Pick up that book!
New research from the University of Sussex has revealed that reading is the best way to relax and even as little as six minutes can be enough to reduce the stress levels by more than two thirds. Psychologists say this is because the human mind has to concentrate on reading and the distraction eases the tensions in muscles and the heart. Cognitive Neuropsychologist Dr David Lewis says, "this is more than merely a distraction but an active engaging of the imagination as the words on the printed page stimulate your creativity and cause you to enter what is essentially an altered state of consciousness."
And of course, we all know that reading has endless benefits for children. Whether the book is being read by the actual child or by someone else aloud, reading can have huge benefits for our young people. Aside from the obvious academic benefits, reading can help to build stronger relationships between reader and listener, stimulate imagination and logical thinking and help in the acclimation to new experiences.
GET TO THE LIBRARY. JUMP ONLINE. ORDER THAT BOOK. BORROW FROM FRIENDS. JUST GET READING!
We've tried to include a wide selection of books for our wide and diverse audience to enjoy, but if you have any recommendations that you'd like to see added to the list, feel free to email us hello@underneathiam.com
Take Your Pick
Good Night Stories For Rebel GirlsGood Night Stories for Rebel Girls" is a children's book packed with 100 BEDTIME STORIES about the life of 100 EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN from the past and the present, illustrated by 60 FEMALE ARTISTS from all over the world. Each woman's story is written in the style of a fairy tale. Each story has a full page, full color portrait that captures the spirit of the portrayed hero. Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls is also the MOST CROWDFUNDED ORIGINAL BOOK IN HISTORY. Hardcover, with an extra smooth matte scuff-free lamination, 100lbs beautiful paper, a double satin bookmark and an extraordinary print quality, Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls is a beautiful object, it's printed with soy and vegetable based inks and it's FSC certified.
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Body Positive PowerWith her inimitable flair, whip-smart wit and kickass attitude, Megan argues for a new way of seeing ourselves, and a world where every body is celebrated. Where there is no such thing as a ‘bikini body diet’ and 97% of women don’t hate the way they look.
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Taking FlightThe extraordinary memoir of an orphan who danced her way from war-torn Sierra Leone to ballet stardom, most recently appearing in Beyonce’s Lemonade and as a principal in a major American dance company.
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If I Was Your GirlAmanda Hardy is the new girl in school. Like anyone else, all she wants is to make friends and fit in. But Amanda is keeping a secret, and she’s determined not to get too close to anyone.
But when she meets sweet, easygoing Grant, Amanda can’t help but start to let him into her life. As they spend more time together, she realizes just how much she is losing by guarding her heart. She finds herself yearning to share with Grant everything about herself, including her past. But Amanda’s terrified that once she tells him the truth, he won't be able to see past it. Because the secret that Amanda’s been keeping? It's that at her old school, she used to be Andrew. Will the truth cost Amanda her new life, and her new love? |
UnmaskedUnmasked will reveal the woman behind the headlines, and in so doing, uncover the grace, humour and inner-steel that gets Turia Pitt through every day - and which leaves the rest of us watching on in amazement.
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Big Hair, Don't CareLola has really really REALLY big hair, much bigger than the other kids at her school. Despite her hair blocking the view of anyone that dares sit behind her and causing her to lose at hide and seek, she sings the praises of her big hair throughout this rhyming picture book. Designed to boost self-esteem and build confidence, this beautifully illustrated book is perfect for any girl or boy who has ever felt a bit self-conscious about their hair and may need a reminder from time to time that it's okay to look different from the other kids at their school.
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Karma Khullar's MustacheDebut author Kristi Wientge tackles the uncomfortable—but all too relatable—subject of female body hair and self-esteem with this sweet and charming novel in the tradition of Judy Blume.
Karma Khullar is about to start middle school, and she is super nervous. Not just because it seems like her best friend has found a newer, blonder best friend. Or the fact that her home life is shaken up by the death of her dadima. Or even that her dad is the new stay-at-home parent, leading her mother to spend most of her time at work. But because she’s realized that she has seventeen hairs that have formed a mustache on her upper lip. With everyone around her focused on other things, Karma is left to figure out what to make of her terrifyingly hairy surprise all on her own. |
EmbraceFrom crying in despair on the bathroom floor to stepping out in stripper heels onto a brightly lit bodybuilding stage, Taryn Brumfitt has had one hell of a journey from body loather to body lover... and she's ready to share it in EMBRACE.
