The Young Team

by Graeme Armstrong

The Times top ten bestseller.
‘An instant Scottish classic’ – The Skinny
‘A swaggering, incendiary debut’ – Guardian
‘Trainspotting for a new generation’ – Independent
‘Raw and lyrical’ – Observer
‘One of the most admired young voices in British fiction’ – The Times

2005. Glasgow is named Europe’s Murder Capital, driven by a violent territorial gang and knife culture. In the housing schemes of adjacent Lanarkshire, Scotland’s former industrial heartland, wee boys become postcode warriors.

2004. Azzy Williams joins the Young Team [YTP]. A brutal gang conflict with their deadly rivals, the Young Toi [YTB] begins.

2012. Azzy dreams of another life. He faces his toughest fight of all – the fight for a different future.

Expect Buckfast. Expect bravado. Expect street philosophy. Expect rave culture. Expect anxiety. Expect addiction. Expect a serious facial injury every six hours. Expect murder.

Hope for a way out.

Genres: Fiction, Scotland, Contemporary, Coming Of Age, Literary Fiction, Novels, Crime

352 pages, Paperback

First published March 5, 2020

About the author

Graeme Armstrong is from Airdrie, Scotland. His teenage years were spent within ‘young team’ gang culture. He studied English Literature as an undergraduate at the University of Stirling; where he returned to take a Masters’ in Creative Writing. He is currently undertaking a PhD between the University of Strathclyde and the University of Glasgow.

His bestselling debut novel, ‘THE YOUNG TEAM’, is inspired by his experiences and was published by Picador in 2020. It won the Betty Trask Award, the Somerset Maugham Award, and was Scots Book of the Year 2021. It is currently being adapted for screen by Synchronicity Films (Mayflies, The Tattooist of Auschwitz) and has been commissioned as a BBC drama series with Armstrong as screen writer and executive producer. He was named as one of Granta’s ‘Best of Young British Novelists’ in 2023, a once-in-a-decade literary honour.

Graeme presented ‘SCOTLAND THE RAVE’, a BBC documentary exploring Scotland’s rave and PCDJ culture, which was subsequently nominated for a BAFTA Scotland and RTS Scotland Award 2022. He wrote and presented ‘STREET GANGS’, a BBC factual series exploring modern Scottish gang culture and Drill music.

Graeme works extensively in the community around violence prevention. He is an ambassador for The Hope Collective, Damilola Taylor’s legacy charity, an associate for the Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice, an honorary lecturer at New College Lanarkshire and currently sits on the Strategic Advisory Board for the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit.

His new novel, ‘RAVEHEART’, publishes with 4th Estate in April 2026 and has been optioned for screen by Warp Films (This is England/ Dead Man’s Shoes/ Adolescence). It is available for pre-order now…

Reviews

[Daren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trainspotting comparisons are inevitable, as it is written in dialect, set in Scotland and features the drug scene and culture. In both books the overall narrative is about escaping the lower class schemes, escaping the hold drugs have on you, and growing up. But Welsh's Leith in the '90s and Armstrong's Lanarkshire in mid 2000's are different propositions.

That aside, where Trainspotting (which I also think is excellent) keeps a distance from the day to day, The Young Team is ultra-realistic, and goes into the minutiae of everyday life. Graeme Armstrong has described it in a sentence - It is based on my real lived experience of gang culture in Lanarkshire [just beyond Glasgow's east end] and centres around a gang-conflict, violence and drugs. And the autobiographical nature centrally enhances the raw reality. The narrative here is centred around the protagonist Alan 'Azzy' Williams, and his life from about age 13 to 22 in The New Team a gang of youths from the estate, and their ongoing battles with rival gang The Young Toi.

Fully written in dialect, but a slightly different dialect to Trainspotting, I don't think it makes this a hard read, providing the reader has some understanding of the Scottish accent and pronunciation. It takes just a short time to adjust your reading to pick up the rhythm. I am not sure the book would have the same impact if it was not written in dialect, as for me it puts the reader in place.

