Meet the author, Barbara Blake Hannah 'Live from Jamaica' 

Book Blether Special Discussion - Black History Month 2024

We are absolutely thrilled to invite colleagues to a very special Book Blether discussion with Barbara Blake Hannah, author of our chosen book for Black History Month entitled ‘Growing Out, Black Hair and Black Pride in the swinging sixties'  

 

We are beyond thrilled that Barbara has contacted us and offered to join our discussion and we really hope that colleagues will join us in extending the warmest of welcomes to our very special guest.

 

Step 2. Go and borrow or buy the book from your favourite library or retailer. This books is from 2010, so look out for second hand copies available (e.g. Growing Out By Barbara Blake Hannah | Used & New | 9780241993767 | World of Books (wob.com)).

 

Step 3. Read the book throughout October as part of Black History Month

 

Step 4. Discuss the book during our special 'meet the author' lunchtime session, taking place on MS Teams on the 31st October, sharing together thoughts and feelings from what we have read.  An MS Teams 'Posts' chat will also open for those unable to attend the meeting or who prefer to contribute written thoughts and views.

A beautiful memoir written by the first black female TV journalist about her experience migrating from the Caribbean to the UK, and the beauty and struggle of becoming a woman during that experience. Travelling over from Jamaica as a teenager, Barbara's journey is remarkable. She finds her footing in TV, and blossoms. Covering incredible celebrity stories, travelling around the world and rubbing shoulders with the likes of Germaine Greer and Michael Caine - her life sparkles. But with the responsibility of being the first black woman reporting on TV comes an enormous amount of pressure, and a flood of hateful letters and complaints from viewers that eventually costs her the job. In the aftermath of this fallout, she goes through a period of self-discovery that allows her to carve out a new space for herself first in the UK and then back home in Jamaica - one that allows her to embrace and celebrate her black identity, rather than feeling suffocated in her attempts to emulate whiteness and conform to the culture around her.