A Woman Like Me: A Memoir

by Diane Abbott

From challenging expectations as a bright and restless child of the Windrush generation to making history as the first elected Black female MP in the UK, Diane Abbott has seen it all.

A Woman Like Me takes readers through Diane’s incredible journey, painting a vivid picture of growing up in 1960s North London with her working-class Jamaican parents, before entering the hallowed halls of Cambridge University to study history. Ever since the day she first walked through the House of Commons as the first Black woman MP, she has been a fearless and vocal champion for the causes that have made Britain what it is today, whether it’s increasing access to education for Black children and speaking out against the Iraq war or advocating tirelessly for refugees and immigrants.

A unique figure in British public life, Diane has often had nothing but the courage of her convictions to carry her through incredibly hostile environments, from torrential abuse in the mainstream media and on social media, to being shunned by the political establishment, including by her own party. Written with frankness and wry humour, A Woman Like Me is an inspirational account that celebrates how one woman succeeded against massive odds and built an extraordinary legacy.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Memoir, Biography, Audiobook, Feminism

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2024

About the author

Diane Julie Abbott is an English politician who has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987. She was the first black woman elected to the UK Parliament, and in 2024 became its longest-serving female MP, earning the title Mother of the House. A former Shadow Home Secretary and Privy Counsellor, Abbott has been a prominent figure on the Labour left and a vocal campaigner on issues of race and inequality. She was suspended from the Labour Party in 2023 over comments about racism, later apologised, and had the whip restored ahead of the 2024 general election. In July 2025, she was suspended again after reiterating those remarks in a BBC interview, and currently sits as an independent MP.

Reviews

[Abbie Toria · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Donna Hardcastle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never been so gripped by an autobiography.

[Ellen]

“I was a lone Black woman in an elite white institution and would be foolish to imagine I would ever really belong.”

In this memoir we are given an insight into Diane’s life growing up as the child of Jamaican immigrants in London and her subsequent journey into politics. It takes on a narrative structure and starts when she was born and follows her life and who she was.

Diane Abbott was the first Black British female MP and is still the longest serving Black MP in the House of Commons and 37 years later holds title Mother of the House.
This book captured her voice and how her upbringing has shaped political career diving into her inspirations, passions, motivations, resilience.

Diane comes up against many challenges facing a barrage of misogyny and racism and many obstacles but always picks herself up and still fights for the causes she believes in. For example in school she was told she shouldn’t bother applying to Cambridge but she believed in herself/her capability driving home the idea of being our own cheerleaders.

I love how books/libraries and writing in her life was a form of creativity and escapism.

This memoir was informative and educational, as someone whose not majorly into politics I learnt so much! I also listened to this as I read a long and it was lovely to hear Diane’s own voice reading her story.

Themes: Identity, belonging Black Womanhood in the UK, racism, misogyny, politics, Windrush, Black London, education.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Woman Like Me by Diane Abbott was an enjoyable and inspiring read. I also listened to the Audio book and found her narration engaging.
An important political figure and I'm pleased she got to tell her story

[Ciara Hanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m equal parts inspired and enraged upon finishing this memoir.

Diane Abbott is one of the greatest contributors to British politics over the last 40 years, and yet, due to the colour of her skin and her gender, she will never be recognised as such. Hearing her own words, narrated in her own voice, struck a chord for me. How this incredible woman continues to be the embodiment of hope after all she has faced is nothing short of miraculous.

A staunch anti-racist, a true socialist, someone who has (and always will) fight for the voiceless minorities. This book showed me just how resilient Diane & her generation of fellow black women had to be in a world that sees us as ignorant, angry, incompetent and in need of silencing. Having faced wave after wave of racist abuse and misogyny, Diane still wants to help others in a country that may not want to love her back; a sentiment so admirable, it genuinely makes me emotional.

Strength, bravery, determination, and compassion; she has paved the way for women of colour like me. She is everything I hope to be, and this was an honour to read.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was literally welling up at the descriptions of the abhorrent abuse she’s had to deal with. -1 ⭐️ for no tinny on the tube reference and for slightly falling into the Rory Stewart trap of describing recent political history and somehow being on the right side/surrounded by people in the wrong every time 🤔

[Robyn Hayward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Someone give Diane Abbott a gun i’m not joking

[Mia Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have lived and breathed Diane’s voice the last 4 months

What a LEGEND! A national treasure! The shit she’s been through and the amount of hope and genuine change she has brought to so many people.

