Welcome to my review of My Name is Why by Lemn Sissay. This is a memoir that I have been really excited to read. Perhaps that’s the wrong word; I really wanted to read it since I heard of it. Lemn Sissay is a poet, author and broadcaster who was the official poet of the London Olympics in 2012. He advocates for children in the local authority’s care and is involved in organisations concerning their welfare. This is the story of being stolen by the state and his 17 years in local authority care.
At the age of seventeen, after a childhood in a foster family followed by six years in care homes, Norman Greenwood was given his birth certificate. He learned that his real name was not Norman. It was Lemn Sissay. He was British and Ethiopian. And he learned that his mother had been pleading for his safe return to her since his birth.
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.
CLemn Sissay is a BAFTA-nominated, award-winning international writer and broadcaster. He has authored collections of poetry and plays. His Landmark poems are visible in London, Manchester, Huddersfield and Addis Ababa. He has been made an Honorary Doctor by the universities of Manchester, Kent, Huddersfield and Brunel. Sissay was awarded an MBE for services to literature and in 2019 he was awarded the PEN Pinter Prize. He is Chancellor of the University of Manchester. He is British and Ethiopian.
Twitter @lemnsissay | lemnsissay.com
Lemn Sissay was stolen by the state. He came into the local authority’s care through lies to his mother, a migrant from Ethiopia who had come to the UK to study. Pregnant and in a foreign country, she had to go back home to see her dying father, and she was convinced to have her child adopted, upon which two-month-old Lemn Sissay became Norman Mark Greenwood. He was fostered by the Greenwood family until he was 12 years old when he suddenly found himself in a series of children’s homes until he finally got his own flat at seventeen.
Lemn’s mother had written to get him back, but he didn’t know that until much later. Finally, at sixteen years old, he discovered his real name. After over thirty years of asking, he eventually managed to get hold of his files from the Wigan council in 2015, and they form a large part of this book alongside some of his poetry work.
My Name is Why is an in-depth look at how children are treated in our care system. Through Lemn Sissay’s experiences, we see there is a lot of neglect and racism. The professionals aren’t much help to him aside from one who is often overruled by his superiors. His foster family were initially loving and caring; being very religious, they tried to indoctrinate him. However, once his foster parents had their own children and began to grow up, Sissay seemed to become a ‘bad influence’ in their opinions, and things started to go rapidly downhill. This also documents his deteriorating mental health and identity.
My Name Is Why is a compelling read. I finished it within a day while travelling around the country, in between some shopping. A lot of information is crammed into relatively few pages. There are times you want to cry. The devastatingly few photos of Lemn Sissay from his childhood make one realise how important these are as an aid to memory and proof of identity at the time. Lemn becomes invisible, hidden in plain sight.
This is a devastating read with some lighter moments. It’s brilliantly written. Authentic and beautiful in equal share, it’s a powerful insight into the care system, of which I am unsure if improvements have been made much in the past thirty years.
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| Title | My Name is Why |
| Author | Lemn Sissay |
| Series | N/A |
| Format | Paperback |
| Page Count | 224 Pages |
| Genre | Memoir |
| Publisher | Canongate Books |
| Release Date | 2ns July 2020 |
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