'His name is magic, his poems are songs on the street' - Independent At the age of seventeen, after a childhood in a fostered family followed by six years in care homes, Norman Greenwood was given his birth certificate. He learned that his real name was not Norman. It was Lemn Sissay. He was British and Ethiopian. And he learned that his mother had been pleading for his safe return to her since his birth. This is Lemn's story; a story of neglect and determination, misfortune and hope, cruelty and triumph. Sissay reflects on a childhood in care, self-expression and Britishness, and in doing so explores the institutional care system, race, family and the meaning of home. Written with all the lyricism and power you would expect from one of the nation's best-loved poets, this moving, frank and timely memoir is the result of a life spent asking questions, and a celebration of the redemptive power of creativity.
Best Price: £10.99 from Waterstones
Stockist | Catalogue Product Name | Price | |
---|---|---|---|
Waterstones View other Products from Waterstones |
My Name Is Why | £10.99 | More Information and Buy |
Related Products
Lord Derby, Lancashire's highest-ranked nobleman and its principal royalist, once offered the opinion that the English civil wars had been a 'general plague of madness'. Complex and bedevilling, the earl... |
£18.99
More Information |
|
"Brilliant Orange: The Neurotic Genius of Football" The Netherlands has been one of the world's most distinctive and sophisticated football cultures. From the birth of Total Football in the sixties, through two decades of World Cup near misses to the exiles... |
£12.99
More Information |
|
Franklin, a young black artist on the eve of his first show, meets Andre, an older white art collector, and before long their feverish connection develops into an unbreakable bond.But when Franklin's mother,... |
£10.99
More Information |
|
"Dirty Northern B*st*rds" And Other Tales From The Terraces "This is a book about football and Britain, and Britain and football. You can't fully understand one without the other; and if you haven't got a sense of humour it's not worth even trying.""My name's Tim... |
£8.99
More Information |