Nothing to report from Poppy and Honesty HQ. We’re all sick of Zoom chats, Facebook challenges and would rather eat hand gel than do another online quiz. I don’t want to be a Corona-bore, so I thought I’d expand the happy hostage directory to include some things you might enjoy. Don’t worry there’s not a Joe Wicks workout in sight (No offence Joe). I’ve included a few things that are a little ‘left of centre’, which you might not have already discovered. As many of us are currently feeling distracted or unable to concentrate on things that are too hard or abstract, I’ve tried to list material that is both absorbing and somehow uplifting.

Films and Documentaries

Troop Zero - Brilliant film suitable for all the family (12+). Troop Zero is the story of a group of misfit kids taking part in an American Birdy (Brownie) Pageant. Great 70’s tunes and lots of fun. Look out for the cigarette tucked into Viola Davis’ afro.

Boy - An early film from New Zealand director Taika Waititi. After years of dreaming about estranged father, Boy discovers that his Dad is not quite the Micheal Jackson Superstar he thought he was. Funny and dark story of kids running wild in remote New Zealand.

The Peanut Butter Falcon - Zac has Downs Syndrome and as there isn’t a suitable residential facility for his condition, the state places him in a Care Home for the Elderly. Inspired by his wrestling heroes, Zac breaks out of the care home and sets out to travel on foot to a wrestling school in Florida. Along the way he hooks up with Tyler, a wanted man and they embark on a Mark Twain-style adventure to the South. The film is funny and heart breaking all at the same time, I loved it.

Cheer. This Netflix documentary follows a squad of Navaro College cheerleaders as they prepare for the Daytona championships. Over the course of the series we get to know the kids and learn about their very difficult childhoods. The cheerleading routines that they learn for the championships are phenomenal and place enormous mental and physical pressure on the squad. This is a great documentary and I was blown away by the talent of these frequently ‘sidelined’ athletes.

Podcasts and Audio

Grounded with Louis Theroux (BBC Sounds). At last Louis has launched a Podcast to help us get Theroux this. With his trademark of questioning - curiosity and kindness, Louis interviews people he finds interesting and asks them about their lives and choices. So far I have enjoyed his interviews with Boy George and Jon Ronson.

The C Word (Luminary). Lena Dunham and Alissa Bennett explore the lives of women who history has deemed ‘crazy’. I particularly enjoyed the deep dive into the life of Judy Garland and learning more about her time with MGM studios in the 60’s. Lena and Alissa are good friends and it lovely hearing their rapport as they explain why these women were unfairly dismissed as ‘crazy.’

So you’ve been Publicly Shamed (BBC Sounds) Jon Ronson looks at how, as a culture, we are so quick to judge and shame others through social media channels and discusses the massive implications of being so publicly vilified. This is such an important and prescient subject for our times. The content of the podcast is quite dark but like Louis Theroux, Jon Ronson has such a calming voice and presence during this audiobook.

Books.

Silver Sparrow by Tayarii Jones From the best-selling author ‘An American Marriage’, lesser known book ‘Silver Sparrow’ tells the remarkable story of a secretive man with two families. In this twisted tale of bigamy, his daughters grow leading parallel lives in different neighbourhoods eventually becoming friends. The language used is so rich, I read the books with an Atlantan accent in my head.

The Runaways by Fatima Bhutto. This is a story of ‘not belonging’ and shows the reader how vulnerable young people are to radicalisation in our current melting pot of different cultures and classes. The Runaways focusses on the lives of three young people and follows their respective journeys to Syria.

American Dirt by Jeanne Cummins - I hesitated on whether or not to include this title as it has been highly criticised for lacking authenticity. However whilst it is important to bare this in mind, this is a very gripping tale of a women and her child escaping a cartel by travelling on the roof of a train across Mexico. I couldn’t put this book down until I found out if her escape was successful or not.

As always I would absolutely love to hear your recommendations. I hope you are all keeping well and finding little things to keep you going.

Sending love from my sofa to yours.

Sophie xxx