After years of bouncing around foster care homes, Norman discovers his name is Lemn. So begins his quest for the truth, including a mother who loved him, life as a Black man, and all of the social systems that are designed to oppress him. This memoir reminded me of the importance of duality - Lemn finds love in the middle of heartbreak, determination in the middle of helplessness, and courage in the middle of real fear. A must read.

Thanks to Cannongate and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Available Jan 26 2021

During summer of 2018, I worked with a foster care agency in Philadelphia, reading through case file after case file, calling guardian after guardian to remind them of upcoming doctors and dentist visits, filling hours in the dusty, moldy quiet offices in the middle of the summer heat. All of this to say that the pain and institutionalized tragedy in Lemn Sissay's "My Name Is Why" is unsurprising and yet emotionally touching. Interspersed with poetry, documentation and narrative, Sissy paints a portrait of growing up as an unwitting Ethiopian adoptee in a primarily white community.

Reading the social worker's reports feels oddly like deja-vu. When Sissay plainly states that "care workers are the most institutionalized", he struck a chord. It is often the agents of the state, the ones who think that they are out to change the system, that become most enamored with the mechanics of their system, unable to see its flaws or perhaps unwilling to change it. Like Sissay, many foster children internalize guilt and long for freedom. Unlike Sissay, most don't find the communities they belong to in the end. Haunting, evocative and education, Sissay's memorial should be read nationwide.

A marvelously written and deeply harrowing account of a man’s forced entry into the foster care system in Britain and the consequences and tyranny of the Authorities of the British government. Extremely illuminating and necessary reading.

Lemn Sissay has chosen to frame his story using the documents, reports and letters about his years in care that he finally managed to get hold of, after a struggle, from the authorities. These documents are reproduced verbatim in facsimile and I found this a remarkably effective way of telling what happened to him. To read these reports, to read what those in charge of this child actually thought and said is a powerful way to explain how someone like Lemn can get caught up in the system and how his own needs could be ignored or not thought relevant. What I particularly admired in this memoir is that there is very little rage or bitterness in evidence – emotions he had every right to feel. And how non-judgemental and balanced is his account. Because on the whole, these people “caring” for him were more misguided than evil, more misunderstanding than wicked and I’m sure never meant to do him any harm. However, harm was done, and all credit to Lemn Sissay that he managed to build a life for himself in spite of his inauspicious beginnings. He pays credit to those who did help him, and even manages to be even-handed when talking of his foster-parents who inexplicably rejected him when he was 12. All in all, this is a triumph of life-writing, and I’m left with an enormous feeling of respect for him. Powerful, moving, thought-provoking and illuminating.

I love a good memoir and this one--written by the poet, playwright, educator and author, Lemn Sissay--was unlike anything I've ever read.

Sissay, an Ethiopian, was given up for adoption by his mother at birth. And he tells us the story of his journey through the UK foster system--from infancy until he was nearly 18. But he does so by integrating copies of actual legal documents and case workers letters that are written about his childhood.

Not only do we hear from Sissay about his memories of growing up, feeling lost and alone, but we read the testimony of his foster parents and those from various care homes. Not only was he lied to about his birth mother, it is heart wrenching to witness the discrimination he faced.

For me, the book was a bit choppy in that I much preferred to read Sissay's memories and observations vs. reading the care reports. In some chapters, I felt like I was reading an abbreviated diary entry (this happened, then this happened). And then in other chapters, particularly when Sissay was older (and therefore had more pronounced memories), I was drawn into the story with his lyrical writing. After all, he is an amazing, award-winning poet. Most, if not all, chapters, begin with one of his own poems.

About the Book:
This is Lemn's story: a story of neglect and determination, misfortune and hope, cruelty and triumph. Sissay reflects on his childhood, self-expression and Britishness, and in doing so explores the institutional care system, race, family and the meaning of home. Written with all the lyricism and power you would expect from one of the nation's best-loved poets, this moving, frank and timely memoir is the result of a life spent asking questions, and a celebration of the redemptive power of creativity.

I'm grateful to Netgalley and Canongate Books for the advanced copy of this book!

This is a hard book to review. Lemn has a story that should never have happened. The system did not treat him fairly. IHis story deserves to be heard. My problem with this book is that it did not flow well at all. It was mainly document after document, a few letters and notes written by his social worker, and once in a while a few sentences written by himself.

It is a short book, and if you take the documents out of it, it will be about half the length. What makes it even harder to read is that immediately after every document, a photocopy of the original, the text is retyped. The story itself is interesting, but sadly the execution leaves a lot to be desired. 2,5 stars