Description

A powerful, intimate memoir of Eritrean-British journalist, Hannah Azieb-Pool, who returns to Eritrea at the age of 30 to meet her family for the first time.

What a story. So vivid, honest and moving’ Andrea Levy, author of Small Island

‘When I stepped off the plane in Asmara, I had no idea what lay ahead, or how those events would change me . . .’

In her twenties, Hannah-Azieb Pool is given a letter that unravels everything she knows about her life. She knew she was adopted from an orphanage in Eritrea, and as her adoptive family brought her to the UK, they believed she did not have any surviving relatives.

When she discovers the truth in a letter from her brother – that her birth father is alive and her Eritrean family are desperate to meet her – she is faced with a critical choice.

Should she go?

In this intimate memoir, she takes us with her on an extraordinary journey of self-discovery, as she travels to Eritrea to uncover her own story. With radiant warmth, courage and wisdom, Hannah-Azieb disentangles the charged concepts of identity, family and home. Featuring a new introduction from Bernardine Evaristo and an updated afterword from the author, this is a timeless, essential read.

‘Remarkable’ Observer

Selected by Booker Prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo, this series rediscovers and celebrates pioneering books from black Britain and the diaspora, which remap the nation and reframe our history.