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Ripped away from his Ethiopian mother in infancy, Sissay endured over a decade of mistreatment and wilful cruelty in the British care system. This is the powerful and inspiring account of the acclaimed poet’s journey from neglect and despair to artistic and cultural recognition.
'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.
Publisher: Canongate Books
ISBN: 9781786892362
Number of pages: 224
Weight: 180 g
Dimensions: 197 x 130 x 14 mm
Edition: Main
MEDIA REVIEWS
A lyrical, painful and yet hope-filled memoir . . . Shattering, light-searching - Observer
Searing . . . Unputdownable . . . My Name Is Why is authentic and beautiful, a potential game-changer in public attitudes to children raised in care. It's about bureaucratic cruelty and what happens when love is absent. Don't miss it - The Times
An extraordinary story - Sunday Times
The most amazing thing about this book is that it's not made up. This actually happened. It is an incredible story - BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH
I have never read a memoir like it. A blistering account of a young life in the hands of neglectful authorities. It's a quest for understanding, for home, for answers. Grips like a thriller. Astounding - MATT HAIG
The great triumph of this work comes from its author's determination to rail against what he rightly diagnoses as this institutionally endorsed disremembering of black and marginalised experience. It is a searing and unforgettable re-creation of the most brutal of beginnings - Michael Donkor, Guardian
Utterly devastating and beautiful . . . Breathtakingly written - DOLLY ALDERTON
This is a deeply moving memoir that speaks with incredible poeticism. A staggering exposé of colonial theft and abandonment, this book is grippingly heartbreaking - DAVID LAMMY
A fascinating memoir . . . So powerful - ELIF SHAFAK
The engaging transfiguring truth of My Name Is Why is like a baptism of truth - leaving you washed clean of lies and reborn in love. Profound in its kindness, intelligence and unselfish heart, this book is important and unputdownable - JESSICA HYNES
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“Deeply moving, ultimately hopeful personal history”
Lemn’s memory of how he was rejected by foster parents and housed in a series of worsening children’s homes that failed to offer care, as evidenced by excerpts from his social services files, is both important and... More
“Excellent - so moving”
I was too poorly to get to The Brewery and I know I will regret that chance to see and hear him.
I’m reading the book whilst following him online.
What a brilliant person and thanks for telling us how and why you have...
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“Shocking and moving in equal measure”
Shocking and moving in equal measure. Lemn Sissay's story is a compelling read, and at points you have to remind yourself it really happened. His writing is beautiful, and he's inspiration.
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