14 January 2021
During lockdown it can seem like we are each marooned on our ‘lockdown desert island’. Taking inspiration from the BBC’s long running radio series Desert Island Discs, each week we’ll be asking a member of staff at Woldingham to share what book he or she would take to their desert island and why. Some will be books they want to re-read and some will be ones they have been saving for when there is enough time.
First to share their choice of book is teacher of English Miss Kara Kaaber-Gore.
“As expected, choosing just one book to take with me to Desert Island Valley was a tricky task. However, as I stood in front of my bookcase a clear winner emerged: ‘Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley’ by Charlotte Gordon.
I first read Romantic Outlaws in my first year as a qualified teacher and the bravery of both women gave me the motivation I needed to attack my first year in the classroom. It is a dual biography chronicling the lives of the two incredible Mary’s, mother and daughter intellectuals who broke free of oppressive social constructs to have wild adventures and follow their hearts. They were also pioneers of feminism before the term ‘feminism’ had even been recorded in our language! The book is rich with insight into the culture of the time, concurrently exploring the power of writing and the importance of literature as a medium for change. It is not only one of my favourite books ever, but my thoughts are also that if I were stranded in Desert Island Valley Wollstonecraft and Shelley’s radical, revolutionary achievements along with the authenticity and strength of their ideals in the face of massive adversity would give me the motivation to adapt and survive!”