After posting a less than traditional 'before' and 'after' photo on social media in 2013, not even Taryn could have anticipated the attention it would gain worldwide in the media, propelling her Body Image Movement into the hearts and homes of millions in Australia to the U.S. and every country in between. With support from celebrities including Ashton Kutcher, Rosie O'Donnell and Zooey Deschanel, along with millions of men and women in over 100 countries, Taryn's brand of honest and witty storytelling will have you both in stitches and in tears. From losing her brother to a heroin addiction and being bullied at school, to embarrassing (yet let's face it, relatable!) toilet tales, EMBRACE will challenge you to reconsider the relationship you have with your body, but above all, will inspire you to embrace a life without boundaries so that you too can love the skin you're in. |
Hunger“I ate and ate and ate in the hopes that if I made myself big, my body would be safe. I buried the girl I was because she ran into all kinds of trouble. I tried to erase every memory of her, but she is still there, somewhere. . . . I was trapped in my body, one that I barely recognized or understood, but at least I was safe.”
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The Beauty MythIn today's world, women have more power, legal recognition, and professional success than ever before. Alongside the evident progress of the women's movement, however, writer and journalist Naomi Wolf is troubled by a different kind of social control, which, she argues, may prove just as restrictive as the traditional image of homemaker and wife. It's the beauty myth, an obsession with physical perfection that traps the modern woman in an endless spiral of hope, self-consciousness, and self-hatred as she tries to fulfill society's impossible definition of "the flawless beauty."
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Fat!So?Fat? Chunky? Less than svelte? So what! In this hilarious and eye-opening book, fat and proud activist/zinester Marilyn Wann takes on Americas' biggest fear—worse than the fear of public speaking or nuclear weapons—our fear of fat.Statistics tell us that about a third of Americans are fat, and common sense adds that just about everyone, fat or thin, male or female, has worried about their appearance. FAT!SO? weighs in with a more attractive alternative: feeling good about yourself at any weight—and having the style and attitude to back it up. Internationally recognized as a fat-positive spokesperson, Wann has learned that you can be absolutely happy, healthy, and successful...and fat. With its hilarious and insightful blend of essays, quizzes, facts, and reporting, FAT!SO? proves that you can be out-and-out fabulous at any size.
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Things No One Will Tell Fat GirlsThings No One Will Tell Fat Girls is a manifesto and call to arms for people of all sizes and ages. With her trademark wit, veteran blogger and advocate Jes Baker calls people everywhere to embrace a body-positive worldview, changing perceptions about weight, and making mental health a priority.
Alongside notable guest essayists, Jes shares personal experiences paired with in-depth research in a way that is approachable, digestible, and empowering. Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls is an invitation to reject fat prejudice, fight body-shaming at the hands of the media, and join this life-changing movement with one step: change the world by loving your body. |
The Bodies Of MothersA Beautiful Body Project: The Bodies of Mothers First in a series of books with a strong media platform of truthful photographs and stories to celebrate the irreplaceable beauty of women and the body positive movement happening all over the world. A Beautiful Body Project is an upcoming series of book volumes and an online media platform dedicated to women and body image, celebrated through the sharing stories about motherhood, aging, cancer, stillbirths, miscarriages, weigh-gain, weight-loss, dysmorphia, and beyond. Founder Jade Beall has been a photographer, a massage therapist, and an inspiring dance teacher for women for over a decade. Her work is touching thousands of lives around the world. This book, along with all subsequent volumes, will feature my signature non-digitally-augmented & no-air-brushing images of women, just as they are. This is the heart of the project, to reshape images of women in mass media, to celebrate us as us, nothing more, nothing less.
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Sticks & StonesEver since she was a baby, the words people use to describe Elyse have instantly appeared on her arms and legs. At first it was just "cute" and "adorable," but as she's gotten older and kids have gotten meaner, words like "loser" and "pathetic" appear, and those words bubble up and itch. And then there are words like "interesting," which she's not really sure how to feel about.
