Details:. Condition: BRAND NEW. Format: Paperback. ISBN: 9781786892362. Publisher: Canongate Books. Overview. My Name Is Why is the searing, prize-winning memoir from acclaimed poet Lemn Sissay, tracing his journey from a childhood in foster care and children's homes to discovering the truth of his own identity. Blending official case files with his own recollections, Sissay lays bare a life shaped by institutional neglect, resilience, and the redemptive power of words. It is a story about race, belonging, and finding home, told with the honesty that has made Sissay one of Britain's most loved literary voices.. About the Book. At the age of seventeen, after a childhood spent with a foster family followed by six years moving through care homes, Norman Greenwood was finally given his birth certificate. Only then did he discover his real name was Lemn Sissay, and that he was British and Ethiopian. He also learned that his mother had spent his entire childhood pleading with the authorities for his safe return. My Name Is Why tells this extraordinary story in Sissay's own words, weaving personal memory with official documents and case notes kept about him by the very institutions responsible for his care. The result is a devastating, meticulously researched account of neglect and determination, misfortune and hope, cruelty and eventual triumph. Sissay reflects candidly on his childhood, self-expression, and what it means to be British, using his own experience to explore the care system, race, family, and the true meaning of home. Written with the lyricism and emotional power expected from one of the nation's best-loved poets, this is a moving, frank, and urgent memoir - the culmination of a life spent asking difficult questions, and a celebration of the redemptive power of creativity. It has been widely celebrated as a Sunday Times bestseller and award-winning work of non-fiction.. Award-winning, number one bestselling memoir by a celebrated British poet. Powerful first

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