Upper Primary and Secondary

Much of the material relates to secondary children though some is suitable for P6 - P7 children.

Not all resources relate directly to the issues of sectarianism or religious intolerance. All of them encourage discussion about difference, perceptions (including stereotyping), prejudice and discrimination. Some tackle issues of racism, conflict, sectarianism and others come at topics through issues like displacement (e.g. being a refugee or asylum seeker).

It is difficult to suggest which books are suitable for each age group as abilities and interests of different pupils will dictate whether a book would be of interest or not. However, general age areas are indicated as a guide.

Within early primary, we have found that using material which assists discussion about difference and diversity is helpful in developing young children's confidence about a range of social issues. Click here for some early years suggestions.

If you can assist us by suggesting new resources or you find a particular book listed below unsuitable, please contact ceres@ed.ac.uk with your suggestions.

Brendan Behan, Borstal Boy (1990)
Publisher: Arrow
ISBN: 0099706504
Paperback 360 pages £7.99
Suitable for age 14 onwards

Review:
An autobiographical account of the author's teenage stint in a UK Borstal, the book is funny, sad, exciting and very thought-provoking. His way of writing is truthful, humorous and lucid; his descriptions of his situations paint a vivid mental picture of 1940s detention, and describes his close relationship with the British, The Wardens and his best 'china', the sexually ambiguous sailor 'Charlie'. The climax of the book had me sobbing (as did the film). The story of Behan's private life is well documented elsewhere; the reader can only glean certain undertones in Borstal Boy by reading between the lines. All in all, an enthralling read.

Livia Britton-Jackson, I Have Lived A Thousand Years: Growing Up In The Holocaust (1999)
Publisher: Pocket Books
ISBN 0743408756
Paperback 224 pages
Suitable for age 10 onwards

Synopsis:
This is the memoir of Elli Friedmann, who was 13 years old in March 1944 when the Nazis invaded Hungary. It describes the process of Occupation and her gradual descent into the hell of Auschwitz in intimate, excruciating detail. Some say this was the story that Anne Frank was never able to tell.

Malorie Blackman, Noughts and Crosses (2002)
Publisher: Corgi Childrens
ISBN: 0552546321
Paperback 208 pages £5.99
Suitable for age 11 onwards

Description:
Award-winning author Malorie Blackman tackles the issues of racism and prejudice in a world set in an alternate historical reality.

Review (taken from the amazon website):
Sephy and Callum have been best friends since childhood, and now they are older they realise they want more from each other. But the harsh realities of lives lived in a segregated society are beginning to take their toll: Callum is a nought - a second-class citizen in a world dominated by the Crosses - and Sephy is a Cross, and the daughter of one of the most powerful men in the country. The barriers they would have to cross to be together at first seem little more than minor obstacles to the two idealistic teenagers, but soon those barriers threaten not only their friendship but their lives.

Noughts and Crosses is written with the passion of an author who has a personal message about the perception of the past, present and future, and Blackman has used the clever device of turning preconceived ideas of racial prejudice upside down to make sure that her point is well and truly made. Deeply disturbing and totally absorbing this novel is intriguing from the outset, with a shocking climax that packs an unforgettable punch. - Susan Harrison

Malorie Blackman, Knife Edge (2004)
Publisher: Doubleday
ISBN: 0385605277
Hardback 372 pages £12.99
Suitable for age 13 onwards

Synopsis:
A frightened girl running barefoot on a knife edge … that's how 18-year-old Sephy feels as she gazes down at her new-born daughter, Callie Rose. Whilst Sephy is a Cross, the baby's father, Callum, was a nought, giving Callie Rose dual heritage in a society where the ruling Crosses treat the pale-skinned noughts - blankers - as second-class citizens. What kind of world will her daughter grow up into? One which is more equal? Or one where discrimination still has the power to destroy lives? Sephy can only hope that the tomorrows will be better than the yesterdays. But fifteen years later, Callie Rose's actions are to plunge both of them into the heart of danger, forcing Sephy, once again, to take sides … Sequel to the award-winning Noughts & Crosses, Knife Edge is a razor-sharp and intensely moving novel for older readers. Set against an epic background of conflict, confrontation and courage, it is impossible to put down - and impossible to forget.

