned experts; Seven Dials, for the very best commercial non-fiction, beautifully designed and produced; Trapeze for commercial fiction and non-fiction books that start conversations; Phoenix, a bespoke imprint publishing fiction and memoir that combine literary merit and commercial potential; Weidenfeld & Nicolson, one of the most prestigious and dynamic literary imprints in British and international publishing; and White Rabbit, dedicated to publishing the most innovative books and voices in music and literature.

The Orion Publishing Group is part of Hachette UK which is a leading UK trade publishing group.

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Environomics By Dharshini David

The perfect introduction to the new green economy: an original, highly accessible tour through a single day from the BBC’s Chief Economics Correspondent

Environomics

How the Green Economy is Transforming Your World

By Dharshini David

Elliott & Thompson / HB / 20 June 2024 / £22

Why might an orangutan care which toothpaste you choose? What does your mobile phone have to do with wind turbines? And can your morning coffee really power a bus?

Economics affects every aspect of our lives, from the clothes on our backs to the bread on our tables and the fuel in our cars. And there are huge changes afoot as the global green revolution sweeps across the globe.

In this vibrant and eye-opening book, economist and broadcaster Dharshini David follows the course of an average day – from the moment we flick on the light in the morning – to reveal the green changes that are already taking place in every aspect of our world. Exploring industries such as energy, food, fashion, technology, manufacturing and finance, she asks what is happening, how quickly, who is driving it all – and what it means for us. Ranging from crucial issues such as sustainability and corporate greenwashing, to global flashpoints such as industrialisation and trade wars, she shows how even the smallest details in our day are part of a much bigger story about where our world is heading.
If you’ve ever wondered what green issues really mean for your day-to-day life, this book is for you.

Dharshini David is the Chief Economics Correspondent for BBC News and Presenter of programmes for Radio 4, including the Business News on the Today Programme. She won the Harold Wincott prize for Audio Journalism in 2023 for her Analysis documentary for Radio 4.

She has worked as an economist for the UK government, on the trading floor for HSBC Investment Bank, advised the Tesco Board about broadcasting and covered the credit crunch from Wall Street. Dharshini is the author of the bestselling book The Almighty Dollar and read Economics at Downing College, Cambridge.

Praise for The Almighty Dollar

‘Original and engaging’ – Joel Hills, ITV News

‘Brilliantly revealing’ – Ian King, Sky News, and Times columnist

‘Readable and illuminating’ – The Bookseller

‘A brilliant book … very, very readable’ – Iain Dale, LBC

Stats and facts…

  • Fossil fuels – coal, oil, gas – account for about 80 per cent of the world’s energy use.

  • Households are responsible for over a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions.

  • Fashion is now the second biggest industrial polluter on the planet - its responsible for up to a tenth of greenhouse gas emissions – more than aviation and shipping combined.

  • Textile production as a whole is estimated to be responsible for about 20 per cent of global clean water pollution. 

  • Despite being the world leader in developing and installing renewables like wind and solar, China burns more coal than the rest of the world put together. 

  • At the height of its building boom, around a third of China’s economic growth came from its property sector. According to think-tank Chatham House, China devoured more cement in the three years between 2010 and 2013 than the US did in the entire twentieth century.

  • Cement currently accounts for 7 per cent of global CO2 emissions and about a quarter of all industry CO2 emissions. 

  • 11 billion tonnes of cargo crosses the seas per year. That’s about 1.5 tonnes per person on average.

  • Multinationals such as Amazon, Ikea and Unilever are among those who’ve signed pledges to only move goods on ships with zero carbon fuel by 2040.

  • In 2002, there were 800 million cars on the road – that is set to reach 2 billion by 2030.

  • Estimates vary but the manufacture of batteries (for electric vehicles) can account for over 7 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions – or over half the total involved in those vehicles’ production.

  • Typically, however, it only takes a year or two of driving for an electric vehicle to close the emissions gap with its traditional rival.

  • Research shows that switching to a ‘green pension’ can be over twenty times as effective at reducing your carbon footprint as giving up flying, going veggie and switching energy providers.

  • Charity Rainforest Rescue claims that the equivalent of 300 football fields of forest are cleared and burnt every hour in Indonesia, to make way for palm oil trees. These are some of the world’s most biodiverse lands that are being destroyed; habitats for already endangered species, such as orangutans and Sumatran elephants. 

  • Meat and dairy production accounts for 14.5 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gases.