The most compelling aspect of this book is explaining the social culture by showing the reader the depth of understanding that Azzy develops as he gets older, and explaining the reasoning behind his actions as he navigates through a life with many challenges. Alcohol, drug addiction (and not necessarily the hard drugs Welsh's boys are into) and violence are the obvious themes, but unemployment, poverty, mental health, relationships, lack of opportunity, pressure to conform all combine to form an almost unbearable pressure on young people in this setting. In Azzy's case the difference between his internal thoughts and what he is prepared to verbalise is contrasting.
It is impossible not to feel sympathy for those trapped in the confines of this life, and to feel admiration for those who make their way out of it.

Usually I try not to read too many other reviews before I write my own, but I wasn't sure where to head with this one, and did read a number of reviews. It seems clear that this is a book well received by people with far more contact and knowledge of the setting and the people. That readers can associate so closely with the characters and the lifestyle shows this books is steeped in reality and is authentic, and not a fictitious or unnecessarily embellished series of situations says a lot about the skills of the author.

Currently with a little over 1600 reviews and an average rating of 4.5, it is clear this book is receiving high praise from its readers (Trainspotting has almost 160,000 ratings - with a 4.08 average rating). Dialect will inevitably have an effect of the audience width, but this book deserves more acknowledgement.

The writing is excellent, the pacing and the way the tension is drawn out in anticipation make this book hard to put down. Without giving too much away, the book also provides hope. It shows a pathway out; that there is some hope for the disaffected; but also it shows the damage caused on the way - those who cannot rise to navigate their way from youth to adult, and stay trapped.

5 stars.

[Ali Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you think this novel is about gang culture, you'd be wrong because it's about soooo much more.
Written in the dialect of Scots used in Lanarkshire, those who don't speak it might struggle at first but please don't let that deter you from persevering with this mighty novel. It is as much social commentary as any formal research an organisation working with disadvantaged youth/gangs could ever produce.

Yes, our main man Alan 'Azzy' Williams is in a gang but the story is more about his personal journey. His gang, The Young Team, are his brothers and he will do, and frequently does do, anything for them. These guys pull each other out of some truly awful circumstances and have a bond forged initially through drink, drugs, gangs and raves.

Growing up in Lanarkshire myself, I could hear people I knew jumping out of the pages because the writing is so good. It's not just the Scots dialect authenticity that is so on point though, but the overall standard of content that is beyond what you'd expect from a debut novel. The way Azzy expresses his inner thoughts, and social observations, hints at a depth of understanding that people are probably too quick to assume young guys like Azzy don't have.

The novel covers social issues such as alcoholism, drug addiction (and importantly it clearly shows that you don't need to be a hard drug, heroin type, addict to be an addict), unemployment, mental health (importantly of young males who are forced to carry a bravado around this), poverty, gender, education, stereotyping and class. To name a few.

I could go on for ages about how well this book handles any one of these. The gang members who aren't impoverished, but seek out gangs anyway, the kid whose family environment of alcoholism dictate how he copes, and the females who affect Azzys decisions. All worthy of analysis and I kind of wish I still worked in Glasgow schools to put this in the hands of every kid who should read it. The connection they'd feel would make readers of every one of them!!

Ultimately, I finished the book feeling hope. In Scotland University is free and for so many of our youth that is a lifeline to a better future. Alongside that, they are resilient and have a good sense of humour which helps deal with all the negative that they have to deal with. Things might not be great but there are resources (external and internal) there which make me think all is not completely lost.

Read this and you will be thinking about the characters, writing and what it says about contemporary Scotland long after you have finished.

[Nigeyb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having recently read, and been blown away by Who They Was (2020) by Gabriel Krauze, along comes another teenage gang inspired masterpiece also published in 2020.

The Young Team (2020) by Graeme Armstrong shares a lot in common with Who They Was. Both authors grew up on estates with high levels of crime and violence, and limited opportunities for the people that live there. Both tales are highly autobiographical and terrifying. Both are, ultimately, tales of redemption.

Predictable comparisons have also been made with Irvine Welsh’s work given both write in Scottish dialect. I’m a big fan of Irvine Welsh however I think the comparisons are lazy. Graeme Armstrong captures a different world. One he knows well. Comparisons with the Trainspotting crew are superficial. This is a different era, a different world, and it's completely distinct from 1990's Leith.

