Rebel Book Club Edinburgh x SPEAKING OUT

Sarah joined Facebook as a young New Zealand diplomat who believed the platform could genuinely change the world for the better. Seven years later, having risen to Director of Global Public Policy, she had seen enough to know the truth was something else entirely. From private jets and meetings with world leaders to Facebook's response to the Rohingya genocide and Mark Zuckerberg's alleged efforts to censor content for the Chinese market, this is a sharply funny, deeply unsettling account of what it looks like when a handful of people hold the world carelessly in their hands.

Why we chose it: "Darkly funny and genuinely shocking: an ugly, detailed portrait of one of the most powerful companies in the world." - Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times

Delicious drinks are included, as well as engaging storytelling and space for conversations and sharing your own journeys across countries and continents.

Try out the club with Eventbrite - new customers only. Ticket price includes access to the Edinburgh Rebel Book Club event plus a welcome drink (alcoholic + non-alcoholic options available).

Bryn Sherwood

Longtime RBC member and globetrotter, Bryn now wants to bring Rebel Book Club to his new found home. Balancing a love of the great outdoors, his springer spaniel and proper whiskey (alongside all-important books of course), he's looking forward to growing the non-fiction community in Scotland.

Biggest RBC learning: "So many to choose from. It has helped me inform my world view about universal basic income, reducing plastic, becoming vegetarian and designing your life to name just a few!"

Charlie Harrison

Founder and facilitator, Charlie is passionate about connecting people and ideas in her day job - and now through RBC. Charlie moved to Edinburgh a week before the pandemic, having been an RBC member in London, she was thrilled to join the community in her newfound home. At the weekends she’s running and hiking her way around the Scottish hills (usually in pursuit of a toddler and two terriers ) and waking up to epic views from the camper van.

Biggest RBC learning: "I’m hooked on how each month I leave thinking differently about a topic and feeling more connected to this wonderful community. We always have a laugh, we’re not afraid to challenge each other and the diversity of our group is awesome!"

Oscar Tollast

Despite being an avid reader, Oscar joined RBC in 2024 having never attended a book club. He sought to meet new people, hear different perspectives, and read books he might have otherwise overlooked. By chance, Oscar has developed a habit of not choosing to read each month's main pick, instead opting for one of the other nominees. Is he taking the “Rebel” in Rebel Book Club too seriously, or is his decision guided by each book's price? Let’s say it's both. Either way, he appreciates how RBC embraces this approach, and how conversations at meetings can be as much about themes as they are about the books themselves.

Biggest RBC Learning: "A book that has a significant impact on you might not be interpreted the same way by someone else—but that’s okay. It adds to the conversation, and you’ll still take something from it."

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