This is poet Lemn Sissay's story: a story of neglect and determination, misfortune and hope, cruelty and triumph. 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. He reflects on his childhood, self-expression and Britishness, and in doing so explores the institutional care system, race, family and the meaning of home, also celebrating the redemptive power of creativity.
This is poet Lemn Sissay's story: a story of neglect and determination, misfortune and hope, cruelty and triumph. 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. He reflects on his childhood, self-expression and Britishness, and in doing so explores the institutional care system, race, family and the meaning of home, also celebrating the redemptive power of creativity.