The Young Team is a 21st century tale of alcohol, drugs, raving, territorial disputes and violence. It focusses on young working class males on Lanarkshire estates who are compelled to live up to the hard man image of their elders. Predictably for most it’s a road to nowhere, littered with burnouts, corpses, casualties, regret, anger and sorrow.

I got both the audiobook read by Graeme Armstrong, and a physical copy too. Both are wonderful experiences. Hearing the Lanarkshire accent creates another level of immersion. Either medium is great, combined though is unbeatable.

I was engrossed from start to finish. Graeme Armstrong is a major new talent and I cannot wait to discover what he does next.

Back to Who They Was. It has made the Booker Prize shortlist and must surely be in with a shout of winning, however quite why The Young Team hasn’t enjoyed similar levels of acclaim is a mystery. Do yourself a favour and read both books.

5/5

Incredibly Graeme Armstrong and Gabriel Krauze know each other:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eg6nhdaWo...

Click here to read my five star review of Who They Was

[Damian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Graem Armstrong guest grew up on a scheme in Airdrie, up to his high-tops in trouble, drinking Buckie and running with his own Young Team. He was just the kind of ned I used to run away from and also, let’s be honest, slightly fancy. He has overcome his own struggles with drugs, alcohol and violence, and defied expectations to make it to Stirling University where he took a Masters in Creative Writing. Not bad. Now, he’s taken all his experiences and turned them into a quintessentially Scottish novel full of larger than life characters and world-class patter. It’s a Sunday Times bestseller. It’s a powerful exploration of masculinity, class and very creative swearing. It’s class. It’s poetic at points – he describse a boy jumping out a window as ‘salmon-leapt’. And he lands in ‘jaggies’. ‘Rainy pishy days’.So many of my favourite Scots words. This is not the way I was encouraged to write at school.

A landmark in Scottish literature.

[Lisa Hough-Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an incredible book, a 4.5 star read for me.
I bought it after being impressed by the author at a Paisley book festival event about Scottish masculinities. One thing he said at that event which continued to strike me throughout the book is that Azzy's thoughts and feelings play out almost entirely internally. The contrast between his inner world and the dialogue is striking. It's one of the tragedies the book highlights, the extent to which generations of young Scottish men have been culturally forbidden to express themselves or emotionally connect with each other (verbally at least).
The scenes depicted in the novel are vivid and the use of "slang" Scots is masterful. It's familiar to me yet I'm not used to reading it. After a few pages it felt really comfortable, and I don't think the book or the character of Azzy would have felt so real or made such an impact if it wasn't written this way.
The only thing that stops it being a 5 star read for me is that I felt the female characters weren't fully realised, especially Azzy's poor maw. This is possibly deliberate, as we're in his inner world and the women in his life are described in relation to him and what they do for him. I'd have liked to understand them better as people in their own right, though, on the same level as the male characters who are all multi dimensional.
Can't wait to see what this author does next.

[Iain · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up. I'm against the general opinion here,and I think for personal reasons. I like that the book is set in North Lanarkshire, where I grew up, I like that the language is so familiar. But, I grew up around, but thankfully never involved with the gangs and neds (non-educated delinquents) portrayed in the book, and I found it really difficult to sympathise with any characters in this book. In real life and in the book, I find these people to be violent, bigoted, racist thugs, irredeemable evil and lacking in basic humanity. Almost everything portrayed here is complete anathema to me: sectarianism, Orange order, drug use and drug dealing, rave culture, knife violence. All of it is the worst that Scotland has to offer. What was meant to be humourous left me cold. While it's a part of society that needs to be acknowledged in our stories, I'm not sure I would want to spend anymore time with the characters here.

[Michael Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In his author's notes, Graeme Armstrong says that Trainspotting inspired him to write. As much as I loved Trainspotting and Irvine Welsh, albeit with diminishing returns on each subsequent book, I would argue that The Young Team is better than anything Welsh has written.

