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Something Dark
Something Dark tells the true story of Lemn Sissay who as a baby was given up by his Ethiopian mother in the 1960s. He was renamed Norman Greenwood and nicknamed Chalky White throughout his turbulent childhood in care, only to find out his real name at the age of 18.
No longer the possession of the social services, he left the brutal suburbs of Lancashire for the bright lights of Manchester where he became a celebrated performance poet. Aged 21 Lemn left for Gambia in search of his mother and the truth about his father.
Something Dark is now a set text on Edexcel's Contemporary Black British Literature: A Guide.
No longer the possession of the social services, he left the brutal suburbs of Lancashire for the bright lights of Manchester where he became a celebrated performance poet. Aged 21 Lemn left for Gambia in search of his mother and the truth about his father.
Something Dark is now a set text on Edexcel's Contemporary Black British Literature: A Guide.
- GenresPoetry
56 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2017
3 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Lemn Sissay
42 books332 followersLemn Sissay OBE (born 21 May 1967), is a British author and broadcaster.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 31, 2023
I think this is the first play I've read.
Having read My Name Is Why by the same author, I wanted to get further insight into how he found his parents. This little 40-page play did just that.
Having now read this, it reminds me that happy ever after's come in all shapes and sizes.
If you've read My Name Is Why, I would say there is a benefit to picking this up.
Five stars.
Having read My Name Is Why by the same author, I wanted to get further insight into how he found his parents. This little 40-page play did just that.
Having now read this, it reminds me that happy ever after's come in all shapes and sizes.
If you've read My Name Is Why, I would say there is a benefit to picking this up.
Five stars.
November 8, 2017
I went to see Lemn Sissay read poems from his last book 'Gold From the Stone' last year at the Chester Literature Festival, and I've been hooked ever since. His poetry is very personal, and so I was interested to see what this would be like.
This is his story of being taken in to care and the resultant damage. It's a one man show, there's no one else on stage with him, and I think this is indicative of how his life has been lived. He has always had to be self sufficient, from the day that his Foster parents told him that 'he' didn't love them anymore (which would be more accurate to say they THEY did not love him). They didn't even say goodbye to him: his 'brothers and sisters' didn't get to say goodbye, and he was ushered into a car with his social worker and taken to a children's home.
This illustrates how children in care are 'set free' at 18, and expected to cope on their own. Most of them have no family or many friends, and are left to fend for themselves. Lemn was given the information to start to find his birth mother, which is a very interesting part (I don't want to give anything away though!!).
I'm actually going to see this performed by Lemn next week (14/11/17), and I'm very much looking forward to it. I don't know whether he is angry about the way he was treated, but I'm angry on his behalf!
This is his story of being taken in to care and the resultant damage. It's a one man show, there's no one else on stage with him, and I think this is indicative of how his life has been lived. He has always had to be self sufficient, from the day that his Foster parents told him that 'he' didn't love them anymore (which would be more accurate to say they THEY did not love him). They didn't even say goodbye to him: his 'brothers and sisters' didn't get to say goodbye, and he was ushered into a car with his social worker and taken to a children's home.
This illustrates how children in care are 'set free' at 18, and expected to cope on their own. Most of them have no family or many friends, and are left to fend for themselves. Lemn was given the information to start to find his birth mother, which is a very interesting part (I don't want to give anything away though!!).
I'm actually going to see this performed by Lemn next week (14/11/17), and I'm very much looking forward to it. I don't know whether he is angry about the way he was treated, but I'm angry on his behalf!
March 4, 2018
The transcript of a one-man-show; would of course be better to actually see it but the writing (and voice) is strong enough here that it shines through. Even amid the darkness.
December 30, 2023
Powerful, upsetting. I love the final lines.
Secrets are the stones that sink the boat,
Take them out, look at them,
Throw them out and float.
Secrets are the stones that sink the boat,
Take them out, look at them,
Throw them out and float.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews