Description
Brixton, twenty years after the race riots. Teenager Dennis Huggins drifts into the easy, dangerous life of the shotta - or drug dealer - and discovers that, hard as the struggle for respect on the streets is, the struggle for love is harder still. At least Dennis has involved parents looking out for him; too many of his friends drift through life with no positive influences or moral code; their only 'family' their fellow dealers. Wheatle brilliantly evokes the temptations of the thug life for young black men growing up in London's 'Dirty South' - this is a fast, compelling novel that offers no easy answers, but refuses to shy away from asking the difficult questions.
This is set to be Alex Wheatle's best year yet in a brilliant career: Steve McQueen has based an episode in his drama series SMALL AXE on Alex's life (airing Autumn 2020) and TV adapations of his Crongton novels are in the pipeline.
About the Author
Alex Wheatle was born in 1963 to Jamaican parents living in London. He spent most of his childhood in a children's home, which he left at 14 to live in a hostel in Brixton. At 18, he was involved in the Brixton uprising and went to prison for 3 months. On his release, he continued to perform as a DJ and MC under the name Yardman Irie, moving on to the performance poetry circuit as The Brixton Bard in the early '90s. His second novel, East of Acre Lane, won the London New Writers Award (2000). In 2008, he was awarded an MBE for services to literature.
Reviews
A slice of black South London that is authentic, witty and gritty. * The Times *
Alex Wheatle writes from a place of honesty and passion with the full knowledge and understanding that change can only happen through words and actions. * Steve McQueen *
Refreshing... empowered with a blistering narrative voice, filled with the anger and desperation of marginalised youth... Wheatle is a sharp-eyed observer * Guardian *
Alex Wheatle is an inspirer. He sheds light in dark places so that we might see the unseen and hear the unheard. He is a vital writer. He is a prince among men. Long may he reign. * Lemn Sissay *
A thoughtful novel. Part love story, part social commentary. * New Nation *
Book Information
ISBN 9781846686573
Author Alex Wheatle
Format Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint Serpent's Tail
Publisher Profile Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 159g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 128mm * 16mm
This is set to be Alex Wheatle's best year yet in a brilliant career: Steve McQueen has based an episode in his drama series SMALL AXE on Alex's life (airing Autumn 2020) and TV adapations of his Crongton novels are in the pipeline.
About the Author
Alex Wheatle was born in 1963 to Jamaican parents living in London. He spent most of his childhood in a children's home, which he left at 14 to live in a hostel in Brixton. At 18, he was involved in the Brixton uprising and went to prison for 3 months. On his release, he continued to perform as a DJ and MC under the name Yardman Irie, moving on to the performance poetry circuit as The Brixton Bard in the early '90s. His second novel, East of Acre Lane, won the London New Writers Award (2000). In 2008, he was awarded an MBE for services to literature.
Reviews
A slice of black South London that is authentic, witty and gritty. * The Times *
Alex Wheatle writes from a place of honesty and passion with the full knowledge and understanding that change can only happen through words and actions. * Steve McQueen *
Refreshing... empowered with a blistering narrative voice, filled with the anger and desperation of marginalised youth... Wheatle is a sharp-eyed observer * Guardian *
Alex Wheatle is an inspirer. He sheds light in dark places so that we might see the unseen and hear the unheard. He is a vital writer. He is a prince among men. Long may he reign. * Lemn Sissay *
A thoughtful novel. Part love story, part social commentary. * New Nation *
Book Information
ISBN 9781846686573
Author Alex Wheatle
Format Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint Serpent's Tail
Publisher Profile Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 159g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 128mm * 16mm
