{"product_id":"sufferah-the-memoir-of-a-brixton-reggae-head-9781636140933","title":"Sufferah: The Memoir of a Brixton Reggae-Head","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"In this inspiring, often harrowing narrative, the author chronicles how, shortly after he turned 3, he was abandoned by his parents and placed in the care of the government. That led to a childhood of physical and sexual abuse on top of the racism and police brutality he experienced growing up in Brixton, England, in the 1970s and '80s . . . As dark as his early memories are, Wheatle describes his reggae memories with glimmers of hope and appreciation . . . A striking tribute to reggae's ability to protect a fragile soul when seemingly everything else had failed him.\" \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e--Kirkus Reviews, \u003c\/em\u003e Starred Review\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAbandoned as a baby to the British foster care system, Alex Wheatle grew up without any knowledge of his Jamaican parentage or family history. Preoccupied with his own roots, Alex grew inexorably drawn to reggae music, which became his primary solace through years of physical and mental abuse in a children's home.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Although riven by loneliness and depression, Alex found joy and empathy among his reggae heroes: Dennis Brown, Bob Marley, Marcia Griffiths, the Mighty Diamonds, Sister Nancy, Gregory Isaacs, Barrington Levy, King Yellowman, and so many others. These were friends and mentors who understood the enormous challenges facing a young Black man, gave purpose to despair, provided a sense of belonging when Alex had no one, and who educated him in ways no school ever could. From the abuse he suffered in foster care, to the challenges he faced on the streets of South London as a young man and his eventual imprisonment for participating in the legendary 1981 Brixton uprising against racial injustice, reggae music always provided a lifeline to Alex.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Alex's life story was portrayed in Oscar Award-winning director Steve McQueen's 2020 \u003cem\u003eSmall Axe.\u003c\/em\u003e In \u003cem\u003eSufferah\u003c\/em\u003e, he vividly tells his own story, putting the reader in his shoes through the many challenges of his younger years, answering the question: how on earth did he make it? By his example we are reminded that words can be our sustenance, and music can be our heartbeat.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Akashic Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/04\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781636140933\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 248\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.75lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.60h x 5.70w x 1.10d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/15\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/03\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2023 pg. 121\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Alex Wheatle","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43600559964341,"sku":"9781636140933","price":24.61,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_d6028ca6-0d51-4fb3-8549-c67cc7477bd2.jpg?v=1707209900","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/sufferah-the-memoir-of-a-brixton-reggae-head-9781636140933","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}