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Cassie Knight's Top Book Recommendations

Want to know what books Cassie Knight recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Cassie Knight's favorite book recommendations of all time.

1

The Life You Can Save

How To Play Your Part In Ending World Poverty

Singer Peter | 4.31

Offering a seven-point plan that combines personal philanthropy, local activism and global awareness, Peter Singer argues that we need to change our views on what is involved in living an ethical life if we are to put a stop to poverty throughout the world. less
Recommended by Nigel Warburton, Cassie Knight, and 2 others.

Nigel WarburtonI think the central question in philosophy is, How should we live? And that’s a question about which Peter Singer has a lot to say. (Source)

Cassie KnightBecause it’s a really inspiring read. And it’s very nicely set out in terms of having clear arguments and picking up on things that are often said but not thought about. Peter Singer starts with a simple story – if you are walking past a pond and you see a child floundering and it looks likely that the child will drown, despite the fact that your new shoes may be ruined, you will automatically go... (Source)

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2

Cause Celeb

Helen Fielding | 3.56

Available for the first time in the United States, Cause Celeb is the hilarious debut novel by British literary sensation Helen Fielding. With the same wit and candor that shot Bridget Jones's Diary and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason to the top of bestseller lists and forever altered the vocabulary of dating, Fielding executes a remarkable spoof on the... more
Recommended by Cassie Knight, and 1 others.

Cassie KnightBecause I believe it is the only novel about emergency response. This is quite odd, considering that it often dominates our news and so many people donate to aid organisations. And it’s written by Helen Fielding, who is best known for Bridget Jones’s Diary. She tells a good story. It is the story of a woman who drops her boyfriend and well-paid job in London and goes to a made-up African country.... (Source)

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3

The Sphere Handbook 2004

The Sphere Project | 1.00

Setting out what people affected by disasters have a right to expect from humanitarian agencies, this book describes the core principles that govern humanitarian action and asserts the right of populations to protection and assistance. less
Recommended by Cassie Knight, and 1 others.

Cassie KnightThis is a very different type of book. It’s very practical for people working in emergency response. It was launched after the Rwandan crisis and it’s based on human rights – specifically that everyone has the right to live in dignity. This is enshrined in international law but the handbook tries to define what dignity is. When everyone is rushing to provide assistance as quickly as possible... (Source)

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4

Brazzaville Charms

Magic and Rebellion in the Republic of the Congo

Cassie Knight | 3.59

Brutalized by colonialism, plundered by politicians and destroyed in terrifying civil wars: Congo Brazzaville is Africa at its worst. But it is also home to people who inspire hope through their courage, their determination, their enduring optimism, and their sense of fun. Brazzaville Charms is a unique portrait of a country long ignored by the rest of the world. This first-person account, based on original research and interviews, tells the story of militiamen who are led by a dreadlocked reincarnation of Christ, of exorcisms and sorcery, of pygmies who are owned by their masters, of timber... more
Recommended by Cassie Knight, and 1 others.

Cassie KnightI wrote it after living and working in the Republic of Congo, which is the smaller of the two Congos. It was a country I loved from the moment I arrived. Despite having a horrible government, it has a wonderful tiny capital city that is beautiful and French in its centre, with lively African districts where the majority of the population lives. The Congolese are great fun and there were many... (Source)

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5

The Hungry Tide

Amitav Ghosh | 4.18

Off the easternmost corner of India, in the Bay of Bengal, lies the immense labyrinth of tiny islands known as the Sundarbans, where settlers live in fear of drowning tides and man-eating tigers. Piya Roy, a young American marine biologist of Indian descent, arrives in this lush, treacherous landscape in search of a rare species of river dolphin and enlists the aid of a local fisherman and a translator. Together the three of them launch into the elaborate backwaters, drawn unawares into the powerful political undercurrents of this isolated corner of the world that exact a personal toll as... more
Recommended by Robert Macfarlane, Cassie Knight, and 2 others.

Robert Macfarlane@srijanapiya17 @GhoshAmitav It’s a brilliant book. One I have both read and taught here in Cambridge. (Source)

Cassie KnightI selected this book because it is set in the Sundarbans in Bangladesh, which is the mangrove coastal area that is prone to cyclones. It contains a vivid description of a cyclone. Just last week I was visiting the cyclone-hit area of the Sundarbans and to have an image of what it is like makes it so much more real. Even though I have spoken to people who have lived through a cyclone, I sometimes... (Source)

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