For further information or to request an interview or event, please contact:

EMMA FINNIGAN PR

07870 210468 | emma@emmafinniganpr.co.uk | @emmafinnigan | www.emmafinniganpr.co.uk

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DIVINE MIGHT: Goddesses in Greek Myth by Natalie Haynes - Paperback

'Natalie Haynes is the nation's great muse' - Adam Rutherford

‘Haynes is a master of her trade... She succeeds in breathing warm life into some of our oldest stories.’ – Daily Telegraph

‘Natalie Haynes is beyond brilliant.’ – Amanda Foreman

‘[Haynes] deftly drags the classics into the modern world.’ – Kate Atkinson

‘[Haynes is] the great champion of women in Greek myth…One of the delights of the book is that Haynes reacquaints us with forgotten goddesses.’ – Daily Mail on Divine Might

 ‘another beauty of a book…her zingy, lively style will bring these myths to a new, younger audience, especially girls…One of the great joys in Haynes’s work is her use of ancient art and poetry to explain the stories of these goddesses.’ - Herald on Divine Might

‘Natalie Haynes’ Divine Might will shed a new light on the goddesses whose stories have been told countless times, but perhaps never in this way…a powerful read that really opens a new dialogue on the Greek goddesses and will leave you feeling like you understand their stories in a way you haven’t before.’ - Independent on Divine Might

Divine Might

Goddesses in Greek Myth

by Natalie Haynes
Paperback / 2 May 2024 / Picador / £10.99

In Divine Might Natalie Haynes, author of the bestselling Pandora’s Jar, returns to the world of Greek myth and this time she examines the role of the goddesses.

We meet Athene, who sprang fully formed from her father’s head: goddess of war and wisdom, guardian of Athens. We run with Artemis, goddess of hunting and protector of young girls (apart from those she decides she wants as a sacrifice). Here is Aphrodite, goddess of sex and desire – there is no deity more determined and able to make you miserable if you annoy her. And then there’s the queen of all the Olympian gods: Hera, Zeus’s long-suffering wife, whose jealousy of his dalliances with mortals, nymphs and goddesses lead her to wreak elaborate, vicious revenge on those who have wronged her.

We also meet Demeter, goddess of agriculture and mother of the kidnapped Persephone, we sing the immortal song of the Muses and we warm ourselves with Hestia, goddess of the hearth and sacrificial fire. The Furies carry flames of another kind – black fires of vengeance for those who incur their wrath.

 These goddesses are as mighty, revered and destructive as their male counterparts. Isn’t it time we looked beyond the columns of a ruined temple to the awesome power within?

ABOUT NATALIE HAYNES

Natalie Haynes is a writer and broadcaster. She is the author of novels THE AMBER FURY, shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize; THE CHILDREN OF JOCASTA, a feminist retelling of the Oedipus and Antigone stories; A THOUSAND SHIPS (shortlisted for the Women’s Prize), a retelling of the Trojan War from an all-female perspective and STONE BLIND a re-telling of the Medusa story (long listed for the Women’s Prize); and non-fiction books THE ANCIENT GUIDE TO MODERN LIFE and PANDORA’S JAR about the women in Greek myths. She has written and presented seven series of the BBC Radio 4 show, NATALIES HAYNES STANDS UP FOR THE CLASSICS. In 2015, she was awarded the Classical Association Prize for her work in bringing Classics to a wider audience.

Selected Praise for PANDORA’S JAR

 'Hugely enjoyable and witty' - Guardian

'Haynes is a brilliant classicist as well as a stand-up comedian and with her latest offering, Pandora's Jar, she has effectively written the first textbook codifying this new feminist take on the Greek myths.' - Neil Mackay, Herald

‘Haynes…puts the women of Greek myths on equal footing with the menfolk in an exploration of their stories, motivations and myths. Written in Haynes’ immediately gripping and readable style, we get the stories of Medea – a seriously powerful girl – who ends up betrayed by Jason as well as deep dive into the stories of The Amazons, Penelope and Phaedra to name a few. Both fascinating and incredibly researched if you want to catch up on your Greek myths, this is the place to start.’ - Stylist

‘Beyoncé, Star Trek, Ray Harryhausen ...  the most enjoyable book about Greek myths you will ever read, absolutely brimming with subversive enthusiasm.’ - Mark Haddon

‘Natalie Haynes is beyond brilliant. Pandora’s Jar is a treasure box of classical delights. Never has ancient misogyny been presented with so much wit and style.’ - Amanda Foreman

‘Funny, sharp explications of what these sometimes not-very-nice women were up to, and how they sometimes made idiots of... but read on!’ - Margaret Atwood