Also an interesting read from a British politics side of things. No name was spared Dianne drops the tea

Diane for PM Diane for queen

[Ellen Tims · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a slay

[Inez Gallagher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Defiant and empowering! Thank you to the side of the road for giving me it to read! I love authors telling stories about themselves growing up, but thought her reflections on current political situ were just as good - ‘boroughs like Hackney cannot survive solely on anti-Tory rhetoric’ / reflections on the growth agenda imo bang on ! More power to women !!

[Chelsea Knowles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure what I was expecting when I started reading this. It gave me insight into Diane Abbott’s life which I appreciate. There was a lot of politics mentioned in this which I already knew about so that was a bit dull to read again. I do think this is an important read over other memoir’s by politicians simply due to Abbott’s life experience and how she became a politician as a black woman. I also think it’s quite clear many people don’t like Abbott because she is a black woman simply due to the hate she gets. For example, I watched her interview with Lorraine and someone commented they didn’t believe she had been to University and wanted to see her qualifications and other politicians do not get comments like this.

[BEKAH · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel very conflicted about this memoir. On the one hand, it gives such an insight to the UK political system and exposes the institutional discrimination that is wrecking the Labour Party. On the other, it lacks the charm and personality I often feel elevates a memoir, and at times feels like a repetitive rant against the Labour Party, making it at times a slog to get through.

I have so much respect for Diane, and I hope that more politicians like her come along, those who truly care about their constituents and equality within the UK, but I also hope that we have politicians that are held accountable to the privileges they experience in life and are willing to hold the gates open for others.

A very important and interesting read, and definitely one I’ll be thinking about for a while to come.

[Vic Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars! Wow this book enraged me on Diane’s behalf. A true trailblazer who has been maligned and disrespected by so many who should know better. I can’t imagine the toll that fighting in that environment for decades must have had, and I found her story fascinating, upsetting and inspiring in equal measure.

[Harry CF · Rating 3 out of 5]

V v inspiring person

[Aisling · Rating 4 out of 5]

her life story is so impressive but I feel like the structure was quite strange

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping.

[Tim Gillett · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the saddest moments in recent memory in the House of Commons which left me with a feeling of despair was the spineless inaction of the Speaker Lindsay Hoyle and the sheer and utter cowardice and rudeness of Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak when Diane Abbott stood up 46 times to speak and wasn't called upon. What maddened me was that the two political party leaders and all the other MPs selected to speak were talking about Diane Abbott, and yet the woman they were talking about was there and wasn't chosen to address the chamber. She was ignored. The reason the author was the subject of public debate was because of the despicable words "Diane Abbott needs to be shot" uttered by some forgettable Conservative Party donor.

I was hoping to read how Diane Abbott felt about such disgraceful treatment as I imagined she would be furious and very hurt. But she only writes "I could not imagine that I would not be called," and that the businessman's words "did affect me." That's all. The reader isn't told about her emotions following this episode. However, she humbly allows the facts to show how honourable a woman she was above the debasing behaviour, writing how at the point of the furore, she was still waiting for Starmer and his cohorts to decide whether she should remain suspended from the Labour party after her unwise letter to a newspaper about racism months before, and how leading Conservatives were wriggling as the offensive words had been made by one of their money men. She adds that well attended public rallies held in support of her days after the abysmal embarrassment in the Commons showed she "remained important to many people up and down the country."

In a way, it may not be too surprising how morally vacuous and out of touch with working people our leading politicians are, when I was astounded to read in her book that there are currently no Labour MPs who used to be manual workers. They're all either professional politicians who've done the requisite politics degree and then worked as researchers or lobbyists, have never worked anywhere else at all, or are former white collar workers. Abbott makes that point to show how far removed Starmer's Labour is from what it was set up to do and did till Blair came along - fight for the workers.

She lays into Starmer, listing his broken promises and failings and urging him to inspire people and "challenge establishment thinking."

