Here I Stand: Stories That Speak For Freedom

by Jackie Kay (Contributor), Liz Kessler (Contributor), Sarah Crossan (Contributor)

Did you know that ... government spies can turn on your phone and use the microphone to listen to your conversations? ... that lesbian and gay relationships are illegal in 78 countries and can be punished by death? ... that Amnesty recently recorded the highest number of executions globally for more than 25 years?

Through short stories and poetry, twenty-five leading authors and illustrators explore the top human rights issues facing young people today.

Now is the time to take a stand and make a difference.

Full list of contributors: Tony Birch, John Boyne, Sita Brahmachari, Kevin Brooks, Kate Charlesworth, Sarah Crossan, Neil Gaiman, Jack Gantos, Ryan Gattis, Matt Haig, Frances Hardinge, Jackie Kay, AL Kennedy, Liz Kessler, Elizabeth Laird, Amy Leon, Sabrina Mahfouz, Chelsea Manning, Chibundu Onuzo, Bali Rai, Chris Riddell, Mary and Bryan Talbot, Christie Watson and Tim Wynne-Jones.

Genres: Nonfiction, Short Stories, Poetry, Politics, Anthologies, Feminism, LGBT

310 pages, Paperback

First published August 4, 2016

About the author

Born in Glasgow in 1961 to a Scottish mother and a Nigerian father, Kay was adopted by a white couple, Helen and John Kay, as a baby. Brought up in Bishopbriggs, a Glasgow suburb, she has an older adopted brother, Maxwell as well as siblings by her adoptive parents.

Kay's adoptive father worked full-time for the Communist Party and stood for election as a Member of Parliament, and her adoptive mother was the secretary of the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).

Initially harbouring ambitions to be an actress, she decided to concentrate on writing after encouragement by Alasdair Gray. She studied English at the University of Stirling and her first book of poetry, the partially autobiographical The Adoption Papers, was published in 1991, and won the Saltire Society Scottish First Book Award. Her other awards include the 1994 Somerset Maugham Award for Other Lovers, and the Guardian Fiction Prize for Trumpet, based on the life of American jazz musician Billy Tipton, born Dorothy Tipton, who lived as a man for the last fifty years of her life.

Kay writes extensively stage, screen, and for children. In 2010 she published Red Dust Road, an account of her search for her birth parents, a white Scottish woman, and a Nigerian man. Her birth parents met when her father was a student at Aberdeen University and her mother was a nurse. Her drama The Lamplighter is an exploration of the Atlantic slave trade. It was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in March 2007 and published in poem form in 2008.

Jackie Kay became a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) on 17 June 2006. She is currently Professor of Creative Writing at Newcastle University. Kay lives in Manchester.



Jackie Kay was born and brought up in Scotland. THE ADOPTION PAPERS (Bloodaxe, 1991) won the Forward Prize, a Saltire prize and a Scottish Arts Council Prize. DARLING was a poetry book society choice. FIERE, her most recent collection of poems was shortlisted for the COSTA award. Her novel TRUMPET won the Guardian Fiction Award and was shortlisted for the IMPAC award. RED DUST ROAD, (Picador) won the Scottish Book of the Year Award, was shortlisted for the JR ACKERLEY prize and the LONDON BOOK AWARD. She was awarded an MBE in 2006, and made a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2002. Her book of stories WISH I WAS HERE won the Decibel British Book Award.
She also writes for children and her book RED CHERRY RED (Bloomsbury) won the CLYPE award. She has written extensively for stage and television. Her play MANCHESTER LINES produced by Manchester Library Theatre was on this year in Manchester. Her new book of short stories REALITY, REALITY was recently published by Picador. She is Professor of Creative Writing at Newcastle University.

Reviews

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all here know the term book hangover. We all know what it means.


This book had a similar effect on me while being a completely different case. Let me explain:
=> It was similar because it made me cry and stopped me from being able to think of anything else or concentrate on anything else.
=> It was completely different because there are no "characters" here. The stories in this book are either original accounts from people affected or inspired by true stories.

Amnesty International has collected stories about child abuse, domestic violence, refugees, war zones, witch hunts (yes, nowadays, not hundreds of years in the past), the Suffragette movement and many other topics to illustrate the rights and freedoms many in the Western world enjoy but are not aware of - or are aware that we enjoy these freedoms as a right but don't know what it is like in the rest of the world. Some rights and freedoms are even only theoretical in our Western world but are often ignored by governments.