Theresa Breslin, Divided City ( May 2005)
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
ISBN: not known as yet,
Hardback: £10.99
Suitable for 13 -15 years

Review:
The book follows two boys, one Catholic (Joe), one Protestant (Graham) in Glasgow. They meet while playing football - United for Glasgow. Graham is a witness to a racial attack on an asylum seeker (Kyoul). Kyoul asks him to help him. Graham is drawn into the situation discovering more about issues facing asylum seekers such as racism. Joe and Graham soon become good friends, overcoming their religious backgrounds. Together Joe and Graham befriend and help Kyoul. In the end Joe and Graham become firm friends and are both chosen to play for Glasgow.

This book is excellent for dealing with secrtarianism issues as it addresses the difficulties faced by young people. It also shows how these issues can be overcome and why sectarianism and racism are wrong. It deals clearly with the sectarian issue and does not mask it with other storylines or by lessening the impact by avoiding the issue. It also deals with citizenship, racism and violence through the asylum seeker story.

The book is very easy to read. It has a good plot which moves along at a good pace. The book is well constructed and well written. The author uses language which is easy to understand without making the book simple and boring. A 'must read' for all teenagers and adults!

Aidan Chambers, Now I Know (1995)
Publisher: Red Fox
ISBN: 0099503018
Paperback 238 pages £5.99
Suitable for age 13 onwards

Synopsis:
Tom, an ambitious young police officer, is investigating the murder of a young man who has been crucified in a scrapyard, and Nik is doing research for a film about a contemporary life of Jesus. Their independent investigations bring them together in an unexpected climax.

Michael Cronin, Against the Day (1998)
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019271760X
Paperback 212 pages £1.50 (www.amazon.co.uk)
Suitable for age 10 onwards

Synopsis:
It is 1941 and the Nazis have just invaded Britain. Two boys find themselves caught up in the Resistance movement. Across the country people have made preparations 'against the day' of an invasion; now that the Resistance is in motion the boys find themselves in the middle of a dangerous game.

Trilogy:

Deborah Ellis, The Breadwinner (2004)
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192752847
Paperback 176 pages £4.99
Suitable for age 10 onwards

Synopsis:
Afghanistan: Parvana's father is arrested and taken away by the Taliban soldiers. Under Taliban law, women and girls are not allowed to leave the house on their own. Parvana, her mother and sisters must stay inside. Four days later, their food runs out. They face starvation. So Parvana must pretend to be a boy to save her family. It is a dangerous plan, but their only chance. In fear she goes out and witnesses the horror of landmines and the brutality of the Taliban. She suffers beatings and the desperation of trying to survive. But even in despair lies hope.

Deborah Ellis, Parvana's Journey (2004)
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192753487
Paperback 200 pages £4.99
Suitable for age 10 onwards

Synopsis:
This sequel by award-winning author Deborah Ellis tells the story of Parvana, travelling alone across a war-ridden Afghanistan in an attempt to find her family. Deborah Ellis is the winner of the Governor General's Award in Canada, their equivalent to the Carnegie Medal.

Deborah Ellis, Mud City (2004)
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192753762
Paperback 160 pages £4.99
Suitable for age 10 onwards

Synopsis:
Shauzia is Parvana's friend from the book The Breadwinner. Now Shauzia has fled from Afghanistan to a refugee camp in Pakistan. But Shauzia has a dream. She dreams of getting away from the refugee camp and travelling to France. There she knows she would find a better life, away from the war in her home country of Afghanistan. But escape is not so easy. Once she leaves the camp, she has no money, no food and only her dog Jasper for company but Shauzia is determined to make a new future for herself. This is another deeply moving story from Deborah Ellis, which casts light for readers on the ongoing human situation in Afghanistan.

J.G. Farrell, Troubles (1993)
Publisher: Phoenix
ISBN: 1857990188
Paperback 448 pages £6.99
Suitable for age 13 onwards

Synopsis:
Major Brendan Archer travels to Ireland to the Majestic Hotel, and to the fiancée he acquired on a rash afternoon's leave three years ago. Despite her many letters, the lady proves elusive and the Major's engagement is short-lived. But he is unable to detach himself from the alluring discomforts of the crumbling hotel. Ensconced in the dim and shabby splendour of the Palm Court, surrounded by gently decaying old ladies and proliferating cats, the Major passes the summer. So hypnotic are the faded charms of the Majestic, the Major is almost unaware of the gathering storm. But this is Ireland in 1919 - and the struggle for independence is about to explode with brutal force.

Mark Frankland, The Drums of Hampden (2002)
Publisher: Glenmill
Paperback £4.99
ISBN: 0953594467
Suitable for age 11 onwards

Review:
Set in Scotland and Africa this book deals with a range of issues. It deals with sectarianism subtly and also with racism (including anti-English prejudice).