She writes it's time to "have a renewed debate about proportional representation, so that Parliament can more accurately reflect the people it is meant to represent." It is a politically naive argument to make, especially by a left winger at a time when Reform polled millions of votes in the 2024 general election but only got a handful of seats. PR would have rewarded them with scores more.

She writes in admiration of Jeremy Corbyn, whose leadership of Labour enthused "tens of thousands" of people to become members, and quite rightly, relates how well Labour under him polled in the General Election of 2017. But she doesn't properly explain why he fouled up so disastrously just two years later, describing his leadership as "ultimately wrecked on the rocks of Brexit and the anti-Semitism allegations that hounded the party." Abbott gives a very fair and honest account of the largely trumped up anti semitism allegations by Labour's right wingers against Corbyn, but she fails to describe, as has been written in other tomes, how Starmer more or less laid down Labour's ridiculous and totally muddled Brexit policy in its 2019 manifesto to the effect that the electorate couldn't work out where the party stood on it, leading to Corbyn's resignation and Starmer's crafty strategy to quietly seize the leadership, steer Labour to the right and rid it of Corbyn and as many left wingers that could be expunged. She also doesn't recognise the mesmerising appeal that Boris Johnson had on so many voters.

I was fascinated by the revelations of Diane Abbott's personal life she allows the reader to discover. Her engagement at Cambridge University seems to excite her for the diamond and sapphires ring rather than anything else; her romance with Jeremy Corbyn is hilarious when she describes how they went on a holiday to Europe and she was looking forward to tasting some Mediterranean dishes when he produced from his luggage some tinned macaroni cheese, and when she said to him they need to get out more as a couple and go to places, Jeremy
took her to Highgate cemetery to look at Karl Marx's grave!

As the reader might expect, the woman who became Britain's first black female MP is going to write about her colour. She writes how her father ingrained in her the saying "you should not just be as good as white people - you always have to be better." Cleverly, he moved the family from the then largely West Indian immigrants and racist teddy boys of north Paddington to all white affluent Harrow, with the idea of getting his daughter into grammar school. It's something he achieves, and Diane Abbott went on to astound her teachers and get into Cambridge University where she writes how hard it was in the first few months, as a young black working class young woman, to live and study among Britain's almost exclusively white elite.

I found myself ashamed at the way Diane Abbott was treated as she describes the racism she faced from an early age. For example, she was a fine writer of English at school but writes how rather than congratulate her on the latest work she handed in at Harrow County School, the teacher accusef her of copying it. Repeatedly she gives examples of racist behaviour or language against her, and despite being accepted into the civil service and achieving her goal of working in the Home Office, is damning of it - "all the officials were white and a large proportion of the clients were Black, which probably made it one of the most institutionally racist organizations in Britain." By this point, the shame and humility I had felt about the racist episodes in her life was turning into asking myself is she over playing the race card? How can she say the Home Office is institutionally racist just because there are few black faces working in it. Surely, you judge something like the Home Office on its actions, its outcomes, the evidence. Though the truly abhorrent Home Office led Windrush scandal had elements of racism in it, it also was riven by a lot of ignorant bureaucratic bungling and absence of political troubleshooting and inaction. However you can't assume that because a body is made up of largely white people it's institutionally racist.

I also take issue with Diane Abbott's use of a capital B whenever she writes the word black in her book. I was showing a friend and he asked me does she use a capital W when she uses the word white. No, I replied. How strange, he said. Of course, it is the author's right to write her own story in her own style. She may too be trying to address a lifetime of battling for recognition of black people in Britain, carrying a torch for them and wanting to celebrate black people by using a capital B but in my view it's unnecessary and grammatically juvenile. Her experiences fully illustrated the difficulty of her journey.

I didn't realise that Diane Abbott had done so much to help black children in Britain's schools, having seen early on the miserable educational results they get, if indeed they get as far as a sixth form, and her wanting to do something about it. She writes that she has managed to improve educational outcomes in schools. I hope she has realised, while looking at why black children do often under achieve, that a contributory factor is often the lack of a father in the family home. I read with interest how, almost with pride, she writes how her grandmother back in Jamaica "had seven children by five different men and never did marry." Later in the book, Diane Abbott writes about how she ends up as a single mother to son James she clearly adores, after her own short marriage disintegrates. She implies that her relationships with men could have been affected by the difficulties of her parents' marriage. She reveals how it ended in a toxic divorce, relating his coercive behaviour to her mother, making her stay in the kitchen of the family home in what is a near tear inducing account.

