Page 13 - The Malvernian - July 2022

THE MALVERNIAN
Reading Matters
Nelly Farenski (Lower Sixth, House No.4) shares why Pink Mist is one of her favourite books [taken from her article in ‘Reading Matters’ Summer Term 2022].
Pink Mist is a verse-drama about three young soldiers from Bristol who are deployed to Afghanistan. School friends still in their teens, Arthur, Hads and Taff each have their own reasons for enlisting. Within a short space of time they return to the women in their lives (a mother, a wife, a girlfriend), all of whom must now share the psychological and physical aftershocks of their service.
‘Three boys, going to Catterick for basic. New recruits, crows they called us...’ This quotation already tells the story of three friends preparing for the war in Afghanistan. At first they believe it will be a great adventure but quickly realise that war is quite different from how they imagined.
You may think, Oh, not another war book! And let me tell you, that is what I was thinking, too. However, I gave Pink Mist a try and from the first page it got me. Why? It’s a rollercoaster ride of a book. I was torn between the beautiful language and the horror of war. You don’t know quite how to feel and it certainly makes you think about
whether war is just pure horror or if there isn’t something thrilling about it, fighting shoulder to shoulder with your mates, completing a mission, doing something for the greater good. The book explores the idea that war might not be black, but shades of grey. Owen Sheers is exposing thoughts that many people have about war but are never quite brave enough to talk about. However, he also shows the devastating after effects of war on the men.
It is important to say that this verse-drama is not just his own voice or thoughts but based on interviews that Owen Sheers conducted with 30 soldiers who fought in Afghanistan. This is another thing that makes the book incredible. Even if there are only three main characters and even if the book only has 96 pages, it speaks with so many different voices, important voices that need and want to be heard. In his work Owen Sheers finally gives these people’s stories and thoughts relevance.
I highly recommend this book to you. Don’t just read it but also listen to the beautiful narrative. When you finish Pink Mist you won’t be the same as you were when you started it.
UCAS Workshop and UK Universities’ Fair
This year’s UCAS Workshop and UK Universities’ Fair for Lower Sixth pupils took place on Wednesday 15 June. The universities who came to Malvern were: Bath, Birmingham, Cardiff, Exeter, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford Brookes, RAU Cirencester, Reading, Sheffield and Warwick – all perennial favourites with Malvern pupils.
In the first session, pupils went to various venues around the College campus to be given guidance on registering and applying to UK universities on UCAS, the on-line application website. Pupils then went in small groups to listen to presentations and Q&As given by university representatives. The plenary session had the theme of what makes a strong application, with a panel of university experts talking about how to write a good, eye-catching personal statement. To finish off the morning, pupils visited the university stalls which had been set up in Lyall Foyer in Rogers Theatre. Both pupils and visitors felt that the event had been a great success, and Lower Sixth formers now feel ready to build on the research they have been carrying out earlier in the year on degree courses and start to write their personal statements over the summer holidays.
Richard Thurlow |
Head of Careers and UK University Admissions
THE MALVERNIAN
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