Now, at age twelve, she's starting middle school, and just when her friends who used to accept and protect her are drifting away, she receives an anonymous note saying "I know who you are, and I know what you're dealing with. I want to help." As Elyse works to solve the mystery of who is sending her these notes, she also finds new ways to accept who she is and to become her best self. |
BrontorinaBrontorina has a dream. She wants to dance. But Brontorina is rather large — too large to fit in Madame Lucille’s dance studio. Brontorina does not have the right shoes, and everyone knows you can’t dance without the proper footwear. Still, Brontorina knows, deep in her heart, that she is meant to be a ballerina. James Howe introduces a lovable dinosaur whose size is outmatched only by her determination, and whose talent is outmatched only by her charm. Accompanied by Randy Cecil’s beguiling illustrations, here is an irresistible story that proves that no problem is too big when the heart and imagination know no bounds.
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Every Body YogaJessamyn Stanley, a yogi who breaks all the stereotypes, has built a life as an internationally recognized yoga teacher and award-winning Instagram star by combining a deep understanding for yoga with a willingness to share her personal struggles in a way that touches everyone who comes to know her. Now she brings her body-positive, emotionally uplifting approach to yoga in a book that will help every reader discover the power of yoga and how to weave it seamlessly into his or her life.
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Pearl Fairweather Pirate CaptainCaptain Pearl Fairweather is a brave, fair and strong pirate captain. She and her diverse crew of twenty-four women sail the seven seas on the good ship, Harmony, looking only for adventure. All is well, until the day Captain Sandy McCross sails into their lives and demands to take over Pearl's ship! This beautifully illustrated children's picture book explores crucial issues such as gender equality, respect, respectful relationships, empowerment, diversity, leadership, bullying behaviors, self-esteem, the prevention of violence, and conflict resolution. The aim of this book is to empower young girls to be strong, assertive, self-confident and self-reliant, and for boys to respect that empowerment, and to embrace and value it. Boys can learn that their lives can be so much richer if they partner with girls on an even footing with each sex contributing their talents unreservedly. Captain Pearl Fairweather acts as a strong role model, encouraging young girls to make their own choices and to follow their dreams.
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No Means No!'No Means No!' is a children's picture book about an empowered little girl who has a very strong and clear voice in all issues, especially those relating to her body and personal boundaries. This book can be read to children from 3 to 9 years. It is a springboard for discussions regarding children's choices and their rights.
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The Different Dragon"I wrote The Different Dragon more than ten years ago, when I longed to read my children bedtime stories that mirrored the reality of our playful, average two-mom family. At the time I was also beginning my work as a PreK-12 consultant, helping schools address issues of gender and sexuality. Early Elementary teachers use The Different Dragon to teach students about the joy of telling stories, the value of being true to oneself, and the problem with stereotypes, even of dragons." -- Jennifer Bryan
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The Colours Of UsSeven-year-old Lena is going to paint a picture of herself. She wants to use brown paint for her skin. But when she and her mother take a walk through the neighborhood, Lena learns that brown comes in many different shades.
Through the eyes of a little girl who begins to see her familiar world in a new way, this book celebrates the differences and similarities that connect all people. |
Love Your Lady LandscapeLove Your Lady Landscape is a healing journey through the terrain of what it is to be a woman. When a woman isn't in alignment with her feminine essence, she may experience exhaustion and overwhelm, lack sexual desire or passion for life, and generally feel “out of sync”.
In this book, Lisa Lister uses a myriad of tools and practices such as Earth based spirituality, shamanic teachings, movement and dance, and breath and sound work to teach women how to reconnect to their feminine wisdom in order to start rebalancing all aspects of their lives. |
The Feminine MystiqueLandmark, groundbreaking, classic―these adjectives barely do justice to the pioneering vision and lasting impact of The Feminine Mystique. Published in 1963, it gave a pitch-perfect description of “the problem that has no name”: the insidious beliefs and institutions that undermined women’s confidence in their intellectual capabilities and kept them in the home. Writing in a time when the average woman first married in her teens and 60 percent of women students dropped out of college to marry, Betty Friedan captured the frustrations and thwarted ambitions of a generation and showed women how they could reclaim their lives. Part social chronicle, part manifesto, The Feminine Mystique is filled with fascinating anecdotes and interviews as well as insights that continue to inspire.
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I Am MalalaWhen the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.
On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive. Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she became a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest nominee ever for the Nobel Peace Prize. I AM MALALA will make you believe in the power of one person's voice to inspire change in the world. |
Priya's ShaktiA mortal woman and the Goddess Parvati fight against sexual violence in India and around the world in this epic vivid augmented reality comic book involving the Hindu gods.
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