A powerful anthology of poetry and prose that allows the unheard voices of those subjected to slavery to reach out from the past to the present. Benjamin Zephaniah, John Agard, James Berry, Catherine Johnson and Grace Nichols are among the contributors and there are also contemporary stories taken from the long and shocking history of slavery.
Slavery is an inhuman trade in human misery and suffering and award-winning author, Malorie Blackman has drawn together a riveting collection of stories, poems and first-hand recollections on the theme of slavery. Published to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act it makes for essential reading for it’s a fascinating and absorbing collection that remembers one of the most brutal and long-lasting inflictions of misery that human beings have inflicted upon other human beings. John Agard, Olaudah Equiano, Alex Haley and Benjamin Zephaniah are among those whose work appears alongside an original story and foreword from Malorie herself.
A World Book Day Author 2019| Children's Laureate 2013-2015
Malorie Blackman has written over sixty books for children and young adults. Many of her books have also been adapted for stage and television, including a BAFTA-award-winning BBC production of Pig-Heart Boy and a Pilot Theatre stage adaptation by Sabrina Mahfouz of Noughts & Crosses. There is also a major BBC production of Noughts & Crosses, with Roc Nation (JayZ's entertainment company) curating and releasing the soundtrack as executive music producer.
In 2008 Malorie received an OBE for her services to children's literature, and between 2013 and 2015 she was the Children's Laureate. Most recently, Malorie wrote for the Doctor Who series on BBC One, and the fifth novel in her Noughts & Crosses series, Crossfire, is published by Penguin Random House Children's.