(No idea why Goodreads flips the picture unto its side, sorry.)

The stories gutted me. Seriously. I started reading this and the first 2 pages killed me (it was about child abuse stories so trigger warning right there). I marched on, thinking that was the least I owed all the people around the globe who suffered exactly from such things. And let me tell you: it doesn't lighten up. This book isn't supposed to be fluffy. The "fluffiest" thing is Neil Gaiman's Credo about mid-way through and everyone knowing it and how/why/when it was written also knows that it's not really fluffy. The book made me cringe and cry and the fates of people sickened me. It's a powerful reminder of how far we have come as a society but how far we yet have to go. It's a wake-up call to all those who do not spare a thought to those less lucky about their birth place (although I doubt these people will read this book) or who believe the media that everything is "fine". Of course it also draws the attention to what the organization Amensty International is and what they do, but only minimally.

I'd like to give you excerpt from the preface and the afterword that summarize what this book is all about:

[...] Today our freedoms and liberties include the right to vote for our leaders, the prohibition on the use of torture, the right not to be arbitrarily detained, the right to speak freely and the right to protest.
Freedoms do not spontaneously arrive, and they are not handed to citizens by benevolent rulers. Our freedoms in the UK were gained through a long and often bloody history of slowly establishing limits on the powers of mighty monarchs and tyrannical rulers.
[...]
But we need to be ever vigilant, because the freedoms that have been hard won for us can be lost in a moment by the stroke of a politician's pen [...]
We must all be jealous guardians of our freedoms, and appreciate that many of the liberties that we enjoy in the West are still being fought for by citizens in other parts of the world who are ruled by dictators and tyrannical regimes.

[...] This book is inspired by the fact that human rights can be denied or abused even in countries like the UK or the USA, and we need to defend them constantly. Stories and poetry are a wonderful way of making us think, helping us understand the world and other people. More than that, they can inspire our empathy - which we need if we're to overcome prejudice.
In the Western world many of us take our human rights for granted. But our rights are as much part of our proud heritage as our books, music, art and ancient monuments, and they need defending. They are part of our ever-evolving culture and have been crucial to our development beyond the violence and oppression of the Middle Ages.
[...]
Discrimination and bullying happen at home, in schools and in the workplace and it's all too easy for some rights to be cast aside. Writers and artists are often the first to be thrown into prison by dictatorial regimes, probably because those leaders are afraid of the power of stories and pictures to provoke new ideas and inspire actions.[...]

They go on to point out how they believe that every person can initiate change and that the rights we have today come from people realizing that and standing together. They then point out certain stories that are accounts of actual events (with changed names of course) and I was flabberghasted when I realized which ones they meant.

The last story in this book is an interview conducted by Amnesty International with Chalsea Manning (formerly known as Bradley Manning). I think we all know who she is and what she is "famous" for. The interview made me realize what an idealist this person is and just how easily a country like the US ignores its own rules and does what it wants (and gets away with it too)! It was frightening. No wonder Julian Assange (no matter what you think of him and the rape allegations) refuses to leave the Ecuadorian embassy!

I was truly humbled by the stories here and by realizing that besides any possible personal hardships I had a great life so far when compared to so many other people on this planet. This is not to say the book diminishes personal hardships but it had that effect on me. I, personally, don't think bullying as bad as vaginal mutilation that still happens on a daily basis in Africa, or as bad as excorcisms performed on so-called witches, or as bad as actual torture. None of these things happened to me so yes, I'm grateful for that. What makes me angry is that these stories are not just of countries far away. Many are about people in the UK and USA and that's a shame.

So no, this book and what it contains is not easy but so very important that I can only hope many people around the world will read it and take heart!

[Stace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here I Stand, is a beautiful, pragmatic book by amnesty International, that looks at human rights across the globe.

Through a series of twenty-five short stories, poems, and even a few comic strips, written by well known and renown authors, you are given different insights into how human rights are being trampled on, not only by other individuals, but by some communities as a whole.

From a young boy being ‘used’ as a way to keep his mother alive by her new boyfriend, after his father died, to a teenager being killed by racists, these stories will get into the hearts of many youngsters.

The book is aimed at children and young adults, to help them comprehend what goes on in the world. It will hopefully make them have a more rounded understanding of what they may have read/seen, via the media. It does not preach, nor lecture, but gets straight to the point, in an easy to read, and engage with style.

