A Luminous Memoir of Racism, Life in the Care System and the Power of Discovering Music under the Mentorship of Gil Scott-Heron - with a Foreword from Lemn Sissay
Malik Al Nasir is an author, performance poet and filmmaker from Liverpool. He has produced and appeared in several documentaries with Gil Scott-Heron, The Last Poets, Benjamin Zephaniah, Public Enemy, and many other luminaries. Malik started tracing his roots back through slavery over 15 years ago and his pioneering research has been recognised by Sir Hilary Beckles (Chair CARICOM Commission for slavery reparations), historian David Olusoga, and The University of Cambridge, where Malik has just started a PhD in history with a full scholarship in recognition of the significance of his life story.
'A searing, triumphant story. A testament to the tenacity of the
human spirit as well as a beautiful ode to an iconic figure'
Irenosen Okojie
'An incredible story, one that will have you jaw-dropped in
disbelief at the cruelty meted out to Malik as a boy but also
uplifted by his courageous, irrepressible exuberance, by his
determination to defy the shitty hand he was dealt after he was put
into the care system. And at the centre of this remarkable story
stands the towering figure of Gil Scott-Heron ...This is an
intensely powerful and vivid memoir ... When a book like
Letters to Gil comes along, you are reminded of how
indomitable the human spirit can be and how light can emerge from
darkness, and joy from pain'
Jamie Byng
'Letters to Gil [is] part of a growing corpus of Black
British memoir that confronts difficult subjects ... It is also a
tribute to artists who blend creative expression with fearless
political commentary, such as the hip-hop artists Mos Def, Nas and
the members of Public Enemy. With this brave memoir, Al Nasir can
be counted among them'
TLS
'So compelling ... Given the magnetism that he clearly displays
I only hope that he will find time to be a new leader for the UK
jazz movement ... Voices such as his are certainly needed. His
story is a wake-up call'
Marlbank
'Tells the story of his life - including his brutal treatment in
care homes as a child - and his friendship with the musician-poet
[Gil Scott-Heron]. His candid, eye-opening story includes a
joyously uplifting tale of the time he accompanied Scott-Heron to
meet Stevie Wonder'
Independent, Books of the Month
'A harrowing yet ultimately heartening memoir, Letters to
Gil transcends the purely personal to make an important
contribution to the burgeoning science of public history,
championed by the likes of David Olusoga'
London Jazz News
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