Last year, Diana Reid wrote a piece for PRIMER on the rise of the new ‘Lit Girls’ – young, activist women whose memoirs and books all published around the same time.
“Most of the books are part-memoir, part-manifesto for a new wave of feminism that has arisen out of the crucible of the #MeToo movement,” wrote Reid.
Hannah Ferguson, CEO of social media juggernaut Cheek Media Co, was one of these women. Her debut book Bite Back published in September and showcases many of the same daring feminist opinions, progressive perspectives and whip-smart humour that her digital platform is celebrated for.
We caught up with Hannah to chat all things books…
A book you read in a single sitting
Love and Virtue by Diana Reid. I lay down on my couch on Boxing Day 2021 with Reid’s debut and didn’t get up again until it was over. This is one of the best Australian novels I’ve ever read and really blew open a context that many of us experienced at university but didn’t have the ability to articulate or criticise with such clarity.
A book you hated but everyone else loved
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. I felt this was one of the best plotlines I’d ever come across, but was executed quite un-emotionally. It felt like a missed opportunity to me and I was disappointed. I still demolished it in a single sitting, though, so I know I’m being exceptionally harsh.
A book that changed your perspective
Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here by Heather Rose. This wasn’t my usual read, and it challenged my perspective on some spiritual practices and belief systems I usually would roll my eyes at. This memoir was actually the first book I’d read of Rose’s and I just adored it, the whole experience felt like a swim in the ocean. It was refreshing and emotional and challenging and beautiful.
A book you’re looking forward to reading
I’ve just bought Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, It was a New York Times Book Review top pick last year, and is essentially about a prison system, where inmates can fight until the death in an entertainment program that sees them released if they win all of their ‘matches’. From what I’ve already gathered, it’s a dystopian examination of racism, exploitation, justice and equality – it is heavy but absolutely brilliant.
My golden rule is: there can only be one non-fiction on holiday
You’re going on a week-long holiday. What is the correct number of books to take with you?
If you’re travelling on a plane or any form of transport not involving you driving, five. If driving, three (audiobooks change that). Travel reading is all about measuring the ‘in between’, so the number is entirely dependent on whether you’re prioritising downtime or filling up on activities. My golden rule is: there can only be one non-fiction on holiday (my brain needs rest and escape, too).
Contemporary or classic?
Contemporary. I have always felt ashamed for never engaging with the classics, but I simply can’t stand them (big, broad call I know). My work is so dependent on modern language, accessible and digestible discussions of progressive issues, and society as it operates now. I know we have a lot to learn from the past and these texts are important, but I produce writing that is deeply enmeshed with modern ideas and rhetoric, and my habits as a reader truly reflect this.
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BY Laura Brading
Laura is PRIMER's books editor
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