Whilst a lot of children will know that such atrocities are happening across the world, they will not understand the personal fear, and hurt that those affected will be going through. The book does not aim to scare, but to make children see that change needs to happen, and that they are the future, and the ones that can bring change.

It is a powerful book, one not to be taken lightly. Each author, at the end of their chapter, explains why they wrote the story, and what made them choose that particular topic to talk about.

Personally, I believe that this is a book that should be put in the hands of all children, to educate them whilst they are young. This is a book that should be discussed, and one that needs to be in every school library.

Reviewed by Stacey on www.whisperingstories.com

[Rowena · Rating 4 out of 5]

“They may take our lives , But they will never take our freedom”
Here I stand..⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is so real and amazing inside and out. It’s a short stories and poems written by 25 authors around the world

They shade some lights on real and sensitive issues in each and every society such as ; Racism, Child busing, LGBT rights ,Human rights in general , Suicide ,How to cope with pain ,Refugees , Terrorism and so on.
Through fiction stories and poetry


Here i stand is more than great it’s precious , It is a MUST read kinda of books coz it shows you how people are suffering, What’s happening in our world .

Basically it’s a book about HUMANITY and how to stand up for freedom and equality . However, In my opinion I think a two or three stories did not focus much of the theme of the problem. Despite of that everything is good from the easy writing styles , The real issues to the cover page it’s all painfully and beautifully presented. 4 and a half star.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hugely important, excellent variety of issues and authors.

[Alex (ReadingBetweenTheNotes) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an extremely powerful and worthwhile read. I'm really glad that I finally decided to pick this one up. Anthologies will always be a mixed bag, with some hits and some misses, but this one was incredibly strong with the majority of stories feeling high quality and conveying valuable messages. I would normally only rate an anthology at 3 or 3.5 stars due to the varied mix of styles but this one is a solid 4 minimum.

I'm not going to talk about every story but I'll mention a few that stood out for me.

The collection begins with Harvester Road by John Boyne, a really powerful opening story that got me feeling all of the emotions straightaway. It explores various instances of child abuse all occurring in the same street and the ways in which adults try to 'justify' their actions. I was honestly appalled. This one really does pack a punch. I'd definitely be interested in reading more John Boyne after this.

Then we get Dulce et Decorum est by Chibundu Onuzo, which was a frustrating but fascinating take on the subject of child soldiers. I thought the matter-of-fact tone worked very well for this story.

Matt Haig's The Invention of Peanut Butter was great and had a very clever message. I loved that it read like a folktalke. Stay Home by Sita Brahmachari was a moving look at role reversal when a child has to care for a parent due to mental health issues. I found this one very poignant and nicely written.

Redemption by Ryan Gattis was truly fascinating and I thought the author's concept of a better prison system was unique and interesting. And Sludge by Sarah Crossan lulled me into a false sense of security with its lovely writing style and then completely ripped out my heart.

Then comes Bystander by Frances Hardinge. This story was utterly heartbreaking and reminded me of my time in Uganda, where I met a little girl with Down's Syndrome. Though I didn't witness anything, I suspected that she was being mistreated - and it was all because the elders in her culture thought she was possessed. Thankfully, there were people getting involved to educate these adults so something was being done to prevent the abuse - but I just wanted to scoop that little girl up and bring her home with me. It's so sad knowing things like this go on in certain cultures.

There were a few other stories in the anthology, some which I didn't like as much and some for which I don't have a whole lot to say. The final story I want to mention is Harmless Joe by Tony Birch, another of my favourites in the collection. This one was really nicely written with a lovely message, and I loved the touch of magical realism.

Overall, this was a very heavy read but one which is so important and that I recommend to everybody.

[Ashleigh (a frolic through fiction) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted on A Frolic Through Fiction

*Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book. This in no way affects my opinion*

RATED 3.5/5 STARS

Oh, where to start with this book.

A collection of short stories, poems and even a couple of doodles/comic strips, you get so many things in this book. They all handle topics relating to the rights of freedom – of course, all of which being quite large, heavy subjects. But considering they’re short stories, they’re done really well. They’re the sort of story where just enough is said. The rest is self explanatory.

With the topics being heavy, there’s probably a whole host of trigger warnings needed. The one’s I spotted were suicide, child abuse, child exploitation and trafficking. But that’s not to say I didn’t miss any. And also, I’d be wary if you’re part of a minority group and get hurt by harmful comments easily, because with it being based on the fight for freedom, it also points out prejudices and injustices. With that comes insults to minorities. Not in a way that endorses them, thankfully, but still I just felt I ought to mention it in case it hurts any potential readers.