Maybe it's a bit of a false comparison. There are superficial similarities between Trainspotting and The Young Team. Both are about wee Scottish guys trying to escape bad circumstances and company, kick the drugs and rise above the life society has locked them into. But Trainspotting, for all its bravado and great writing, does not hit the narrative and realistic heights of The Young Team.

For me, the crowning achievement of The Young Team is that, more than any other book I have read, it makes me understand, like and sympathise with the wee neds that I spent a lot of my youth trying not to get a kicking from. I grew up between two areas not too dissimilar to Azzy William's scheme. I always had to keep an eye out for gangs of roving neds, caps to the moon and full of Buckie. I went to school with a lot of them.

Armstrong brings them all to life and really nails why they are stuck in this cycle of drink, drugs and violence. It feels utterly convincing and real, no doubt because he lived that life. And, in a non-preachy insider way, nails the pain of wee guys who can't talk about how they feel, which is generally shite apart from Friday night.

I can't recommend this book enough. If you aren't Scottish, don't be put off by the slang. You'll get the rhythm of it quickly and find yourself experiencing a world you could never otherwise understand. Best book I have read in a long time.

[Dawn McCance · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t actually handle how class this book is.
I loved stoating about Airdrie wae Azzy boy.

Read this book!!


I don’t know who needs to know this, but a playlist exists:
https://open.spotify.com/user/1114497...

[alpacaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is instantly one of my favourite books. Absolutely loved it.

I was a little unsure when I heard it was written entirely in dialect/slang. Only took a couple of chapters to get to grips with it though. I knew watching Still Game and Burnistoun on repeat would pay off eventually!

It's a coming of age story, but with a different backdrop to anything I've ever read. It's rough, raw and completely unapologetic. This is how it is and you're along for the ride.

The banter between these lads is fucking hilarious at times, it had me in stitches. Then you can turn the page and you're hit with something devastating. It's a real rollercoaster from start to finish.

As an old raver, all those references struck a chord with me. The euphoric highs and the inevitable day after 🥴 Even mentions of Rezerection from back in the day. Hixxy, Scott Brown, Bass Generator all get shouts.

Can't wait for Raveheart!!! 📚

[scottiesandbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Azzy Williams is ready”

“Ready to smoke, pop pills and drink wine, and he’s ready to fight. But most of all, he’s ready to do anything for his friends, his gang, his young team. Round here, in the schemes of the former industrial heartland of Scotland, your troops, your young team- they’re everything”

The Young Team is so much more than a story. To me it’s a guide on how to grow up and (hopefully) survive in a run down Scottish town left to rot by the powers that be; along with the young men who never stood a chance. The forgotten generation with nothing to do but drink, take drugs, fight and shag- constantly looking for that high, that euphoria, happiness.

This is such a nostalgic read, one that had me looking back to those days and reminiscing over some of the best (and worst) days with my muckers, ma pals, ma family. This is the book for our generation, with most Scottish books looking back at the poverty stricken days of the 80s or 90s. We were the forgotten youth and through The Young Team, Graeme has given us our platform. A book for the mad ravers and the buckie drinkers of old- yeehaa!

However, as much as it has you longing for the days of old- it is also a stark reminder of why it’s been left in the past. Why those that could escape did. Addiction, murder, mutilation, depression, suicide and PTSD are very much an issue for Scotland’s young men. They should be spoken about- and Graeme has given young men a platform, a safe space to read about and discuss these issues with pals. All because of an absolute belter of a book.

And all of this written in our very own Scots dialect. Giving us our stories and our history in as authentic a way as possible. Absolute perfection!

We will forever be talking about Azzy and his troops, his squad, his Young Team.

[Vicky Bú · Rating 2 out of 5]

No es como romperte una pierna. Eso no da vergüenza. No hay escayola para el coco y para que tus colegas la firmen y te dibujen una polla, así que vamos cojeando por la vida con el estigma, el miedo, la vergüenza y fingimos que todo va bien. Pero luego cuando alguien bebe para automedicarse y se acaba matando, todos preguntan por qué.»
❄️
No se parece en nada a algo que haya leído, y aun así, los temas tratados me resultan demasiado manidos. Es un libro entretenido, con un lenguaje quizá muy básico pero que refleja estupendamente a los personajes.
Sin duda me quedo con los (pequeños) momentos de reflexión, con las capas que asoman detrás del hilo argumental y con la evolución del protagonista principal.
❄️
«Lo que siento ahora mismo es mejor que me lo guarde para la noche. De día, las cosas tienen la manía de volverse reales.»

