Windrush Child

by Benjamin Zephaniah

In this heart-stopping adventure, Benjamin Zephaniah shows us what it was like to be a child of the Windrush generation.

Leonard is shocked when he arrives with his mother in the port of Southampton. His father is a stranger to him, it's cold and even the Jamaican food doesn't taste the same as it did back home in Maroon Town. But his parents have brought him here to try to make a better life, so Leonard does his best not to complain, to make new friends, to do well at school - even when people hurt him with their words and with their fists.

How can a boy so far from home learn to enjoy his new life when so many things count against him?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Book Club, Young Adult, Historical, Middle Grade, Childrens, Read For School

Audible Audio

Published June 1, 2023

About the author

A British-Jamaican writer, dub poet and Rastafari. He was included in The Times list of Britain's top 50 post-war writers in 2008.

Reviews

[James Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an incredibly powerful book that makes you stop and think. It’s written for children but it’s one of this books that everyone should read. The only thing that’s stopped it being 5 stars is that the ending is a little rushed, but then the last chapter comes back and hits a massive sucker punch. This is a really important read.

[Sophie Aldis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted this to be good. I felt like some of the issues covered in the book were unnecessary like Leonard's dad's affair which didn't leave enough time to cover the Windrush Scandal properly. The 2018 Windrush Scandal felt like it was tagged on at the end in two pages. Such a shame.

[Jx PinkLady Reviews ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

They say the best children's books are those that can be read and enjoyed by both adults and children and that is certainly the case for Windrush Child by Benjamin Zephaniah. I decided to read this book because I was interested in finding out more about the Windrush Generation. It helped me to understand this area of our very recent history and the unfairness that evolved as a result of lack of understanding, knowledge and racism. An empathetic read that at times gave me goose bumps.

I would recommend any one who reads to go back and reread the prologue at the end of the story, I derived so much meaning and so much feeling from doing that. I reread with my daughter and she too revisited the prologue and completely agreed with my thoughts on this.

[troj lushta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an eye-opener. While knowing that the Windrush generation did suffer when they arrived in the UK based on information from documentaries and TV shows, I understood their sorrow through a much more deeper level, from the point of view of a child. It shows how difficult it was to leave Jamaica, the difficulty of being accepted in society, all with struggles along the way, and even references real-life situations which contributed to racism such as the Notting Hill race riots, and segregation in the United States. I’d recommend reading this as it’s a key part of the history of Britain that all people should learn lessons from, as it is still affecting people to this day.

[Sophie Breese · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heart-wrenchingly beautiful novel. Am currently teaching the (ongoing) Windrush story to one of my students and it has been a journey for me too. I cried several times in this story and as in my last read felt ashamed that there are so many people who come to the UK with the expectation of civility and kindess but who are constantly rejected. Great for all ages, although it was written for young people I learnt loads and was completely absorbed. A great audio version.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - very powerful but I wished it was longer so that parts of the story and characters could have been more developed.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should be mandatory reading. Zephaniah writes beautifully about what Jamaicans experienced in England.

[Vivialyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The form enjoyed this one! Bit of a plot twist ending in the last chapter to come back to after a week off, though 😂

[Luce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book I'll be teaching my year 8's, so without going into teaching I wouldn't have ever picked this up. I'm so glad I did because it is such a powerful and important book for young people (and adults) to read. It breaks down issues of immigration, the windrush, and race relations in Britain and puts it into simple terms for children to digest some complex information. However in doing this Benjamin Zephaniah refuses to dilute the pain and danger which has historically accompanied Black history, and which continues to dominate everyday life in Britain. This was really special and impactful, I'm looking forward to teaching it and using it to facilitate useful conversations in class.