At first it appears to be male-oriented focusing on football, and it is a little slow to start with. However, it soon picks up and through using different storylines starts to deal with issues of sectarianism in Glasgow. Celtic and Rangers footballers team up to fundraise when a volcanic eruption brings disaster to part of Africa.

Though the book is about football, the storylines are interesting and will appeal to girls and boys. - reviewed by Catriona Parnell, Scottish school pupil aged 16.

Alan Gibbons, Caught in the Crossfire (2003)
Publisher: Orion Children's
ISBN: 1842550969
Paperback 192 pages £4.99
Suitable for age 12 onwards

Synopsis:
Takes place following the Oldham race riots that occur following 9/11. It follows the interlinking stories of two British Muslim siblings, two Irish brothers and two friends and their varying encounters with a right wing nationalist.

The book is based around six main characters, Rabia and Tahir, the British Muslims, Daz and Jason, the two Irish teenagers with racist views looking for trouble and, most importantly, Mike and Liam who are both Irish but on different sides.

A 'must-read' for teenagers according to reviewers on amazon's website.

Alan Gibbons, The Dark Beneath (2003)
Publisher: Orion Children's
ISBN: 1842550977
Paperback 192 pages £4.99
Suitable for age 13 onwards

Synopsis
A young girl finds her life irrevocably changed through her contact with three very different men: one is an asylum seeker with whom she begins a relationship.

Reviews
The Tablet, December 13, 2003
A grippingly told story that will appeal to the most reluctant teenage reader.

School Librarian, Spring 2004
It is a rare and important, brave and beautiful book celebrating difference. And it deserves to be read.

Alan Gibbons, A Street of Tall People (1996)
Publisher: Orion Children's (Dolphin Books)
ISBN: 1858811937
Paperback 128 pages £3.99
Suitable for age 13 onwards

Synopsis
Set in the East End of London in 1936, this is the story of an unlikely friendship between a Jewish and a Gentile boy during the upsurge of fascist violence led by Oswald Moseley and his Blackshirts. Jimmy and Benny are adversaries in a boxing match before they become friends. Jimmy lives in a tenement with his newly widowed mother; Benny comes from a large Orthodox Jewish family. The discovery that Jimmy's mother's new friend Mr Searle is a Blackshirt has a profound effect on their relationship and places Jimmy in an agonising dilemma. A vivid and compelling story that raises issues that have many parallels today.

Morris Gleitzman, Boy Overboard (2002)
Publisher: Puffin
ISBN: 0141308389
Paperback 144 pages £11.96 (www.amazon.co.uk)
Suitable for age 10 onwards

Synopsis
Jamal loves playing football, which isn't easy if your goalie only has one leg and you keep having to dodge landmines to get your ball back. Jamal's stubborn little sister Bibi is even better at football than him. But girls playing football is against the law in Afghanistan. When it is discovered that Jamal's mother has been secretly running a school, the family must leave their home immediately and begin a long and dangerous journey to Australia. The children survive separation from their parents, hunger and violent smugglers only to find that Australia isn't as welcoming as they had thought but, even though they face an uncertain future, Jamal, Bibi and their parents know that as long as they are together that is all that matters.

Becky Hazell and Helen Cann (illustrator), The Barefoot Book of Heroic Children (2000)
Publisher: Barefoot Books
ISBN: 1902283228
Paperback £14.99
Suitable for age 10 onwards

Synopsis:
This collection brings together stories from across the world of some of the most exceptional young people in history. These children include Anne Frank, Pocahontas, Helen Keller, Sadako Sasaki, Iqbal Masih and others who have impressed generations with their vision, perseverance and courage.

Jack Higgins, A Prayer for the Dying (1981)
Publisher: Pan
ISBN: 0330265822
Paperback 192 pages (out of print, but available used from www.amazon.co.uk)
Suitable for age 14 onwards

Synopsis
The tale of an ex-IRA marksman who becomes an embarrassment to both the IRA and British Intelligence. Enlisting the aid of an underworld mobster, he commits murder in exchange for assistance - an action witnessed by a Catholic priest. By the author of The Eagle Has Landed and Cold Harbour.

Jennifer Johnston, How Many Miles to Babylon? (1982)
Publisher: Fontana
ISBN: 0006163068
Paperback 160 pages £1.50 (out of print, but available used from www.amazon.co.uk)
Suitable for age 14 years onwards

Synopsis
This is the story of two friends whose lives were divided by the bigotries of class and war. What they share as boys is a passion for horses and the Irish countryside. What they share as men is the experience of war in Flanders, and an ordeal beyond even the horrors of the battlefield.