An example: There’s a story about a girl, during which she gets heckled with insults and shunned from friends for being a lesbian.

So yes, anyway. Now all of the warnings are given, onto the rest.

With every turn of the page, I was fascinated to see what topic would come up next. It was such a wide array, from immigration to oil spills to the suffragettes. I especially loved it when the authors left notes at the end of their story, explaining why they wrote about that specific topic. Something about that made it more personal.

And they’re all topics we know about. They’re all things we’ve heard about before. But too often, we just think “oh it doesn’t happen that often, it’s nothing to worry about”. But this book just shows exactly why we should be worrying about it, and not just leave it to the people suffering to fight.

Obviously, I liked some stories more than others. They’re all different topics and different authors, there’s no doubt they’d take on various styles. But I honestly think they all fit together really well as a book too, and I’d love to come back to this book in the future when looking for new author to discover. It’s the perfect thing to trial each author, especially with there being a mix of authors I’ve heard of – like Neil Gaiman and Frances Hardinge – and authors that are new to me.

I’m really glad I read this book. Though not a favourite, I enjoyed it in the way I read about hard topics without it being too hard hitting, since you’d move on after a few pages. They left their mark, without being too much. I don’t know. It was just exactly what I wanted at the time, and I feel like this is a book I’ll revisit quite a few times.

[El · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading this book, it’s such a great collection of short stories!
They were the perfect length, not too long (although I would have liked some to be a little longer to explain more) which made binge reading them so easy!
They all made me think, it was an important feature that they never told you what to think, they just gave you a story and left you to draw a conclusion.

The footnotes were great - allowing an insight to the story, although I wish more of the stories had one!
And I loved how there were so many different types of work in there - poems (which I’m not particularly partial to but some people are), comic strips, stories, letters, an interview, Chris Riddell’s amazing drawings and more...

[Hana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated what it was doing - even in the stories I didn't like, I could see what the authors' intentions were - but too many of the stories just missed the mark for me.

Random jumble of other thoughts:
- My favourite stories were definitely The Invention of Peanut Butter (Matt Haig), The Colour of Humanity (Bali Rai), and When the Corridors Echo (Sabrina Mahfouz)! (particularly the last particularly, since I've realised recently that a lot of non-Muslims in Britain have no idea about Prevent). Also LOVED the poems by Amy Leon - definitely want to look into more of her work!

- DEVASTATED that Frances Hardinge's story was one that didn't work for me. I know it was based on a true story, but I hated the way torturing a child for supposed witchcraft was linked to church.

- Several of the other stories also introduced religious stereotypes and didn't do anything to combat them, and I'm just not here for it.

- The book seemed confused about its own focus? The introduction/stated purpose didn't match the messages of most of the stories?

- The writing was frustratingly same-y and generically young-middle grade, considering how many of the contributing authors are known for having unique/interesting writing styles.


CW: sexual abuse & gaslighting; incarceration & death penalty; homophobia; bullying & cyberbullying; suicide; bereavement; depression & panic attacks; terrorism; child trafficking; racism; violence; Islamophobia & racial profiling; references to FGM; domestic abuse

[Barbara Band · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of 25 short stories and poems explores various elements of human rights. It is not a comfortable read, covering issues such as child abuse, racism, LGBT rights, suicide, domestic abuse and human trafficking but then the violation of people's human rights isn't comfortable either. However, there is a lot of inference and nothing too specific or graphic so would be suitable for mid/older teens. Each author has written a brief explanation about the basis of their story which adds depth and background to the writing.

In fact, I think this book should be in every school library. It would be a great resource to use in reading groups, with each story forming a starting point for a discussion of the issues it highlights and an opportunity for students to investigate further.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this anthology a lot. Some of these stories broke my heart and made me cry.

[Daisy May Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a lot to love about this pained, poised collection of short stories and much of that comes from its careful and classy curation. The authors, ranging from Frances Hardinge through to Sarah Crossan, and Chris Riddell, sit alongside a foreword by a human rights lawyer and an afterword, of sorts, consisting of an interview with Chelsea Manning. Most contributions to the collection have a brief afterwood explaining the context behind the piece, though one of the strongest - 'Barley Wine' by Kevin Brooks doesn't have one and I wonder if it's actually stronger without such. That brief quibble aside, this is a smart collection and one which hits home, immensely.

