On Friday 9 March, Mr Pink graced the sofa in the library to chat with Librarian, Miss Knight, about his chosen four books. Mr Pink has been teaching Psychology at Blue Coat for three years, after spending time at schools in Hackney and Windsor. He loves reading, music and sport. Teaching is his second career after lecturing in Sport Psychology and working with some top sports teams. Reading is a huge hobby for Mr Pink, and he really believes that reading can help people reach their full potential.

Mr Pink’s chosen books were Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy, Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Sapiens: A brief history of humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. His choices started as recommendations from friends.

Mr Pink said he loves Pride and Prejudice as, although it was written so long ago, it is still relevant today. The book was recommended to him by his English teacher Mrs Chatterton, as well as a friend. Originally titled First Impressions, it details Elizabeth Bennett’s misjudging of the man who she ultimately comes to love and takes as her husband. The topics of family life, marrying well and social class/status are all still relevant today – for men and women alike!

The Mayor of Casterbridge was Mr Pink’s second choice; he loved the descriptive language in this book, because he felt as if he was living the story with the characters. Again, mistakes are made by the protagonists, but, through endeavour and hard work, these are atoned. Miss Knight and Mr Pink both agreed that there is something very enduring about books like this, as we all relate to them in some way.

Mr Pink’s final two choices were both non-fiction: Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and Sapiens: A brief history of humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. Flow is a psychology book about what it means to be happy – to achieve a flow state where one is doing things that make one happy. Csikszentmihayli argues that we need simply to invest our time in things that really make us happy. Statistics show significant levels of depression and anxiety in society, so it seems ever more important that we try things and find what makes us happy. As discussed recently by the Headmaster in assembly, the boys at Blue Coat have so many opportunities to find what makes them happy, that they could try something different each week.

Sapiens explores the evolution of the human race and how we became who we are today. It is informative and easy to read. A recent publication that is recommended for all!

All of Mr Pink’s choices are available in the library for pupils and staff to borrow.