Elizabeth Laird, A Little Piece of Ground (2003)
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
ISBN: 0330436791
Paperback 160 pages £8.99
Suitable for age 10 onwards

Synopsis
Twelve year-old Karim Aboudi and his family are trapped in their Ramallah home by a strict curfew. Israeli tanks control the city in response to a Palestinian suicide bombing. Karim longs to play football outside with his friends. But in this city there's constant danger.

Joan Lingard, The Twelfth Day of July (1995)
Publisher: Puffin Books
ISBN: 0140371753
Paperback 128 pages £5.99
Suitable for age 10 onwards

Synopsis
It all started with a trip to Protestant Belfast by Kevin and his Catholic friends to daub slogans on a wall. But the paint-splashing turned into something very dangerous. The only good to come out of the reckless trip was that it brought Kevin into contact with Sadie Jackson that changes his life.

Joan Lingard, Across the Barricades (1995)
Publisher: Puffin Books
ISBN: 0140371796
Paperback 176 pages £5.99
Suitable for age 10 onwards

Synopsis
In these terrifying days in Belfast, no Protestant girl like Sadie could go out with a Catholic boy like Kevin without resentment or even murderous violence flaring up around them. They were made for each other- they knew that - but what would happen if they went on seeing each other?

Joan Lingard, Into Exile (1995)
Publisher: Puffin Books
ISBN: 014037213X
Paperback 176 pages £5.99
Suitable for age 10 onwards

Synopsis
Protestant Sadie and Catholic Kevin have married and 'escaped' to London - but will they ever really be free of Belfast and the troubles? In this third book about Sadie and Kevin, Joan Lingard has added an understanding of the strains of marriage to the sombre representation of life in Belfast.

Kate MacLachlan, Love My Enemy (2004)
Publisher: Andersen Press
ISBN: 1842703404
Paperback 268 pages £5.99
Suitable for 14 upwards

Review:
Two young people living in Belfast fall in love. The problem is they belong to different religions. Zee is Protestant and Connor is Catholic. Their families disapprove of their relationship. The have to keep their relationship a secret. However they are found out and Zee and Connor are beaten up. Once this happens both their families realise that they have to put their differences behind them. It has a Romeo and Juliet style storyline.

The book raises awareness of how sectarianism affects peoples lives but it concentrates on more social issues such as growing up, dealing with alcohol, pregnancy, friendships and love.

Bernard MacLaverty, Cal (1995)
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Co.
ISBN: 0393313328
Paperback £9.99
Suitable for age 14 onwards

Synopsis
A love story set in Northern Ireland. For Cal, some of the choices are simple. He can work in an abattoir that nauseates him or join the dole queue. He can brood on his past or plan a future with Marcella.

Catherine MacPhail, Dark Waters (2003)
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing plc
ISBN: 1582348464
Hardcover 177 pages £8.68
Suitable for age 10 onwards

Synopsis
Col McCann is used to being in trouble. It is always the McCann family the police turn to when there is trouble - mainly because of his elder brother Mungo who is generally at the centre of it. But Col adores Mungo who is the big man of the family since their father was killed. But one day Col discovers what it is like to be seen in a completely different light. Having bunked off school he goes to his favourite place, the loch. There he sees a younger boy teetering dangerously on the ice, testing it. When he falls in, Col realises there is no one else to save this boy apart from him. So he dives into the icy water, half-drowns himself and saves the boy. He wakes up in hospital to local acclaim. He is a hero! Nothing like this has happened before to a McCann! Col can't resist going back to the loch, and there he meets Klaus. Klaus, a refugee, leads Col to a devastating truth about his brother. Col's loyalty to his family and his need to do what is right are in direct conflict. A testing and powerful novel from an acclaimed and prize-winning author.

Catherine McPhail, Tribes (2002)
Publisher: Longman
ISBN: 0582488559
Paperback 192 pages £6.75
Suitable for age 10 onward

Synopsis
Kevin is determined that he'll never join a gang, but his path crosses the tribes' when he saves one of them from a rival gang. It isn't easy to join the tribe - but, as Kevin discovers when it's almost too late, it's far harder to leave.