Selected Praise for STONE BLIND

'Witty, gripping, ruthless' – Margaret Atwood via Twitter

'Beautiful and moving' – Neil Gaiman

‘A fierce feminist exploration of female rage, written with wit and empathy’ Glamour

‘Haynes’ clever, empathetic writing transforms Medusa from Gorgon into a girl, who’s a victim of the cruel machinations of the gods and of circumstance.’ Red

‘brilliant and compellingly readable.’ Observer

‘feminist, funny and thought provoking.’ Mail on Sunday

‘Stone Blind is inventive and playful. There is a debt to Aristophanes; the depiction of the absurdities of the bickering gods is very funny’ Times

For further information please contact:

EMMA FINNIGAN PR

07870 210468 | emma@emmafinniganpr.co.uk | @emmafinnigan | www.emmafinniganpr.co.uk

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This Book May Save Your Life by Dr Karan Rajan

The hilarious, myth-busting survival guide to the human body from the internet’s favourite General Surgeon, Dr Karan Rajan

This Book May Save Your Life

by Dr Karan Rajan

Everyday health hacks to worry less and live better

Hardback non-fiction / 28 December 2023 / Century / £18.99

'When you want to sort medical fact from medical fiction, Dr Karan is your man. This is the only book that will have you laughing and learning in equal measure’ - Dr Julie Smith, bestselling author of Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before

Though the odds are stacked against us, the human body has an extraordinary tendency to survive. In This Book May Save Your Life, Dr Karan Rajan explains the weird and wonderful bodily functions that keep us going and offers practical advice to help you thrive.

Full of everyday health hacks to worry less and live better, it will teach you:

  • The dangers of plucking your nose hairs

  • You untapped natural reflexes to combat stress

  • How to manage pain with simple mind tricks

  • How to slow cognitive decline

  • And why you should never hold in a fart

 

‘I’m here to guide you safely around your body’s biological barbs, traps, slides and pitfalls to improve your quality of life.’ Dr Karan Rajan

'I'll never look at my anus the same way' Hayley Morris, bestselling author of Me Vs Brain

ABOUT DR karan rajan

Dr Karan Rajan is an NHS surgeon and one of the biggest health and science creators on social media, with over 8.5 million followers across his social media channels. His refreshingly frank medical myth-busting and health advice videos combine education, entertainment, and generous servings of dark humour.

Dr Rajan has been featured on news programmes all over the world including BBC Morning Live, This Morning, Good Morning Britain, BBC News, Sky News and national radio, with coverage in the Guardian, Independent, Washington Post, New York Post, Metro, Sun, LADBible and the Daily Mail. A former weekly health columnist for Mail+, Dr Rajan was also a co-presenter on BBC Two’s six-part series Your Body Uncovered

Over the past few years, as well as being a regular advocate of health promotion on behalf of the NHS and the UK government, he has also worked closely with the UN, the WHO and the British Red Cross in an ambassadorial capacity. He is also a senior clinical lecturer at the University of Sunderland Medical School and formerly at Imperial College London. He brings his passion for education, health and science to life in speaking engagements and has delivered keynote speeches and talks at Oxford University, Imperial College London, Birmingham University, Uber, Peloton, TikTok and General Electric.

Dr Karan Rajan is available for interviews, features and events.

For further information please contact:

EMMA FINNIGAN PR

07870 210468 | emma@emmafinniganpr.co.uk | @emmafinnigan | www.emmafinniganpr.co.uk

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HOW MIGRATION REALLY WORKS: A Factful Guide to the Most Divisive Issue in Politics by Hein de Haas

An authoritative and myth-busting analysis that tells us why we're wrong about migration. 

How Migration Really Works

A Factful Guide to the Most Divisive Issue in Politics

by Hein de Haas
Hardback / 9 November 2023 / Penguin - Viking / £25

What are we getting so wrong about migration – and why?

Are borders beyond control after being deluged by desperate people in small boats? Are immigrants taking jobs away from native workers? Or do we badly need immigrants to boost economic growth and innovation? As debates on migration have reached fever pitch, so has political and media fearmongering, but what are the facts behind the headlines?

In this ground-breaking and revelatory book, based on over three decades of research, Professor Hein de Haas explodes the myths that politicians, interest groups and media regularly spread about migration. Draining the vitriol from a debate that has poisoned politics for decades, Hein de Haas shows us that global migration is not at an all-time high; climate change will not lead to mass migration; immigration mainly benefits the already wealthy, not workers; and border restrictions have paradoxically produced more migration.

