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Join YLG for an exclusive interview with the Queen of UK YA Holly Bourne as she discusses her latest novel You Could Be So Pretty with YLG's Cassie Kemp

With Usborne and Holly's permission we have made this important interview widely available to schools and libraries to help enable discussions around power, sex and consent for teenagers and their educators. We believe this to be an incredibly powerful and enlightening discussion that will empower young people and adults alike to address societal and cultural taboos, trends and concerns relating to the themes of this book.

What is You Could Be So Pretty about?

"The Doctrine exists to make us believe we are less than, so we don’t have the strength to overthrow everything. Masking, and Ceremonies, and Chosen Ones - how we're all groomed to worry constantly about what we look like - it’s a deliberate pressure. It's designed to keep us down. To limit us. Divide us. Masks…Beauty…it’s all about weakening and dividing us."

In Belle and Joni's world there are two options for girls:
One, follow the rules of the Doctrine: be a Pretty, apply your Mask, win admiration and attention, work hard to be crowned at the Ceremony. Be a Belle.

Or two, fight the rules: be an Objectionable, leave your face bare, be sneered at or ignored, work hard to avoid the disgust in their eyes and hope to one day escape. Be a Joni.

But maybe there is a third option...

Change the rules. Reclaim your power. If you can... What would you choose?

Bourne writes about the messy truth of modern beauty standards in a world where feminism is no longer a dirty word, and explores the contradictions and pressures that young women are under. YOU COULD BE SO PRETTY will encourage deeper thought and debate about beauty standards, social media validation, airbrushing, disordered eating, exercise addiction, the dangers of plastic surgery and whether pornography is normalising violence against women.*

How can I watch this interview?

The following ticket options are available:

1. Access to watch the recording of this session only: £12.50 + VAT for CILIP members, £15 + VAT for non-members.

2. Access to watch the recording of this session PLUS one copy of You Could Be So Pretty by Holly Bourne: £17 + VAT for CILIP members, £20 + VAT for non-members.

3. Access to watch the recording of this session PLUS ten copies of You Could Be So Pretty by Holly Bourne: £80 + VAT for CILIP members, £85 + VAT for non-members.

Please note VAT is applied at the checkout. Postage to UK mainland is free. Please contact us if you are outside of the UK mainland. 

Who is the book aimed at?

We recommend sharing this video with students aged 13+ due to the mature nature of some of the themes included. As well as linking in with Reading For Pleasure and your library, this talk will also have uses for your PSHE and pastoral departments. 

What have our delegates said about this interview?

"It's so powerful and relevant."

"We spent ages (so did other schools) responding to the Andrew Tate stuff last year, but this is a better way to discuss the same issues without giving attention to the wrong people."

"I really feel that everyone needs access to this. What she says is incredible and I just feel that school librarians really need to hear this."

"She is so passionate without being preachy or patronising or exclusionary. Those are really sensitive topics yet handled superbly."

How can I find out more about Holly Bourne?

Visit Holly's website: https://hollybourne.co.uk/ or follow her on social media: Instagram: hollybourneya, X as @holly_bourneYA, Facebook as Holly.BourneYA

How can I watch more sessions like this?

This session was originally shown on 25th September 2023 as part of the YLG Shorts- Engaging Readers programme.

You can find out more about the YLG Shorts series and purchase access to upcoming and other recorded events here: https://www.cilip.org.uk/event/ylgshorts2023 

 Book now

If you have any questions, please contact Cassie at events.ylg@cilip.org.uk 

Thank you to Holly Bourne, Usborne Publishing and Norfolk Children's Book Centre for supporting us with this event. 

*Content taken from the Press Release from Usborne Publishing.