A quick novella about a teenage boy who comes into trouble with London gangs. It’s in the format of a letter to his mother. Beautifully written and narrated.

A short, powerful novella about a young boy telling recounting to his mum the story of how he ended up stabbed in the street.The narrator of the audiobook brought this child to life so vividly it seemed as though you were sat across the room from him listening as he told his tale.

I like to read. I hate to read when I'm forced to read. I can't stand this book. It's short, and that's the only reason why it doesn't get a one star rating. It's so fucking obvious that he's dead. You know the blurb on the back of the book? Yeah, nothing more happens. Nothing more.The character is so unlikeable it's cartoonish. He thinks Afghanistan is in Africa and compares himself to jews during WWII. I don't care that it's "important" There are far better books discussing gang crime, being d...

A short enjoyable read!

Bringing everyday dreariness and the tragedies behind knife related violence to life in a sharp mannerI was already thinking how if I was earning big money I could get Shontelle a proper fifth birthday present. Like one of those talking dolls she's always going on about and some pretty dresses from Mothercare instead of Primark. And how I could take you shopping in Sainsbury's instead of Iceland.I was happily surprised to find this short little book of Booker Prize winner Bernardine Evaristo at

Interesting short story written in the style of a young boy's letter to his mother. Whilst this was not a bad read it was very predictable

I ended up staying up until half one in the morning finishing this even though I knew how it was going to end. The story is told in an engaging way, through the point of view of a child trying to be a 'man'. A heartbreaking look at the intricacies of how children get drawn into knife crime and drug dealing in the hopes of protection and a better life from an unjust education/police system, poverty, domestic abuse and toxic masculinity. It should be used as a discussion point or adapted to teach

This short story, published as a book, is about a boy's involvement with gang culture in London, set in Deptford and other areas in London. It shows how a boy gets sucked into violence and drug dealing, even though he doesn't want to get involved. It is a heart rending account, emotional and realistic.

HELLO MUM by BERNARDINE EVARISTO My only EVARISTO novel is GWO, and I knew that needed to change, so when I saw this book for £1.99 I jumped at the chance to experience more from this wonderful writer. She delivered yet again. This novella is a letter from JJ to his mum. In the letter he attempts to outline to his mother what life is like for him growing up as a black teenager on a council estate in London surrounded by gangs, judgmental “geriatrics”, the Fedz (who have searched him four times f...

Written as a letter from a black knife crime victim to his mum, this quick read is so heartbreaking and gut-wrenching because you know from the get-go how this story ends. Through the story, you can see clearly how he is systematically set up for failure - whether it's his school system, the toxic masculinity among his peers, the idea that because the system is rigged, he can never find success. I love Bernardine wrote from his point of view cause you can see how the world looks for a 14-year-ol...

This book is a very short story about a boy, who becomes caught up in a gang, and its told as if he was writing a letter to his mum.A good read, and definitely opened my eyes a little to what life is life on the streets, if you are part of a gang.

Well written and packs a punch. Really set the scene of street gangs and wanting to belong. Insightful.

This is a letter from JJ to his mum. In the letter he attempts to outline to his mother what life is like for him growing up as a black teenager on a council estate in London surrounded by gangs, judgmental “geriatrics”, the Fedz (who have searched him four times for no reason) and his little sister Shontelle, who he loves very much. JJ is trying to explain how these circumstances led up to a certain event in his life - the event is not revealed until the end of the book but it is fairly obvious...

Hello Mum is part of the Quick Reads series. It is written as a letter from a 14 year old boy to his mother to explain the circumstances that led to a street gang stabbing in London.Evaristo skilfully describes the relationship between a mother and her son who is desperate for acceptance, belonging and security but natively makes wrong choices to achieve these things. Interweaved into the story is the nature of street gangs, the complicated lives of single mothers and siblings with different par...

It's a Quick Reads book so under 100 pages, but that doesn't make the story any less powerful. The book is a letter from 14 year old JJ (Jerome) which he writes to his mum to explain what's happened to him.If I'm honest, maybe having read what it was about, I expected it to be a little more emotional throughout than it was. Instead it comes across as quite angry at first, but you have to remember it's meant to be written by a 14 year old boy. The language and the slang used may not be what you o...

AUDIOBOOK.Brevity shouldn't be a key factor in choosing an audiobook. But it is. At least for me. The opportunity to get a 'book' by an author as great as Bernadine Evaristo and complete the whole thing in the drive home (about an hour and 20 minutes - I listen slightly speeded up) was too good to miss when I spotted this on my library's Borrowbox scheme.It's a letter - or a monologue, I suppose, keeping in mind the format I had - from a 14-year-old boy to his mother. It's a thank you, an explan...

A decent read, telling the experience of a young boy getting involved in local gangs in London. Felt for the most part authentic in the storytelling voice, but I would have liked this more if it had been a fleshed out novel rather than a short story/novella.

Quick, easy and emotional. Great short story

The heartbreaking story of a 14 year old telling his mother how he ended up dying.It’s about the impact of racism, about how (especially young) people can make mistakes out of desperation. The main character is very flawed and he does things that aren’t smart, but it’s easy to understand why as he is very young and has a hard life. He is afraid and he just wants to make things better for himself and his family. You get to see the culture and expectations different people put on him. It’s also ni...