'Here I Stand' has the subtitle of 'Stories That Speak For Freedom', and covers a wide range of topics including genital mutilation, human trafficking, terrorism and racism. An obvious caveat applies around the element of trigger warnings here, but as I recommend with every book of this nature, read it yourself and use it sympathetically and with an eye towards being led by the relevant child's response. Books like this offer such a valuable spotlight on those issues which often don't get spotlit and when carefully and considerately mediated, that spotlight can often be revelatory.

I don't want to speak of highlights here because somehow this doesn't feel appropriate, but rather I want to look at those pieces which sang out for me. The collection is immensely powerful, but as I said previously, Kevin Brooks' contribution was something quite remarkable. Ditto 'Dulce Et Decorum Est' from Chibundo Onuzo, a story on the topic of child soldiers, which instead of taking the more expected motifs of its theme delivers something quite astounding. This is the gift of collections like this, the gift of perspective. Sight. A new eye on the familiar. Sometimes stories do become familiar and thus unseen; to deny that familiarity is a great thing. Onuzo's bare, pained eloquence here speaks volumes.

I like this volume, and I like the careful craft that lays behind it, from Chris Riddell's beautiful artwork through to the stories, poems, and especially the graphic contribution from Mary and Bryan Talbot with Kate Charlesworth. I think it's important to recognise that stories, particularly of this nature, aren't just these neat things tied up in bows and that embrace of diverse form is another point in Here I Stand. It's a tired phrase to call something important, but then again, so many of the books being published at the moment are. Here I Stand stands firmly with those, and indeed manages to carve a space of its very own.

[Eibhilin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in two sittings: as the title implies, it discusses injustices the world over which continue to happen, and which should be stopped – examples include human trafficking, racism and sexual abuse. It’s not an easy read, and could be triggering for some people, so that’s something to bear in mind when considering reading the book. While I think it’s an important book, as it raises issues that we should all be aware of and try to fight, it’s also very distressing to read at times. With COVID and the pandemic taking up a lot of the news, this is a strong reminder that there are a lot of other things happening the world over which should be stopped.



This is a collection of short stories and poems about various issues, as described above, with each chapter written by a different author. I love short stories as a genre: they can be very effective in conveying points or ideas, and if done well, can have just as much impact as a full length novel, and that’s the case with all of the stories in this collection. Usually in short story collections, some are stronger than others, but in this book, they are all equally good. It’s hard to say that I had a favourite, owing to the subject matter, but I would say that the story about sexual abuse was probably one of the most effective, as was the chapter about racism.



Some of the stories have an explanatory note with them, while others don’t, but I found that the topic of most of them was clear.



This isn’t an uplifting book, but it is a thought provoking book which raises some very valid points which aren’t always discussed. The short story is an effective medium for exploring the issues and topics here, as is poetry, and the collection has also been well selected: there isn’t a weak chapter here.



I really recommend this book.

[ery · Rating 4 out of 5]

i wasn’t sure how to rate this book as it’s a collection of short stories and there were some that were better than others but as a whole, i think it is an important read, especially for a younger audience (young as in like 12-15, maybe 11?) sometimes the stories were a bit confronting but sugar coating things would be the exact opposite of what this book is trying to achieve.

[Zohal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really appreciate this anthology of short stories and poems. I enjoyed the first half more as the stories were more engaging and creative. The second half was not as engaging, but overall this is a very powerful anthology that will make you think deeply about the world around you. I highly recommend it!

[Cote Cabrera · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked some stories more than others but overall it was a beautiful collection of short stories about freedom and human rights. Very important read if you want to gain some perspective on some issues that happen around the world. Highly recommend.

[Farah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking and important
Loved the first story the most <3

[Faidz Zainal Abidin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐.

[Frey&#x1f90d; · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed majority of the book and did definitely see the messages it was trying to convey. I think when your reading a book that’s a collection of short stories it’s hard to give it a rating overall as some stories felt more impactful then others. Some of the short stories such as ‘Redemption’,’Love is a word not a sentence’ and ‘The Importance of Screams’ had a clear message and I think told it well while also giving a good story and characters to connect to. Others I felt slightly missed the mark and sometimes it felt unclear what their final message was. Overall, it was nice to read a more political book as it speaks to many issues in the world and helps spread awareness on different issues.

