Perspective

“Provocative and chilling”, it was lauded as one of the best books of 2021, receiving praise from the likes of former US president Barack Obama. “The Final Revival of Opal & Nev” tells the tale of a fiercely independent young woman pushing against the grain in her style and attitude. The book's author, Dawnie Walton, is our guest for Perspective. Her work explores identity, place, and the influence of pop culture.

When sailor Clarisse Crémer was dropped by her sponsors a year ago after starting a family, the move sparked widespread outrage in France and the offshore sailing world. She's since managed to find a new team and is looking forward to competing in her next challenge, the Vendée Globe round-the-world sailing race, in November. The French skipper and navigator joined us for Perspective to tell us more about the challenges of competing in such a gruelling race. She is also the author of the graphic novel "J'y vais, mais j’ai peur" (I'm going for it but I'm scared").

Exactly four months after the Hamas attacks on southern Israel, more than 100 Israelis remain in captivity, with very little known about their fate. The families of those held captive are continuing to urge their government, and the international community, not to give up on their loved ones. We spoke to Eyal Kalderon, whose cousin Ofer was kidnapped by Hamas from the Nir Oz kibbutz on October 7, and remains a hostage in Gaza. Ofer's two children were kidnapped with him. Both Erez, who turned 12 in captivity, and 16-year-old Sahar were released on November 27. But there has been no news of Ofer, a 53-year-old Franco-Israeli citizen, since his kidnapping. "We need to strive to get a deal; this is the best way to bring them all [home] alive," Eyal Kalderon told Perspective.

Ahead of European Parliament elections in June, should the bloc be preparing for a sharp turn to the right? And if so, what does that mean for European policy, and by extension, European unity? Simon Hix, Professor at the European University Institute in Florence, believes the European Parliament's far-right Identity and Democracy group – home to France's National Rally and Germany's AfD – could be on track to become the third-largest bloc, with likely knock-on effects on everything from climate and immigration policy to the appointment of key parliament positions. He joined us for Perspective.

Almost two years on from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, hundreds of thousands of men have already been called up to fight and a new mobilisation bill is due to be debated by parliament this week. According to Anna Colin Lebedev, a senior lecturer at Paris Nanterre University and specialist in contemporary Ukrainian history, one of the major questions facing Ukrainian society today lies in the mechanics of the draft. She sees it as a balancing act between the need to provide able fighters to the front line and a desire to protect the youth, who will one day be charged with rebuilding the country. She joined us for Perspective.

Paradise was a small town in the US, located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in California and full of apple orchards. But back in 2018, it burnt to the ground. Eight-five people were killed in the most devastating wildfire on record in the state. The award-winning French photojournalist Maxime Riché captured the town in the aftermath of the fire and returned again in 2021 as the town grappled with a second inferno. His book "Paradise" is an incredible canvas of documented images of the town and its people. He tells FRANCE 24's Gavin Lee that it's a story of the effects of climate change, offering a glimpse of the next place that will have to go through healing after a similar disaster.

Former US president Ronald Reagan once said that the nine most terrifying words in the English language are "I'm from the government and I'm here to help". It's a rhetoric that struck a chord with his conservative base, with the idea that a smaller government can allow an individual or private organisation to operate more effectively. But it's just one of the many myths promulgated to tell a narrative that serves the business elite, according to renowned author and Harvard Professor Naomi Oreskes. She calls the idea of a free market a construct created to gain popular support to defend corporate power. Her latest book is "The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loathe Government and Love the Free Market", co-authored with Erik M. Conway. She spoke to FRANCE 24's Gavin Lee in Perspective.

One of the world's top violinists has spoken to FRANCE 24 about his passion for his art and for helping people less fortunate than himself. The Russian-born Austrian classical violinist Yury Revich was named Young Artist of the year back in 2015 and has now performed at all the great venues worldwide, from Carnegie Hall in New York to La Scala in Milan. His next venture is a special concert in conjunction with UNICEF at the Salle Pleyel in Paris on March 7. He is also UNICEF's Austria Honorary Representative. He spoke to us in Perspective.

The US Special Envoy for Global Food Security has told FRANCE 24 that despite the increasing impact of climate change, all is not lost in cultivating crops – even in the world's worst-hit areas. Cary Fowler is in Paris to discuss how food security can be achieved by ensuring good soil and by growing the right, ideally indigenous plants. He says that while this might seem obvious, it is often forgotten, and that the world needs to begin building a more resilient crop base for the future. He spoke to FRANCE 24's Stuart Norval in Perspective.

The renowned author and Oxford Professor Timothy Garton Ash blames the "hubris" of past European leaders for many of the current struggles on the continent, including the war in Ukraine. He says he's spent five decades "travelling, worrying and writing about Europe". Garton Ash met authoritarian leaders like Russia's Vladimir Putin and Hungary's Viktor Orban at the start of their political careers and assesses their rise to power in his latest book "Homelands: a Personal History of Europe". He spoke to FRANCE 24's Gavin Lee in Perspective.