Diane Abbott tells the reader how her son is the most important person in her life. It is that which has led her do the very best she can for him, including paying for him to go to a private school. I'm surprised at her account of the political fall out once the media had discovered that this working class high ranking comprehensive education for all believing Labour politician, didn't have an answer for reporters. Here in her autobiography she still doesn't provide an answer. Why would someone who all her life has opposed private education, then chosen to send her own child to a private school? Clearly the unspoken answer for me is the realisation that it offers the best education and she wants the best education for her son. It's a shame she can't bring herself to say that. Such a lack of admission goes to the very heart of us and them when it comes to us public and them politicians. We merely ask them just to be honest with us, to be truthful with us when you want our vote! If you're espousing one policy for us all and do the reverse of it yourself, of course you need to explain it.

Overall, this is a well written autobiography and has made me appreciate Diane Abbott more, in her achievement against adversity, and how a black person can make it against the odds in a largely white class ridden modern Britain.

[Martin Atherton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very, very insightful

[Molly h · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a much better reality than this one, Keir Starmer & the Labour machine would be having book club discussions on this.

It was good to be able to fully grasp the scale of Diane Abbott’s achievements and experiences, from an eye opening start in the civil service to an interesting career in the media. All this before her tireless work as an MP.

At the same time, Abbott is very skilful at turning her critical lens to where it is needed, whether this is the press, her own party or in some moments and to varying degrees, herself.

The conclusion is particularly rousing, and I found her commentary on the current Labour leadership poignant, and certainly worth taking note of.

[Shardia Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed the wit, insight, and more importantly, realness Ms Abbott brings to what is depicted "The Politics of Race." As a political scientist in the UK, and having studied and later becoming well versed in some of the political bookmarks shared in this book, it was exciting to hear the intimate and intricate details of the goings on within party politics.

Abbott shares relateable family tensions and fond childhood memories, demonstrating the grassroots nature of their upcoming and rationality toward fighting for racialised inequalities in Britain, which many of us enjoy today. From a focus on educational attainment for minoritised children (I was a child of the AimHigher initiative), to the criminalisation of our Black Boys (and men), Abbott, has given their career to the progression of others.

The final chapters are upsetting and uncomfortable to hear, but it was impeccable that Abbott shared these racist, misogynist, and criminal experiences of unjust. Including insight into where we are now and next steps in the political horizon.

Ms. Abbotts' self narrated biography is trailblazing. Not only is their voice comforting like an aunty reading you a story, but it is also detailed and accurate. There was never a dull moment in Abbotts' achievements, between fighting for the right to stand for election, being denied entry into political buildings, to Labour party cowardship more recently. Abbott highlights the prejudices, still prevalent today, and the abundance of barriers and blockage erected to hold back their progressive presence. Through constant discrimination and experiences of extreme racism and violence (toward the MP), Abbotts' triumphant achievements are iconic; not just within British politics or for women, but for Black women explicitly.

It is here, with this knowledge, that we can not ignore the deserved positioning and commitment to British politics, which makes Ms Abbott after all 'The Mother of The House'!

[Miss B.Gibbons · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for all women of colour

[Lucy Spurdens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I already know this is one of the most powerful books I’m going to have the pleasure of reading this year… and it’s only January.

A Woman Like Me offers a deeply moving and heartfelt account of Diane’s experiences. From growing up in London as the daughter of immigrants from the Windrush generation, to being the only black girl in predominantly white institutions - at school, Cambridge University, and as the first black woman to be elected to the UK parliament. Ultimately, Diane has never wavered in her fight for civil rights and liberties, and it was an immense privilege to allow us insight into her perspective.

As a former Politics student, I LOVED having the opportunity to read about the intricacies of her daily life as an MP and learning about the inner workings of parliament and a fractured Labour party history. There was a lot I didn’t know! Ultimately, it paints a fairly bleak overview of political life, exposing the dark underbelly of a patriarchal, racist and elitist institution. As the antithesis of the establishment, Diane is subjected to intense scrutiny and abuse; not only from external forces like the right-wing media, but from within the Labour party itself. Despite the immense challenges she’s faced, it’s clear that Diane has been a trailblazing figure in leftist politics and has achieved great success against all the odds.