[Jo Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s such a strange experience to read a book from someone you don’t know, yet you do, you know lots of them, from the poverty, to the violence and crime, the lost friends, the dead friends the survivors and the damaged.

Don’t be fooled into thinking this is a book purely about gang violence. Nor be fooled that it’s Glasgow centric, in every city there are kids caught up for the lack of hope, the lack of chance and the big thumb of life holding them down.

I laughed, I cried, I knew these boys well. I think we all know some of them. For those who struggle with the Scottish vernacular the audiobook might be the way to go.

Outstanding!
All the stars 🌟
#Jorecommends

Graeme this scheme bird is proud of you, even with the wrong colour top on 🙁😂

I’m so glad that the author decided to narrate this himself. I can’t imagine his story told by anyone else 🎧

[Annette Thomson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I approached this book with some trepidation, having been bullied remorselessly as a child by characters like those depicted within. The text was a revelation. The characters were so well drawn and believable and made me look at my old tormentors with new eyes. Thank you, Graeme. You have helped put a lot of demons to rest for me. I cared so much for Azzy, the protagonist, and his entire Young Team. When tensions were high for them, I read on anxiously, hoping for the best and fearing the worst. And that’s as good a connection anyone can expect to have with a book. Top class and thoroughly recommended.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

this novel of gang and drug violence in north Lanarkshire is the latest addition in the trainspotting influenced Scottish novel based on the authors own experiences around Airdrie, some may have to get used to the dialect being in scots. liked the main character growing up through this book and the difficulties of life in modern Scotland.

[Niamh · Rating 4 out of 5]

another win for us scots i fear

▪️i really enjoyed this one and found it easy to follow along with the dialect but i can't imagine reading this and following it if i didn't have the knowledge and understanding of it beforehand - this style of writing got you into the head of azzy though so was 100% necessary
▪️the writing style and pacing of this was absolutely bang on, i genuinely would feel myself getting fidgety and nervous when specific scenes were building
▪️this only lost a star for me because towards the end i felt like it kind of dragged out more than felt necessary

well worth the read YTP x

[Jenny (bookishjenx) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up as middle-class in the noughties in Scotland. I also went to a school that’s was just off being classed as impoverished.

This meant that I lived in one of the nicest areas in my town with two lawyers as parents, but also meant that by 12 I wanted to rebel. I wandered the streets with a huge group every single night of the week, standing outside corner shops in other neighbourhoods trying to get people to by us alcohol. By 13, I was staying on the beach overnight all summer buying “pills” from random older men, chucking them away when my friends weren’t looking because I was too scared to take them. I was secretly meeting up with a guy in the park who was the boyfriend of the “hardest” (or tap 😂) girl in the school. I was petrified of her but I also wanted the boy. One day I was walking through the park and she was going to beat me up until the boy stopped her.

I left that part of my life behind when I got a long-term boyfriend at 14. I stopped drinking on the streets and “taking” drugs. I became a bit of a goody-two shoes, drinking in houses that parents had left to their kids for the weekend because they trusted them.

The only thing separating me from anyone in this book is privilege. I had the privilege of not going down a drinks/drugs route because the system wasn’t pitted against me. My parents have money, my parents are still together, I was encouraged to study, it was assumed that I’d be intelligent and academic, I was supported through school by teachers because I was seen as smart because I spoke “well”. ALL of this is privilege that isn’t afforded to a lot of children in Scotland, including today.

This book is about the people that the system leaves behind and the different paths they might take. There comes an interesting moment in the book where everything sort of shifts. Most people move past the violence and drugs as they leave teenagehood, but some people cling on to it and go down a deep, dark pathway. This book is about both of these types, and we find ourselves hoping and praying that those on the dark pathway will somehow find the light. Often, they don’t.