[Victoria Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book refuses to let you go. It refuses to let you go about your life ignoring the safety nets you have around you, which others so painfully lack. It was horrific. And it was necessary.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book of 26 different stories, all circling around the issue of Human Rights. There are a couple of poems and one comic strip. Well known authors have written the stories and they are all moving. The stories are good to read on their own, but would also make an excellent story starter for PSHE lessons or assemblies around human rights. Definitely a book that every school should have.

[Sarna na Kiju · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tbh, most of these works didnt help me understand any of those problems. From the positive reviews its getting, Im guessing this is a book for people who already understand these problems and not for people who are first trying to educate themselves about them. Which is a shame, really.

The invention of peanutbutter broke me. I understand what it was going for, but it was said in such a brainnumbing way I couldnt stand it anymore.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

These short stories are wonderfully written - both heartwarming and spine chilling.
The fact that these stories will confront us, just proves the need for them to be read.

A powerful and moving read for everyone.

[emi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book seemed like a really appropriate read this week with everything going on in the world... As always with short story collections, i liked some more than others, my favourites being Neil Gaiman and Amy Leon's contributions.

[Rach (pagesofpiper) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very important stories. It was nice to read a book of mixed media with positive messages of awareness.

[Sö Lala · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly disappointing. I don't usually know how to rate shortstory collections as the quality often differs and while that can also be said here, the better stories/poems seemed to be the exception, not a rule.

With a cover and title like this, I was hoping for stories that would feel me empowered and hopeful that we can create change. The stories inside did not match up. Most of them were incredibly dark and depressing and while I don't mind a few of those, certainly pointing out the freedoms that still don't exist is vital, it did seem to be the majority.

Furthermore, most of the stories seemed uninspired. They depended solely on the shock factor and awfulness of their material and neither the writing nor the story itself were creative. A great counter example from this collection is "The Invention of Peanut Butter"; I loved the folktale feeling and the visualization of capitalism which it provided, but sadly it was of the few stand outs.

Considering how many stories in this dealt with racism and the fact that this is made in support of Amnesty International, I was shocked at how few PoC writers were a part of this (unless I missed someone, there are four). The stories from white people about racism or islamophobia often seemed like they just learned about the issue or that now that they were invited to write about freedom they could bring out some real bummers to show how socially aware they are. I didn't like it.

I also would've appreciated trigger warnings for each story. Some tw just within the first few stories would've been: pedophilia, suicide, rape, homophobia, etc. (during the first few stories I tried to rate them individually and I also noted down trigger warnings for myself but I got lazy). Going into these stories without knowing any of what was gonna happen made me feel physical ill at times, and again I don't think that's due to author's writing talent in many cases.

Last, but not least. I don't want to leave you guys feeling depressed, so here's the list of stories I actually liked:
Dulce et Decorum Est, Chibundu Onuzo
The Invention of Peanut Butter, Matt Haig
Black/White-Amy Leon
Darling, Amy Leon
Robot Killers, Tim Wynne-Jones
Harmless Joe, Tony Birch
The Importance of Screams, Chrisitie Watson
Push the Week, Jackie Kay

[kashiichan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains 25 short stories and poems, describing various situations where people's human rights were denied or actively violated. Although none of the stories go into any visceral details, they can still be quite difficult to read. Content warnings for the book include: sexual abuse (including CSA), domestic abuse, gaslighting, bullying and cyber-bullying, homophobia, suicide, bereavement, depression and panic attacks, incarceration and the death penalty, terrorism, child trafficking, violence, racism and racial profiling, Islamophobia, and references to FGM.

I agree with other reviewers that commented on the splintered focus of the book; I definitely noticed that the messages accompanying each of the stories often didn't match up with the book's stated purpose. Some of the included authors are known for having particular writing styles, but this book was frustratingly generic in tone; it's as if they were all "smoothed out" by editors.

I've marked this book as "young adult" because the language and overall writing choices put this book firmly in that category. That said, I also think this book should be evaluated carefully by parents/guardians/librarians to make sure that individuals about to read it are emotionally equipped to handle its contents, and are able to access support if needed.

It's always hard to rate a collection, so I usually do an average of the total star rating. In this case I get 3.5 stars, which I'll round up to 4 stars. Even though some of the specific stories/poems didn't resonate with me, I can see what the book was going for and it largely succeeded.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a great read. Extremely powerful and evocative. This was actually the first time I read an anthology of short stories cover to cover. (Usually I just read the stories I find I interesting with short story collections like these) I liked the short stories better than the poems but I’m not really a huge poetry fan in general so that explains for it. Though I must say some short stories were better than others but that’s with all short story collections as it’s kind of like a hit or miss with these.

