Book awards include postfeminism, talent liberation and more
Ella Rhodes reports.
18 January 2022
Topics as diverse as postfeminism and health, talent liberation, and maths are all represented by the winners of this year’s BPS Book Awards. The awards celebrate psychology publications in four categories – academic monographs, popular science, practitioner texts, and textbooks.
Professor Rory O’Connor (University of Glasgow) won the popular science category for his book When It Is Darkest: Why People Die by Suicide and What We Can Do to Prevent It, while Julia Bueno’s The Brink of Being: Talking About Miscarriage was recognised as the runner-up. O’Connor said he was delighted and honoured to win the award: ‘When It Is Darkest is a very personal book to me, and I hope that it has provided some hope, understanding and comfort to those affected by suicide, the most devastating of human outcomes.’
The winner in the academic monograph category, which celebrates a significant scholarly work that has contributed to, defined or redefined an area of psychological knowledge, was Postfeminism and Health: Critical Psychology and Media Perspectives by Professor Sarah Riley (Massey University), Dr Adrienne Evans (Coventry University) and Dr Martine Robson (Aberystwyth University).
In the practitioner text category author, psychologist, talent strategist, consultant and coach Dr Maggi Evans along with co-authors Professor John Arnold (Loughborough University) and Dr Andrew Rothwell (Loughborough University), were recognised for From Talent Management to Talent Liberation: A Practical Guide for Professionals, Managers and Leaders. Evans said that while talent was not scarce, our ability to set it free was in short supply. ‘This book helps organisations, leaders and individuals to find practical ways to liberate talent through creating organisations where everyone can thrive and do their best work’.
Finally, the textbook category saw Professor Camilla Gilmore (Loughborough University), Dr Silke Göbel (University of York) and Dr Matthew Inglis (Loughborough University) win for their title An Introduction to Mathematical Cognition. In his nomination Professor Mike Burton said the book was a fascinating introduction to the world of mathematical thinking. ‘A key aspect of human cognition is described from early infant development through to complex adult reasoning. The book is a great example of how educational and psychological insights can interact to help us understand more about ourselves.’