There are a lot of really interesting insights into classism in Scotland and Graeme emphasises that the people in this situation are no less intelligent than anyone else, even though people treat them like they are. They just haven’t had the chance at life, or the tools to give them the chance at life, that other people have. They have to fight to get out of a dead-end life.

Reading this book felt so familiar and also so distant from me. I can’t deny the privilege that’s been afforded to me, but I also can’t deny that I’ve gone through similar experiences to Azzy. So I had a weird amalgamation of feeling like an insider and an outsider all at once. Let me just say that this book is an instant Scottish classic. It speaks to a time of growing up in the early noughties in Scotland that 99% of Scottish people my age can relate to. Not only that, it touches on issues in Scotland that can’t be ignored; classism, alcoholism, mental health, drug addiction, youth violence.

[Hayley Skinner · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book!!! I laughed, I cried, I went right down memory lane and back again. Never read something that describes the west of Scotland so accurately and the situations you can find yourself in if you make the wrong choices.
Great read!

[Genevieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gang culture, drugs, violence, raves and good times! Amazing debut from Graeme Armstrong. All written in Scots which I loved.

[Alberto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es como un Trainspotting moderno sin tanto caballo, con más drogas de diseño y festivales y con personajes algo más jóvenes metidos en pandillas de barrio. Me ha gustado muchísimo me ha parecido muy real. En los colegas del protagonista me he perdido un poco pero el resto de la novela me compensa con creces. Si te mola el macarreo callejero esta es tu mierda. The real deal, bastard!!

[Aaron Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much more to this than the tale of ‘A Young Team’. An exceptional social commentary and a real look at the working class psyche and condition.

This has you crying, and then unable to put it down, eyes skipping to the bottom of the page amongst unbearable tension to see what happens to our Azzy.

But also, some truly excellent patter. Amidst the hostility and heartache, I was honestly pishing myself at some of the patter, you can really hear people delivering slaggings in your head with devastating accuracy and familiarity.


Moreover, I haven’t read a novel in about 9 years, not for lack of trying, I think I’ve been experiencing some kind of brain rot firstly due to gaming and then in recent years due to social media; whereby, if a book doesn’t just yank my attention I read a few pages then somehow end up scrolling through twitter etc for hours again and then the book collects dust thereafter…
Anyway, this book finally changed that! Which is in my opinion an amazing complement to pay an author and their work.

It’s just a great book and I especially think all young people should read it. It’s written so well and the fact I went from not reading in 9 years to finishing this in 4 days is a real testament to how good it is. Real storytelling ability on display.

[JK · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s nothing I enjoy more than reading a novel set firmly in my country, and written in the language of my streets. This love started with Welsh in Edinburgh, moved to McQueer in Glasgow, and was very recently strengthened by Percy in Renfrew. Only now have I landed practically out my back door with Armstrong in Airdrie. Good old Lanarkshire; murder capital of Scotland.

And I know this world; I lived this world, and I knew my own town’s version of these guys. They were brilliant, hyper, hilarious, but always with a rippling undercurrent of unpredictability, always an unspoken knowledge between the lassies that despite how good the night is, if one of the boys decides to start, we boost.

Armstrong encapsulates all of this perfectly. The mentality, the social insistence, the substances, the violence. He describes everything to the point of near nostalgia, yet adds explanations and added pressure which we never would have guessed our boys to be suffering; but, of course, they must have been. The drive of masculine conformity is a strong one, and dangerously precarious.

Yet, despite all these important points he’s making, and the way he makes us sit back and consider why all of these things are prevalent in the young people of Lanarkshire, Armstrong manages to create a balance. There’s community here, there’s love, and there’s some absolutely class patter, some of which I haven’t heard in years. The relationships are heart-rending whilst the hopelessness is consuming. The violence contrasts with loyalty, with family values and aspiration, hopefully igniting realisation that these boys can’t possibly be only the fragmented picture you’ve built up in your mind.

This is a masterpiece, and something we’ve never been allowed inside before. It’s clear Armstrong has drawn on his own experiences here - it’s too stark not to be real - and the message he has to relate is so important. I truly hope this book finds its way to the people who need to read it.

It’s time tae defy this pre-Columbus notion that the world ends wae Lanarkshire.