My favourite stories
1. Love is a word not a sentence
- An extremely powerful and angry piece of writing that hit me right in the feels. It’s basically about a girl who is bullied because of her sexuality. The writing style was spot on in this one.

2. Harmless Joe
- It gave me Jasper Jones vibes with its themes of discrimination, racism and abuse. But there were elements of magical realism to it and a somewhat nice ending.

3. Darling
- This was actually a poem but it spoke to me as it was very empowering

4. What I remember of her
- I really liked the writing style of this one as well and even though it’s ending was a bit vague I find it extremely relatable and I’m sad that this is the case. It’s basically about a bystander who does nothing about a situation but regrets that they didn’t. Which is something that’s very easy to do; to turn away from something until it’s too late.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trigger Warning - sexual and physical violence

"The greatest threats to liberty today come not from terrorism but the fear of terrorism and our politicians' misguided quest for absolute security."

This is a collection of short stories collected by Amnesty International to highlight the human rights abuses that are still pervasive across the world today. When I picked it up, I initially assumed it was true stories of people that Amnesty had worked with; but it is actually fiction from authors such as Matt Haig, John Boyne, Christie Watson and Jackie Kay.

The power of this book lies in the settings of many of the stories - the UK. Some are inspired by real-life events that happen overseas, as a means of bringing home the horror to a UK audience; but others are set in the UK because these things do also happen in the UK. The collection demonstrates the global nature of abuse and terror, from the sexual abuse of children and female genital mutilation, to the sexual abuse of children and institutional racism.

As I mentioned at the top, this book requires a strong trigger warning for anyone who is triggered by that kind of content - the very first story is about childhood sexual abuse, so it's not something to open up and browse if you are affected by those issues. I will say that none of the content is particularly graphic, so I didn't find myself to be particularly triggered by it, but of course everyone is different.

The final chapter is an interview with Chelsea Manning, the soldier imprisoned for whistleblowing. This ties the whole collection together, by featuring part of the story of a woman who spoke out against the abuse of human rights, and was herself abused for it. It serves as a final call to action for all of us to speak out against the kind of abuse featured throughout the collection. A worthy read.

[Prince · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book itself sums up the experience - 'Stories and poetry are a wonderful way of making us think, helping us understand the world and other people. More than that, they can inspire our empathy - which we need if we're to overcome prejudice.'.

I've been in this world a while now and I'd like to think that I have learnt a few meaningful lessons, some that I'll take with me to the end. I have experienced hate, prejudice, malice, unreasonable and illogical upsetting behaviour from other people; but that's just one story from one part of the world. There are people out there, living their worst nightmare on a daily basis, without any way of getting out of it. That scares me. That upsets. It angers me.

This book sheds a light on some of those stories through a creative and fictional filter. Our humanity is what we were born with and that comes with a responsibility. The world isn't a box where you can shut yourself out and live in ignorance. It's ugly and unfair and gritty. I hope the sooner people accept that and stand up to it and extend a hand to help others, the better it is for people as a whole.

[Candra · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was such a heavy read, but i really love it and i'm glad i didn't dnf it. it's such a needed read in today's political climate. still somewhat relatable even for an indonesian like me.

it's choke full of gems. some are miss, but a lot hits me in the guts. it's just really that strong. beautiful and bold in its passion.

Only a grown man can will himself not to think.

Harvester Road: 4/5
Dulce et Decorum est.: 5/5
Glasgow Snow: 4.5/5
The Invention of Peanut Butter: 4/5
Love is a Word, Not a Sentence: 4/5
Darling: 5/5
Stay Home: 4/5
A Suicide Bomber Sits in the Library: 5/5
School of Life: 4.5/5
Constant: 4/5
Redemption: 4.5/5
Sludge: 5/5
Bystander: 4/5
Black/White: 4/5
The Colour of Humanity: 3.5/5
When the Corridors Echo: 4/5
I Believe: 5/5
The Importance of Screams: 5/5
What I Remember About Her: 3.5/5
Barley Wine: 3/5
Deeds not Words: 5/5
Harmless Joe: 4.5/5
Push the Week: 4/5
Robot Killers: 4/5
Speaking Out for Freedom: 5/5