Diane also speaks openly and candidly about her personal life. There’s much more to be gained from this memoir than just dwelling on her relationship with Jeremy Corbyn! That being said, I couldn’t help but thoroughly enjoy the humorous depiction of Diane hopping on the back of Corbyn’s East German motorcycle on a trip to the South of France (but of course ‘Jeremy being Jeremy, it was a Socialist motorbike’ which broke down a lot). She anticipates getting to explore the French cuisine but instead finds Jeremy unpacking some squashed pot noodles from the back of the bike. On a separate occasion, she spends hours getting all dressed up for a date night, only to find Jeremy has planned a “romantic evening” at Karl Marx’s gravestone. This small relatable detail speaks to every single person who has ever found themselves dating a Socialist man… I think we’ve all experienced “a Jeremy” at some point in time. I just loved getting to see this side of Diane because I think she’s really witty and funny and for obvious reasons, it isn’t a characterisation we get to see of her often (certainly not by a right-wing media spun narrative that demonises black women).


Overall, this memoir was witty, compelling, and contained so much heart. It was a captivating read from the very first page and quite simply: I could not put it down. Diane emerged as intelligent, brave, and deeply authentic. It was heartbreaking to hear of just some of the injustices she faced, while always fighting against injustices for others, and for a fairer, more equal Britain. In an increasingly polarised society, we might feel that we are further than ever from achieving this. While we’re not there yet, I think this memoir seeks to offer a resounding message of hope in a frequently despairing political landscape. From grassroots activism, to breaking down barriers to the point of entry, we can fight for a fairer future.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diane Abbott (2024) A WOMAN LIKE ME (AUDIOBOOK)
Audible - Penguin Audio

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 out of 5 stars

Audible writes, "From challenging expectations as a bright and restless child of the Windrush generation to making history as the first elected Black female MP in the UK, Diane Abbott has seen it all. A Woman Like Me takes readers through Diane’s incredible journey, painting a vivid picture of growing up in 1960s North London with her working-class Jamaican parents, before entering the hallowed halls of Cambridge University to study history. Ever since the day she first walked through the House of Commons as the first Black woman MP, she has been a fearless and vocal champion for the causes that have made Britain what it is today, whether it’s increasing access to education for Black children and speaking out against the Iraq war or advocating tirelessly for refugees and immigrants. A unique figure in British public life, Diane has often had nothing but the courage of her convictions to carry her through incredibly hostile environments, from torrential abuse in the mainstream media and on social media, to being shunned by the political establishment, including by her own party. Written with frankness and wry humour, A Woman Like Me is an inspirational account that celebrates how one woman succeeded against massive odds and built an extraordinary legacy."
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So I never liked Tony Blair, his posse. Mainly because even when I was 18 in 1997 I felt him to be centrist, problematic, cliquey. No amount of halo he seemed to get around the time of Diana's death changed the ick he gave off. And then there was Iraq and his lying gaslighted warmongering. I'm embarrassed that I knew nothing of his racism and bigotry (call it what it is). Everyone needs to read this or listen to it. Diane Abbott is worth her weight in gold and then some. The likes of Blair, Kinnock, Starmer and that ilk... they could never come close to Diane Abbott. Courageous is what Diane Abbott is.
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#DianeAbbott #AWomanLikeMe #Book #Books #Read #Reads #Reading #Review #Reviews #BookReview #BookReviews #GoodReads #Audiobook #Audiobooks #Audible