[Paula Street · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been meaning to read some of Benjamin Zephaniah’s writing for ages but never have until now. This is a YA book, and is very well written. I sped through it whenever I had chance to sit and read it. I love that there’s a warning at the front from the author that it contains strong language, but that it is important to understand the power of words as weapons, and that’s why the strong language is included. There wasn’t as much offensive language as I had anticipated, but there were some awful scenes. Once again I am both incensed by and ashamed of the behaviour and policies of the both UK government and the people who enact the systematic structural violence they promote. I cried more than once. 🤬😭🤬😭🤬

[Katy Cockerton · Rating 4 out of 5]

My form enjoyed this one! They were a bit confused about the ending, we jumped about 50 years within 3 or so chapters and they felt it ended quite abruptly. But otherwise a great and really important read!

[Diana Salcedo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doing my diss about the windrush scandal so this book gave me a bit of insight and outside push I needed to get a clear idea of why I am doing it, the construction of illegality and citizenship could not be more clear than with the Hostile environment. I am no stranger to children’s book, so I enjoyed it and I think is great for kids to read, at points it did feel like a text book, but I guess sometimes is important to just say things clear for some people to understand

[Zoey Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this with the kids in school. They loved it and it created some great discussions in class. They weren't happy with the ending though.

[Jenny Whiting · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really does stop you in your tracks and makes you think quite deeply.

[Lucy Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a nice little read and well written. I did enjoy it but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it.

[Leann Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me cry 😢

[A Severs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in a very simple style, similar to that of Coming to England by Floella Benjamin, this is a super-accessible read for children aged 7/8 upwards, although there are themes, particularly the racism that, whilst we shouldn't be hiding these things from child, should be explored with an adult. Unlike the other books in the Voices series (all of which are good), this book, because of its contemporary time frame, packs a real emotional punch, particularly at the end.

[Daisy Daisy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was our school group read in class and we based all our learning on the Windrush Generation which the class really enjoyed.
I enjoyed the book but feel i would have enjoyed an actual autobiography more

[Yas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blitzed through this book as the chosen read for my
Year 7s book club. Accessible and heartbreaking, it’s a devastatingly good book, with kudos to the sucker punch ending.

[laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

very important read, the ending dropped my rating though as It should not end like that omg

[Ben H · Rating 5 out of 5]

My class absolutely loved this. Opened up lots of conversations about equality, immigration and justice. Loved reading it to them and they loved listening to it.

[Chris Botham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very poignant children's book, a pleasure to read.

[Morag · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most interesting and informative book about Leonard, who lives in Jamaica until he is ten then moves to London with his mother to join his father, who is making a better life for them.
In school he has learned that he is British. He has studied British history and only learns Jamaican history from family members. Jamaicans are enticed to the U.K. by posters telling them that they will be welcome, that they will find work rebuilding the Empire, that they will find a better life. This is not at all what Leonard discovers on arrival. He is bullied and teased for the colour of his skin. His family has to live in a tiny room divided in two by a sheet and share a kitchen and bathroom with another family. His father is also bullied and insulted on a daily basis, while driving his bus.
The descriptions are very immediate and well written. Everything is seen through Leonard’s eyes.
The title of the story rather lets you know the ending so no spoilers there. It is however, still very shocking what happened to the Windrush children who had been told that they did not need passports because they were British. Shame on the British government!!! Shame on Theresa May!!!
Worth reading!!

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the day that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been sentenced to yet another year in prison, with possibly another year’s travel ban, I was given this book to read by my librarian. A simple story on the face of it, about a boy called Leonard who moved with his family from Jamaica to Manchester in 1957: grew up, worked, paid taxes, contributed to the UK, but because he did not have his own passport was locked up, in a shock ending to the book.
This is a book about normal people wanting to improve themselves, and doing so in spite of the racism around them.
From a writing point of view, it’s written simply: the power is in the plot not the writing so it’s more of a “this is a rubbish situation and justice needs to be done.” The fact that two years after the Windrush scandal the British Government is still shilly shallying about compensation whilst the victims (for that is what they are) are literally dying is an ongoing scandal sufficient for folk to look hard at those in charge, expecting them to do the right thing.

[Amy Louise Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

"all that for tea and cakes" Leonard Said. 