[Sarah Faichney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Redolent of a Lanarkshire upbringing, Graeme Armstrong's phenomenal debut "The Young Team" gives a voice (that's been historically absent) to the disenfranchised and disaffected boys, and young men, of Scotland. At a time when the leading cause of death in men under the age of 50 is suicide, a book which allows lads to truly see themselves is crucial. Armstrong's work makes heavy use of dialect to great effect. Protagonist Azzy Williams speaks directly to the most notoriously difficult group to engage. Aside from the cultural importance of the novel, Armstrong tells a good story - building tension as the stakes get ever higher. His writing is accessible yet features some truly beautiful prose. Graeme Armstrong is a vital voice in Scottish fiction deserving of the recognition and accolades afforded to a young Irvine Welsh. He's a bolder, sexier Alan Bissett full of Buckie. "The Young Team" would batter the "Boyracers" c*nts in. Professionals working with young people could use this text to great effect. In fact, the book is essential reading for everyone - from mothers of boys to girls who think they want a bad boy, from teachers to the guy who works in the corner shop. "The Young Team" is easy to digest but hard to stomach. Highly recommend gifting it to a male who "disnae read books". 

[Nicola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a book! It was raw, honest - I laughed and I gret. Written in Scots, I flew threw it but didn’t want it to end.

I think most people growing up in particular areas of Scotland, especially in the 00s, can relate to this book. The Young Teams in my area were the ‘HF’ And ‘YBE’ and this book brought all those school memories of the rival groups of (mainly) lads back.

Throughout the whole book I felt myself going from sympathising with Azzy to wanting to give him a good shake to rooting him on again. A big thing that stood out for me was the male mental health representation and the portrayal of how easy it is to get sucked into the vicious cycle of drugs, gangs, violence. But also how friendship/bonds/loyalty shone ultimately shone through.

It’s a book that will stick with me for a long time. Can’t recommend this book enough, especially to my fellow Scots - get it read!

[David Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this so much. Such an authentic story.

Even though I was more on the emo/skater boy side growing up I would sit next to people like Azzy in school and hear these type of stories from the weekend, and see some of them happen around the area I grew up. Felt like I had time travelled back to the peak MSN and PCDJ days whilst I was reading.

I'd recommend this to anybody, but this is essential reading for anyone who grew up in a scheme in the mid 00s.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Graeme Armstrong's The Young Team is a gritty extremely powerful tale of life as a teenager and gang culture in the West of Scotland. It is written in the vernacular and to say the language is strong is an understatement. Yet amidst the pain and the violence, the Buckfast and the drugs, Armstrong explores themes of loyalty, vulnerability, poverty and the desire to escape. Ultimately, there is a message of hope and faith. This book deserves a wide readership.

It won the Betty Trask Award, the Somerset Maugham Award, and was Scots Book of the Year 2021.

This year, Graeme was listed as one of Granta’s ‘Best of Young British Novelists’.
It will be interesting to see what he comes up with next.

[Liz Moffat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a book I would normally have picked up but I am so glad I did. What an amazing read. The story of Azzy Williams and his friends is set in North Lanarkshire. The Young Team are ages 14 and 15 and it is 2004. They meet in ‘the mansion’ listening to music, drinking and discussing their rival gang, the Toi, from down in another housing scheme. They look up to their elds, who are the older members of their team, the YTP. The book is written in the vernacular and took me a few pages to get into, but once I did the banter was brilliant.
Azzy’s voice was so authentic, I could feel what he was feeling. I could almost have been there as the tension built around this violent and unpredictable life of drink, drugs, raves and fights, sometimes with tragic consequences. This is a real rite of passage as we grow up with the YTP and they become the elds. There is a lot of humour in this book but also some poignant moments. It offers an insight into young people’s feelings, fears and lives.

[Jackie M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious and devastating in equal measure. Whipped through the book in a weekend. Unique voice and amazing dialogue. I found out about this book because I saw the launch advertised on the Skinny's twitter feed and went along the event - feel fortunate to have heard the book read by the author himself. Wish you every success in the future and congrats on a stunner of a debut.

