How does a government steal a child and then imprison him? How does it
keep it a secret? This story is how.
At the age of seventeen, after a childhood in a foster 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 his childhood, 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.
