Rfind the magic, And now shine, Ai ai gasa And Balls out: these are the 4 books to read of the week.
1/ Books to read. Ai Ai Gasa – The Japanese way to the love you deserve
Why read it
Ai ai gasa is a declaration of love, of intent. A desire to spend life together, united under an umbrella that protects us from the adversities and difficulties of existence. A sharing of the journey, life and love on equal terms, offering protection and shelter.
Love can be represented in many ways. In Japanese culture, Ai ai gasa (literally “sharing an umbrella”) is the symbol of lovers, equivalent to the hearts pierced by an arrow that we drew at school. It is represented as a stylized umbrella, under which the names of the two lovers can be written.
This suggestive ideogram tells and describes the multiple declinations and nuances of such a beautiful feeling.
Inspired by the Japanese world, through the story of Tadao and Bianca, Silvia’s confidences in Oyuki, the ancient Japanese legend of the red thread, Masashi’s words to his daughter Chihiro, the crisis of Kizumi and Serena and the myth of the lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi, the author addresses the most important issues related to couple psychology and reveals the seven pillars of love Ai ai gasa.
That is: communicate and listen in equal measure, empathize, always resolve conflicts, share, taking care of yourself, providing support and encouragement, being able to forgive.
2/ Books to read. And now shine
Why read it
“Do I feel appreciated and valued?”, “Have others understood who I am and what I can do?”, “Do they listen to me at work and at home and appreciate my efforts?“: it happens to everyone to wonder what the perception that the people around us have of our value.
And it often happens that the answer is not what we would like. The problem is that sometimes we ourselves don’t recognize our potential because we don’t have a clear identity.
So we communicate badly, and when this happens no one listens to us and understands us.
QWhen we learn to shine instead – and we do it above all by communicating well with ourselves and others – everything starts to work.
Chiara Franchi, entrepreneur, manager and consultant in the world of fashion, has developed a ‘personal branding’ model to be applied to everyday life to best enhance our identity and the experience that others have of it.
Starting from the definition of our ‘vision’ and the values that guide our choices every day, the author helps us to understand, step by step, what actions should be taken to tell stories about us that can make us shine.
And guide in this ‘personal branding’ journey to learn to shine in our eyes and in the eyes of the world. And finally live a full and satisfying life, worthy of our desires.
Info. Chiara Franchi. And now shine. Mondadori. 6.50pm
3/ Books to read. Rediscover the magic – An invitation to rediscover the wonder of the world and of life
Why read it
An invitation to rediscover the wonder of the world and of life.
Tired, anxious and overwhelmed by the incessant succession of news, notifications and alerts of various kinds, Katherine May tried to unravel the threads of a life that, at a certain point, had become too narrow for her.
Can there be another way of living, perhaps richer in meaning and in empathy with the places we pass through during our existence?
How can we feel more connected, more relaxed and at ease, even when epochal changes occur around us?
Seeking answers to these and other questions, eager to embark on a different path, Katherine May explored the regenerating properties of the natural world and began to rekindle her sense of wonder.
It’s a journey that led her to diving into the ocean in winter and crossing wild moors, learning the art of beekeeping and traveling at night under a sea of stars.
Thanks to a reborn attention, she discovered a new source of nourishment for her soul and formed a bond, based on trust and hope, with the world around her.
Finding the magic again it is an invitation to experience life in all its fascinating complexity and to find the beauty that awaits us everywhere, if only we learn to look.
«I was looking for magic and I found it, although not in the form I expected. This is what we can discover, again and again, when we set out in search of something: something else.”
Info. Katherine May. Finding the magic again. Tea. 16 euros.
4/ Books to read. Balls out – privileges and traps of masculinity
Why read it
Victoire Tuaillon is a young French journalist and author, since 2017 she has edited the podcasts Les Couilles sur la table from 30 million ascolti and from which this book was born (which has sold more than 130,000 copies in France).
In Balls out Tuaillon investigates the historical, social, philosophical and philological aspect of male dominance, addressing the most current and controversial themes of masculinity in a story aimed at understanding mechanisms, consequences and solutions.
What does it mean to be a man today?
When was the myth of virility born?
Why have cities, everyday objects and the world of work become masculine-neutral? What do we mean when we talk about consent? How to rethink desire and sexuality?
With the support of a network of voices and overturning the usual perspectives, Tuaillon questions the economic and power system, because the dominant male has to do with the structures that surround us, be they political, judicial, educational or healthcare.
And the structures can be demolished, or at least rethought.
Without dogmatism, this book testifies to how masculinity is a social construction that affects women and traps men, and highlights the need for a revolution, already underway, of all against those representations that allow male domination to persist, with its full of privileges, exploitation, violence.
Because it is time to find new paths and build a space of common trust.
Among the voices interviewed: Paul B. Preciado, Manon Garcia, Olivia Gazalé, Didier Eribon.
The afterword is by Vera Gheno.
Info. Victoire Tuaillon. Balls out. Privileges and traps of masculinity. 18 euros.
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