[Ryan Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

First book that I’ve listened to on audiobook and thought it was a perfect choice. Would have been cringing at a lot more of the text had I not heard Armstrong’s voice with the various characters. Was nearly going to give this four stars as I was really enjoying it but felt there were too many cliches towards the end which spoiled it.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Broonie’s skin is armour-plated thick, tough-made n borne oot ae struggle. Survival expert since the age ae five. Bear Grylls doesnae huv a fuckin look in.”

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warning: this is very much a stream of consciousness “review” mixed with personal feelings. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, on Goodreads especially, and I’m glad this book so far has a good amount of reviews catering to those who prefer something a lot more critical. I’d recommend reading one of those over mine, if you’d prefer. I know I have!

Azzy Williams is a boy. He loves his troops, his hash, his drink and is loyal. Azzy Williams is also a number of other boys growing up in Scotland today, with the first year of high school being the most formative round these parts in deciding your character based solely on who you hang about with. At the time, it’s just you and your friends. It feels like you’re in the best years of your life. Through thick and thin, your young team is there for you, your tags scrawled upon walls and lampposts of schemes making your mark, leaving a historical record of you and who you are next to tags of old. Maybe your dad’s name is there. Maybe it was your uncle.

Azzy Williams is my brother. He’s not, really, I know that - he’s a fictional character. But reading this book, I can’t help but project my own experiences growing up being reflected in this book, more so than anything else I’ve read. Sure, many books capture facets of my personality. But they’ve never captured my youth, nor my brothers. I was never a young team kid, though. That was my brother, and, before him, my father. I felt safer living my life inside, away from people. My brother instead was like a tree: his roots were deeply set. He just needed to spread them. We made quite the pair, him the wee ned, me the wee emo.

Azzy Williams. He’s a ned. It’s easy to wash your hands off these boys. Thugs, people say. And there’s a truth to that in some cases eventually. We see that in the evolution of Azzy’s friends. From the days of sitting in the Orange, watching Rangers win the title in ‘05, that feeling of belonging and brotherhood, the forging of those ties on scorching summer evenings, passing the Buckie round with the tunes blaring. There’s no feeling quite like it. And then people grow up. But if you’re already seen as a bad egg, what chance do you have?

Azzy Williams. He cares. Deep down, he does. The hash numbs you. Daily smoking does that to you. Azzy Williams gets into fights. He gets hurt, his friends get hurt, and the passage of time leads to what was once a comforting drinking spot with your pals, the cemetery, to being the only place you’ll ever see them again. How did you get here?

Azzy Williams makes poor choices. But what other choices did he have? The police, your parents, your school: they all try to push you a different path. Violence begets violence. And yet what choice do you have when you’re trapped in years of intergenerational dynamics, like an understudy actor stepping up to take the lead? You play your part, like you’ve been told countless times before. It’s normal to you. It’s natural.

Azzy Williams makes better choices. We’re with Azzy as he grows. As his mental health worsens, Azzy seeks help. He gets a pamphlet. There’s a surprise, said no one ever who’s ever tried to access support for their mental health here. Azzy tries his best. He’s an opportunist, for the good and the bad. His register changes. You talk a bit more proper, or as my cousin told me once: “ye sound lit a fanny”. It happens, the more you get away from your upbringing and the more you feel you have to prove your intelligence, prove to others you’re more than just a kid from the schemes. Azzy encounters folk like that. He knows.

Azzy doesn’t run away. Azzy walks. It’s easy to fall into old routines when we’re walking through childhood streets. There’s so-and-so’s house. Did ye hear? There’s a tragedy around every corner. Pals suicides. Other pals racking up charges enough to make lawyers very happy with how much legal aid they’ll earn. Better hope you’re not lifted on a Friday. I’ll see you Monday. No. Azzy walks. He’ll help his pals. The loyalties always there. But Azzy can’t do it. He won’t be trapped into the role cast for him. Azzy walks.

Azzy was part of a young team, and the young team made up a large part of him. Without that, he could be anyone. Scheme kids can be tough. Azzy knows the script. He gets out before he loses himself completely. He’s aff it. More than just the drugs. It’s time to move on.