[john r s baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I disagree with most of Diane Abbott's politics but was interested in the story of her life. The book is well written, Abbott is a Cambridge History graduate (as am I!) and keeps a good pace throughout what is quite a short book.
There is no doubt that she has done very well to get where she has got and it is interesting to read the story about how she came from an Jamaican immigrant family in the 1950s, through Cambridge and ultimately into politics. Along the way she has had to endure racism and sexism on a massive scale and a level of scrutiny which a white man would not need to endure. Some of this is shocking and it is clearly unacceptable.
She is entitled to her views but throughout the book there is a failure to accept the reality that you have to compromise to achieve anything concrete in politics. Abbott's legacy will be as a champion of black rights but I feel more as someone who calls out prejudice than someone who has actually delivered any accountable change.
She claims, probably correctly, that the Labour party membership increases as it moves to the left and falls when it moves to the right as it did under Blair and has under Starmer. However, she fails to acknowledge that the reason Blair and Starmer have achieved power is because non members vote for an acceptably moderate party. She now has changed her mind about PR because she thinks it might get votes for a left wing party - presumably that would not be Labour, though!
She also claims that the loony left issues of the 80s are now mainstream. She is right, in terms of gay rights and racism. Society has moved to a liberal acceptance for many reasons and I see that her approach has been only a small part of it.
The book is an interesting read, Abbott is far more intelligent than she is given credit and I feel I understand her better but that doesn't mean I agree with her!

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t usually read autobiographies, but A Woman Like Me by Diane Abbott, Auntie Diane, as I like to call her felt different. She’s the first Black woman elected to Parliament, and reading her story made me think about what that really means for us, for Black women in the UK.

Diane’s journey isn’t polished or glam. It’s raw, honest, and sometimes frustrating. She talks about the racism, the barriers, the loneliness of being the only one in the room. But also the grit and the stubbornness it takes to keep showing up.

What hit me hardest was how personal her story is, yet it’s not just about her. It’s about the generations before her and those still fighting to be heard today. There’s this quiet power in her voice that feels like guidance not telling you what to think, but inviting you to understand the real struggles behind the headlines.

Reading this book reminded me how much work has been done, and how much still needs to happen. Diane Abbott’s story is a reminder that breaking through isn’t just about winning a seat in Parliament it’s about opening doors for the rest of us.

If you want to get a real sense of what it’s like to be a Black woman in British politics, this book is a must-read. And if, like me, you don’t normally pick up autobiographies, this one might just change your mind.

[Max Colbourne · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a brilliant memoir, so well written and captivating. Diane writes with such passion and heart.

I particularly loved learning about not just Diane’s life, but about the history of the Labour Party and elements of British politics. It was really interesting to follow Diane’s relationship with the Labour Party and I appreciated her transparency.

This book is truly a colossal “f*ck you” to the British establishment who has bullied and harassed Diane for years. It’s simply incredible how much she has achieved across her lifetime - she is 100000x the person than any scumbag tabloid journalist.

[Francesca Sellors · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughtful and at times vulnerable. I particularly enjoyed reading about Abbott’s childhood: it offers a history of the Windrush generation through an individual account, as well as an empathetic understanding of the psychological effects of racism (re. her father). I was reminded of just how much abuse Abbott receives (some examples are hard to read, and learning about Labour’s early treatment of her is, to say the least, disappointing) and how impressive she is in the face of it - a true trailblazer.

I would have liked the book to focus more on Abbott’s ideology and her arguments for it. But maybe that would make it more thesis and less autobiography. Still, well worth a read.

[Shonti · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's February 2025, and there is another phone scandal that involves racist abuse against Diane and where Kier, Reeves, Raynor, or Lammy???

I'm not sure this was an "autobiography," but it was eye-opening and cemented some of the feelings I had about the British Labour Party and why I can't vote for them.

The British Labour Party has a problem. It fears sticking up for working class people and can't deal with Racism especially against Black women, but it has all the time in the world for antisemitism and centre right issues.

[AD · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to learn more about politics and the systemic issues across multiple parties, then this book by the first Black female Labour MP Diane Abbott is a must read.

This book covers a wide range of topics including, politics, systemic racism, systemic xenophobia, feminism, systemic misogyny, misogynynoir, socialism and Corbynism.

I found the book eye opening and shocking in parts. Sadly, it is no surprise that such issues continue in our governments today.

[Jack Blakey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even Abbott’s biggest critics must at this point concede that she’s a generational orator. Clearly she’s as capable of crafting an autobiography as she is a speech. Her writing is direct and to the point, pulls no punches, and gives a comprehensive history of her life and career. Unfortunately, even Diane isn’t immune from the curse of the political memoir: the writer over estimating their importance in certain events.