Comparing trends and perspectives from Western ‘destination countries’ (the United Kingdom, United States and in Europe) as well as ‘origin countries’ in Asia and Africa, de Haas equips readers with essential knowledge on migration based on the best evidence and data, enabling us to have better and more informed conversations about the most hot-button issue in politics.

Above all, How Migration Really Works offers a new vision of migration based on facts rather than fears, and a paradigm-altering understanding of this perennially important subject.

ABOUT Hein de Haas

Hein de Haas is Professor of Sociology at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and Professor of Migration and Development at the University of Maastricht. He formerly taught at the University of Oxford, where he co-founded and co-directed the International Migration Institute (IMI). One of the world’s top migration scholars, he continues to direct IMI from its current home at UvA. He is the lead author of The Age of Migration, a seminal textbook in the field of migration studies. He lives in Amsterdam.

'‘A careful, balanced, and convincing take on one of the most divisive issues of our age. Backed by masses of data, Hein de Haas challenges much of what we think is obvious about migration, systematically busting myths and exposing propaganda from all across the political spectrum’

Ian Morris, author of Why The West Rules – For Now

 ‘Compelling…it engages with the arguments behind the myths…How Migration Really Works ultimately uses its convincing research to ask us to worry less about migration. In doing so, it instead alights upon global inequality as the true cause for concern.’

The World Today, Chatham House

TOP SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT MIGRATION 

1) International migrants only make up 3% of the global population, and refugees represent 5-10% of this number – much smaller than we are led to believe by the media and politicians.

2) Instead of a ‘desperate flight from misery’, migration is generally a deliberate and rational investment in the long-term well-being of families.

3) Labour demand, not inequality or poverty, is the root cause of migration. While wage gaps often motivate people to migrate, most migrants would have stayed home without concrete job opportunities.

4) Rather than taking jobs from native workers, migrants fill vacancies for which not enough local workers are available.

5) The lack of affordable housing, substandard schooling and healthcare are not caused by immigration, but by policies to roll back the welfare state and to defund and privatize government services.

6) There is no evidence that immigration leads to more crime. In fact, crime rates have dropped as immigration has increased. Immigrants – legal and illegal – tend to be equally or less criminal than native-born people.

7) Claims that migration ‘lifts all boats’ reflect elite views and corporate agendas, and conceal the fact that migration mainly benefits the already privileged. Although it is a myth that foreign workers steal jobs or undercut wages, native workers barely reap any economic benefits from immigration.

8) It is an illusion that immigration can reignite growth and innovation in stagnating economies, as high immigration is the result, rather than the cause of, economic success.

9) While measures such as border walls help to create an appearance of control, extraordinarily low levels of labour enforcement prove that politicians are, in practice, willing turn a blind eye towards employment of illegal migrants.

10) There is no left-right divide in immigration policy making. The issue divides political parties internally. On average, right-wing governments do not adopt more restrictive immigration policies compared to left-wing governments.

11) Although inflammatory rhetoric by politicians can embolden nativist groups and racist violence, there is no evidence that public opinion has generally turned against immigration.

12) Smuggling is a reaction to border controls, not the cause of illegal migration. Smugglers deliver a service that migrants are willing to pay for, so that they can cross borders without being caught by abusive state agents, border guards or criminals.

13) Migrant workers mislabelled as trafficking victims resist being ‘rescued’ as this usually implies deportation and loss of income. By criminalizing precarious work but failing to stop abusive employers, anti-trafficking policies have made workers more vulnerable, perpetuating a vicious cycle of abuse, exploitation and stigmatization.

14) Ill-conceived immigration restrictions often backfire by paradoxically producing more migration. The effectiveness of border restrictions is also undermined by pre-emptive ‘now or never’ migration surges.

15) Apocalyptic forecasts of massive South-North climate migration lack any scientific basis. They ignore evidence that most displacement in response to floods, droughts and hurricanes is short-distance and temporary, and that vulnerable populations lack the resources to move over long distances.

For further information please contact:

EMMA FINNIGAN PR

07870 210468 | emma@emmafinniganpr.co.uk | @emmafinnigan | www.emmafinniganpr.co.uk

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DIVINE MIGHT: Goddesses in Greek Myth by Natalie Haynes

'Natalie Haynes is the nation's great muse' - Adam Rutherford

‘Haynes is a master of her trade... She succeeds in breathing warm life into some of our oldest stories.’ – Daily Telegraph

‘Natalie Haynes is beyond brilliant.’ – Amanda Foreman

‘[Haynes] deftly drags the classics into the modern world.’ – Kate Atkinson

Divine Might

Goddesses in Greek Myth

by Natalie Haynes
Hardback / 28 September 2023 / Picador / £20

In Divine Might Natalie Haynes, author of the bestselling Pandora’s Jar, returns to the world of Greek myth and this time she examines the role of the goddesses.

