A Future Untold

This book promotes the power of authentic storytelling. It passionately and accessibly weaves memoir, spoken word poetry, critical analysis and an inspiring vision to change the world for the better.

Alina Siegfried is an internationally acclaimed spoken word artist (and one time NZ Slam Champion), TEDx speaker, narrative strategist and founding Communications Lead of the Edmund Hillary Fellowship who lives in Wellington. In this engaging and smart debut, Siegfried explains how dominant cultural narratives have been framed and expressed – through society, the economy, the media, etc – to support individualism, competition and division. For too long, this has resulted in inequality, poverty, injustice and environmental exploitation and degradation. She empowers us to question the way things are, and reconnect with each other and the natural world by changing the narrative, one story at a time. Through first hand experience, observation and research, Siegfried makes the case for attentive story listening too, in order that humans may understand each other across rigid polarities and prejudice. In the last section of the book, Siegfried contrasts current dominant narratives with ten “new myths” that may sustain and reintegrate humanity within our planetary boundaries.

The author’s honest, entertaining, illuminating and motivational style urges me to share chapters, excerpts and poems (with QR codes to videoed performances) with my senior English and psychology students this year and well into the future.

Title: A Future Untold

Author: Alina Siegfried (lives in Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington)

Publisher: Systemic

ISBN: 978-0-473-58746-08

RRP: $35

Format: paperback; EPUB

Publication: October 2021

Ages: Mature students; Years 12-13; adults

Themes: storytelling; spoken word poetry; human relationships; psychology; communication; sustainability; conflict and peace; community; personal growth and empowerment; the future; changing the world.

Advisory warnings: discusses planetary crises but in an empowering way

Would this book work as a read aloud? Yes

Is there a particular part of the country that it’s set in? Wellington, but the book travels widely to address global issues.

Reviewer: Nicola Easthope, Assistant HoD English, TiC Psychology, Kāpiti College, Wellington

How are you recommending this book? Highly recommended

Opening sentence: It was a late winter evening on the Canadian prairies in a local bar called Lydia’s.

You can buy this book here