We meet Leonard living in the small village of Maroon in Jamaica with his mum and Grandma. His dad had gone away on the Empire Windrush to find work, when Leonard was a baby. Leonard believes until he is 10 that his father will return, but he and his mum board another ship and travel to England to live with his Dad. 

We follow Leonard as he goes to school, and grows into a man with a family of his own.  You follow his struggles to fit it, his attacks from racists, his love for his mum, and in the end his dad. You see him become a man that is proud to be who he is. The book really pulled me into thinking we would get a happy ending. 

The ending is heartbreaking, you can feel his pain, as he is hauled away like a criminal and we leave Leonard in a detention center cell waiting to be sent back to Jamaica.

It is shocking to me that this isn't just a work of fiction, and that people were treated like Leonard at the end. 

This is a book everyone needs to read, adult or child.

[Barbara Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to recommend Windrush Child by Benjamin Zephaniah, a writer I have long admired for his poetry and his contemporary books for young people. The novel is about Leonard, a boy from Jamaica whose father sailed to Britain on the famous ship Empire Windrush after the end of the Second World War. Leonard and his mother reluctantly follow, leaving the boy’s beloved Grandma behind. Leonard is unprepared for the cold, both in the British weather and the hostile attitudes he encounters in so many aspects of everyday life. Leonard’s character gives us a real glimpse into the injustices faced by the Windrush generation and, unforgivably, their children, and I so admired their resilience. Historical fiction at its best, making us think about the country we were, the country we are, and the country we hope to be.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book once I started it. Such an emotional roller coaster of a book.
A story about Leonard being raised in Jamaica whilst his Dad is living and working in the motherland . Dad sends for Leonard and his mum to join him in Manchester.
It is a story about living in Jamaica and then living in Manchester and the contrasts, some.obvious like the warmth and colours others not so obvious like the loneliness and the struggle it is a book about racism, about being let down and then about forgiving, but mostly it is a story about life.
No spoilers but get your handkerchiefs ready for the end it will devastate you.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

They always say, children's books always have a strong message behind them. Windrush child is quite literally about a child who travelled from Jamaica to England through the Windrush era. Whilst it was short and quick, the concept was dark. The intense racism and hardship facing Leonard and his family was insane. I love Leonard, he was sharp and smart and always thought like a lion. His relationship with his mom and grandmother was beautiful, and his dad worked hard for his family. I do however wish there was more information or scenarios about Windrush rather than his father's relationship journey. This is the 2nd book I've read from Benjamin Zephaniah and I love it.

[Marvin Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Benjamin Zephaniah, I salute you.

I am the child of Windrush generation parents. As such, this book touched me in ways other books have not.

I also think this is a book that Britain needs. An entertaining novel about a momentous period in our history.

In this children's novel, we follow Leonard, from his childhood in Jamaica to fatherhood in his 70s in London. Along the way, we learn about Maroons, Teddy Boys and love. Love for his family and love for a country that sometimes seems to hate Leonard and other people with brown skin.

Imagine if this book became a ‘must read’ for all secondary schools in Britain? Now the audiobook has been recorded, schools wouldn't even need to buy a class set of books. 7 minutes listening at the start of each English class with a further 3 minutes for questions / reflections.

This novel is for children, this novel is for adults, this novel is for all of us!

Special mention to the audiobook narrator, Ben Onwukwe. His range of accents in this recording is a delight!

Side note: The narrator, Ben Onwukwe, started in the famous 90s TV show, London’s Burning. I also taught English with him in a north London school for one day. Memories.

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in class but, this was one of the most gut-wrenching, emotional, heartbreaking book I’ve read in 2024. I’m definitely sure I cried a little but other than that, the writing was amazing.

The racism in the book is so well portrayed and realistic, I felt I was reading a non fiction book. Of course, as we live in the 21st century now racism might be a little different but the topics like Coming of age, Racism, Discrimination etc. are very well developed and interesting. I loved reading this.

The only reason why I’m giving it 4 stars is because the ending was very sudden and I felt it needed some depth but overall what a great book. I will never recover after reading this.