We meet Athene, who sprang fully formed from her father’s head: goddess of war and wisdom, guardian of Athens. We run with Artemis, goddess of hunting and protector of young girls (apart from those she decides she wants as a sacrifice). Here is Aphrodite, goddess of sex and desire – there is no deity more determined and able to make you miserable if you annoy her. And then there’s the queen of all the Olympian gods: Hera, Zeus’s long-suffering wife, whose jealousy of his dalliances with mortals, nymphs and goddesses lead her to wreak elaborate, vicious revenge on those who have wronged her.

We also meet Demeter, goddess of agriculture and mother of the kidnapped Persephone, we sing the immortal song of the Muses and we warm ourselves with Hestia, goddess of the hearth and sacrificial fire. The Furies carry flames of another kind – black fires of vengeance for those who incur their wrath.

 These goddesses are as mighty, revered and destructive as their male counterparts. Isn’t it time we looked beyond the columns of a ruined temple to the awesome power within?

ABOUT NATALIE HAYNES

Natalie Haynes is a writer and broadcaster. She is the author of novels THE AMBER FURY, shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize; THE CHILDREN OF JOCASTA, a feminist retelling of the Oedipus and Antigone stories; A THOUSAND SHIPS (shortlisted for the Women’s Prize), a retelling of the Trojan War from an all-female perspective and STONE BLIND a re-telling of the Medusa story (long listed for the Women’s Prize); and non-fiction books THE ANCIENT GUIDE TO MODERN LIFE and PANDORA’S JAR about the women in Greek myths. She has written and presented seven series of the BBC Radio 4 show, NATALIES HAYNES STANDS UP FOR THE CLASSICS. In 2015, she was awarded the Classical Association Prize for her work in bringing Classics to a wider audience.

Selected Praise for PANDORA’S JAR

 'Hugely enjoyable and witty' - Guardian

‘Agile, rich, subversive, Pandora's Jar proves that the classics are far from dead, and keep evolving with us.' - Madeleine Feeny, Mail on Sunday

'Haynes is a brilliant classicist as well as a stand-up comedian and with her latest offering, Pandora's Jar, she has effectively written the first textbook codifying this new feminist take on the Greek myths.' - Neil Mackay, Herald

‘Haynes…puts the women of Greek myths on equal footing with the menfolk in an exploration of their stories, motivations and myths. Written in Haynes’ immediately gripping and readable style, we get the stories of Medea – a seriously powerful girl – who ends up betrayed by Jason as well as deep dive into the stories of The Amazons, Penelope and Phaedra to name a few. Both fascinating and incredibly researched if you want to catch up on your Greek myths, this is the place to start.’ - Stylist

‘Beyoncé, Star Trek, Ray Harryhausen ...  the most enjoyable book about Greek myths you will ever read, absolutely brimming with subversive enthusiasm.’ - Mark Haddon

‘Natalie Haynes is beyond brilliant. Pandora’s Jar is a treasure box of classical delights. Never has ancient misogyny been presented with so much wit and style.’ - Amanda Foreman

‘Witty, erudite and subversive, this takes the women of Greek myth—the women who are sidelined, vilified, misunderstood or ignored—and puts them centre stage.’ - Samantha Ellis

‘Funny, sharp explications of what these sometimes not-very-nice women were up to, and how they sometimes made idiots of... but read on!’ - Margaret Atwood

Selected Praise for STONE BLIND

'Witty, gripping, ruthless' – Margaret Atwood via Twitter

'Beautiful and moving' – Neil Gaiman

‘A fierce feminist exploration of female rage, written with wit and empathy’ Glamour

‘Haynes’ clever, empathetic writing transforms Medusa from Gorgon into a girl, who’s a victim of the cruel machinations of the gods and of circumstance.’ Red

‘brilliant and compellingly readable.’ Observer

‘feminist, funny and thought provoking.’ Mail on Sunday

‘Stone Blind is inventive and playful. There is a debt to Aristophanes; the depiction of the absurdities of the bickering gods is very funny’ Times

‘With wit, humanity and extraordinary imagination, Haynes breathes life and meaning into myths as she has done so brilliantly before.’ iPaper

For further information please contact:

EMMA FINNIGAN PR

07870 210468 | emma@emmafinniganpr.co.uk | @emmafinnigan | www.emmafinniganpr.co.uk

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