Just Sayin’ by Malorie Blackman review – against the odds

The former children’s laureate shares her sometimes enraging story of rejection, determination and resilienceAt the beginning of Malorie Blackman’s engrossing and often shocking memoir, the former children’s laureate asks: “Why am I an author?” What she goes on to tell us certainly shows how she was able to succeed: absolute determination, powered by rejection and by the love and support of others.The memoir eschews a strictly chronological approach. There are five themes – Wonder, Loss, Anger, Perseverance, Representation and Love. The prose and occasional poem contain intimate, often painful and sometimes funny insights into the author’s life.Born in south London in 1962, Blackman’s parents were part of what’s now referred to as the Windrush generation – British citizens encouraged to move to the UK after the war. In Barbados, her father had been a master carpenter. In the UK he drove buses. Her mother worked in a factory, denied further education back home, since school money was saved for the boys. It was a “staggered” family – Blackman’s parents coming to England first, her older Barbados-born siblings joining them later. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2022-10-19 06:30:17 UTC ]

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4 Great LGBTQ+ Nonfiction Books for Pride

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Coronet waltzes off with DJ Fat Tony's 'outrageous' memoir after pre-empt

Coronet has waltzed off with I Don’t Take Requests by DJ Fat Tony in a “significant” pre-empt. Continue reading at The Bookseller

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Cowell and Duchess of Cornwall launch flagship school libraries project

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Will Smith unveils memoir cover for Century at Miami block party

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A Will Smith memoir will hit bookshelves in November

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Abi Morgan's 'devastating' memoir goes to John Murray in six-figure deal

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Penguin Michael Joseph pre-empts Lim's 'poetic' memoir of family secrets

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Cinelle Barnes Doesn’t Care If You Think She’s Soft

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DoJ Drops Case Against John Bolton

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‘On Juneteenth’: A Black historian reflects on Texas and emancipation

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'Monster' Kody Scott, former L.A. gang member who became a bestselling author, found dead at 57

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HarperCollins signs memoir by The Jonas Brothers

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A prickly mother-daughter bond sustained by Korean food

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Pride Was Hard-Won: PW Talks with Julie Rodgers

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