Linda Newbery, Sisterland (2002)
Publisher: David Fickling Books
ISBN: 038560470X
Hardback 259 pages £10.99
Suitable for age 13 onwards

Reviews
Elaine Williams, Times Educational Supplement, 21 November 2003
'... an outstanding novel ... one of this year's most compelling 'crossover' reads for teenagers and adults.'

Book Description
When Hilly's grandmother contracts Alzheimer's disease, her family is turned upside down by revelations that emerge from her memories of life during the Second World War.

CZ Nightingale, Grass (2003)
Publisher: Puffin Books
ISBN: 0141316349
Paperback 208 pages £4.99
Suitable for age 10 onwards

Synopsis
Sixteen-year-old Caryn witnesses a savage attack on an Asian boy by a white gang in East London. She doesn't know what to do as grassing is not the done thing. When Kobir, the victim, later dies, she can't avoid being involved. Should she grass or should she stay silent? The story reaches a dramatic climax and Caryn must learn to trust her own judgement of right and wrong.

Han Nolan, If I Should Die Before I Wake (2003)
Publisher: Harcourt Paperbacks
ISBN: 0152046798
Paperback 312 pages £3.78
Suitable for 10 years onwards

Review: A reader on the amazon website
The 1940s seem so far away to the teenagers of the 1990s. The atrocities of WWII might seem distant and unreal - some might even think that the Holocaust never actually happened. But it did, and we can't ever allow it to be forgotten! This brilliant novel serves as a way to educate and enlighten today's youth about the horrendous mistakes of the past.

Hilary, one of the two main characters is not only unaware of the extent of the hate towards Jews during WWII, she is actually reviving that hate as a member of a 1990s Neo-Nazi gang. The turning point in her young life is a motorcycle accident which leaves her comatose in a Jewish hospital. While comatose, she dreams about Chana, a young Polish girl who experiences all the horrors of being Jewish during WWII. Chana's story is compelling, detailed, and extremely historically accurate.

This is a wonderful novel for secondary students in conjunction with studies on modern world history, tolerance and cultural sensitivity. It is a definite 'hard-to-put-down' novel. Nolan's depiction of Chana's life story is so gripping that the reader has a need to know what will happen to this young girl, as well as how Chana's life will affect Hilary. This is not only a book that you read, it is a book that you think about and talk about for a long time after.

Glenn Patterson, Burning Your Own (1993)
Publisher: Minerva
ISBN: 0749398914
Paperback 256 pages £10.99
Suitable for age 14 onwards

Synopsis
This first novel by a young Irish writer is about the rites of passage of a 10-year-old boy on the streets of Belfast in the summer of 1969. The principal issues which characterise the Ulster Troubles are explored as the tale unravels. Glenn Patterson is 26 and was born and raised in Belfast. In 1982 he left for the University of East Anglia, from where he graduated with an MA in Creative Writing.

Bali Rai, (Un)arranged Marriage (2001)
Publisher: Corgi Children's
ISBN: 0552547344
Paperback 272 pages £4.99
Suitable for age 13 onwards

Synopsis
This book deals with some cultural conflicts felt by many young people today. A young boy is being forced into an arranged marriage he does not want. It looks at the cultural values of the Punjabi community in which his parents live and his rejection of them to live his own life.

For a fuller review go to www.amazon.co.uk

Gill Rose, Anne Clark and David Rose, World of Festivals: Hanukkah (1999)
Publisher: Evans Brothers - Books for Children
ISBN: 0237520672
Paperback 32 pages £5.99
Suitable for age 10 onwards

Synopsis
The historical, cultural and religious importance of Hannukah is examined in this book through all the associations of food, costume, religious ceremonies, music and decorations. It includes the stories and legends which are integral to Christmas and there is an activity and a recipe which capture the spirit of the occasion.

Part of a series of books looking at the world's major religious festivals.

Stewart Ross, Everything to Live for: A Story from Northern Ireland (2002)
Publisher: Hodder Wayland
ISBN: 0750238755
Paperback 96 pages £4.99
Suitable for age 13 onwards

Synopsis
Thirteen-year-old Lizzie McCallum is a Protestant living in Northern Ireland. She has seen her fair share of the Troubles, and she is used to being taunted by the boys from the local Catholic school. Lizzie's family hates Catholics, especially since Uncle Jim was killed. On an ordinary Saturday in August, 1998, Lizzie's world is blown apart when she finds herself at the centre of a tragic bombing incident in the high street. She finds out that bombs do not discriminate - they kill innocent people - from both sides. Containing detailed background information, involving real events intertwined with the life of the central fictional character, this story aims to bring the horrors of living through a terrorist attack vividly to life.

