Rebel Book Club Edinburgh x CHANGE NATIONS

Join us for RBC's November event as we explore this month's theme, change nations, via Mehran Gul's book, "The New Geography of Innovation". About the book: A new generation of Americans believes another world is possible, yet inequality, climate change and declining health feel as stubborn as ever. So where might different answers lie? Award-winning journalist Natasha Hakimi Zapata travelled from Costa Rica to Uganda and Estonia to Singapore to find out, interviewing ministers, activists and the people living with the results. From Singapore’s affordable public housing to Costa Rica’s biodiversity law and Finland’s public schools, she takes a clear-eyed look at what each policy costs, what it delivers and what it took to get there. A hopeful, frame-shifting read on how we might live differently. Why we chose it: “Gul is undoubtedly right that we need to measure innovation against a lot of different metrics, not just market capitalisation” - Bloomberg Venue: Alpkit is an independent British outdoor brand, founded in 2004 by a group of friends who loved the outdoors, with the motto "Go Nice Places, Do Good Things". Alpkit Edinburgh, their first store in Scotland, is housed in a building known locally as "The Shed", with a hundred years of history behind it. It was first built for the paper industry and later filled wall to wall with furniture, until the Alpkit team turned the empty industrial unit into a warm, quirky outdoor shop, with a big mezzanine full of bikes. Delicious drinks are included, as well as engaging storytelling and space for conversations and sharing your own journeys across countries and continents. Interested? Want to join us at our November event? 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). About Rebel Book Club Every month since 2015, we've helped 1000's of curious minds explore a topic, meet, discuss and share learnings & actions. We're meeting monthly in London and four other locations within the UK (Oxford, Manchester, Bristol and Edinburgh), in Denver and New York (USA), in Sydney & Perth (Australia) and Toronto & Vancouver (Canada) + we have a digital membership for members round the world. Find out more about Rebel Book Club & RBC Edinburgh. Your host for the evening 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."