A beautifully atmospheric memoir and travelogue from poet Amryl Johnson depicting her journey
from the UK to Trinidad in the 1980s'Memories demanded that I complete this book. If what I
experienced was in fact a haunting I believe I have now laid these ghosts to rest in a style
which I hope will satisfy even the most determined ones.'Amryl Johnson came to England from
Trinidad when she was eleven. As an adult in 1983 ready for a homecoming she embarks on a
journey through the Caribbean searching for home searching for herself.Landing in Trinidad as
carnival begins she instantly surrenders to the collective pulsating rhythm of the crowd
euphoric in her total freedom. This elation is shattered when she finds the house where she was
born has been destroyed. She cannot escape - nor wants to - from the inheritance of
colonialism.Her bittersweet welcome sets the tone for her intoxicating exploration of these
distinct islands. In evocative lyrical prose Sequins for a Ragged Hem is an astonishingly
unique memoir interrogating the way our past and present selves live alongside one
another.Selected by Booker Prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo this series rediscovers
and celebrates pioneering books from Black Britain and the diaspora which remap the nation and
reframe our history.