This title supports the Key Stage 3 History National Curriculum, where Northern Ireland is a suggested topic in 'a world study after 1900'.

Alan Spence, Its Colours They Are Fine (1996)
Publisher: Phoenix
ISBN: 1857997530
Paperback 240 pages £6.99
Suitable for age 14 onwards

Synopsis
This has become a classic of Glasgow fiction, depicting every aspect of life in the city. Its thirteen interlinked stories vividly evoke the slums and their inhabitants, the young and old, Catholic and Protestant, the hopeful and the disillusioned.

Robert Swindells, Ruby Tanya (2004)
Publisher: Doubleday
ISBN: 0385410433
Hardback 159 pages £10.99
Suitable for age 13 years onwards

Description
A highly topical and thoroughly entertaining thriller about tolerance and hate.

Synopsis
This is a contemporary tale about two friends - one of whom, Asra, is an asylum seeker from an unnamed Eastern European country. The other, Ruby Tanya, is the daughter of a local man who is campaigning against the presence of asylum seekers in his community. During a dramatic explosion at the girls' school, a young teacher is killed. The asylum seekers at the local camp are blamed, and local people begin to argue that they should be deported. A branch of the National Front gets involved and demonstrations are planned. Asra and her parents are due to be deported, but Asra runs away at the last minute so her parents have to return without her. She hides in a nearby derelict building and is helped by Ruby Tanya.

Leon Uris, Trinity (1997)
Publisher: Corgi Adult
ISBN: 0552105651
Paperback 896 pages £7.99
Suitable for age 16 onwards

Synopsis
In Trinity, Uris writes passionately about the tragedy of Ireland - from the famine of the 1840s to the Easter Rising of 1916, a powerful and stirring novel about the loves and hates, the defeats and triumphs of three families - a terrible and beautiful drama spanning more than half a century.

Helen Welsh: Reformed! A Story of Jenny Geddes ( 2004)
Publisher: Gallus Publications
ISBN: 0954662504
Paperback 40 pages £5.99
Suitable for 11-14years

Review:
The book tells the story of 3 women who lived 100 of years ago in Edinburgh. The story is told to the child of one of the women. The three women were all in prison one night. They have different religions and argue over these differences. One of the women goes into labour. The women put aside their differences to help the women have her baby. When she is asked what religion her baby is she refuses to give one as she does not want her child growing up with differences or prejudice.

The book uses old Scots and is an enjoyable read once you get into it. While it does not deal directly with issues of sectarianism, it can be used to generate discussion on the topic. It would appeal to pupils interested in history and Scottish tales.

Tatiana Vassilieva and Anna Trenter (translator), A Hostage to War (1996)
Publisher: Hamish Hamilton Children's Books
ISBN: 0241135834
Hardback 176 pages £9.99
Suitable for age 13 years upwards

Synopsis
The story of World War II, seen through the eyes of 13-year-old Tatjana Wassiljewa, a Russian girl held captive in Germany. For four years she watches the progress of the war from her enemy's own country, seeing the gradual descent into panic as the Germans see victory slipping away.

W B Yeats, Easter 1916 and Other Poems (1997)
Publisher: Dover Publications
ISBN: 0486297713
Paperback 68 pages £0.82 (www.amazon.co.uk)

No review available.

Benjamin Zephaniah, Face (1999)
Publisher: Bloomsbury
ISBN: 074754154X
Paperback 160 pages £5.99
Suitable for age 13 onwards

Reviews
In what he has described as the 'new East End' - 'Caribbean and African and Asian people, but also a lot of the old white community who have extended families the same way that we always had' - Benjamin Zephaniah is something of a poet hero: a 'black spokesman and political poet' according to critic John Walsh. Set in this East End of fish and chips and curry, rap clubs and racism - 'Many of the shops had metal shutters on their windows and doors to protect them from racist attacks' - Face is the story of Martin Turner and his 'gang of three': their reactions when 'something terrible' happens to Martin's face. Aimed (probably) at older children and teenagers, the novel skirts allegory. After a night in a local rap club - when Martin has to overcome a certain sense that blacks are 'just different' - the (joy) ride accident which destroys his face propels Martin into a world where he has to learn to 'deal with other peoples' prejudices'. It's a world of pain, sometimes hatred, which, if anything, Zephaniah underplays here: this is Martin's tale of winning despite the odds. - Vicky Lebeau