What's in a Name?: Friendship, Identity and History in Modern Multicultural Britain

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Sheela Banerjee

What's in a Name?

Friendship, Identity and History in Modern Multicultural Britain

Sheela Banerjee

$49.99

Hardback

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English

Sceptre
12 December 2023

Historical & comparative linguistics; Prose: non-fiction; Social & cultural history; Genealogy, heraldry, names & honours

A NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR

'A brilliantly enlightening book . . . at times moving, at others ironic, full of insights and detail'

Michael Rosen

'A kaleidoscopic portrait of the UK . . . with insight and compassion'

Irish Times

Our names are so mundane that we barely notice them. Yet each contains countless stories of tradition and belonging - be that a legacy of colonialism or persecution, the desire to fit in, or the complex cultural inheritance from one's parents.

In What's in a Name?, Sheela Banerjee unravels the personal histories of friends and family through their names. And while tracing their heritage across centuries and continents - from west London to British India, and from 1960s Jamaica to pre-Revolutionary Russia - Sheela also tells the story of twentieth-century immigration to the UK.

Blending history, memoir and politics, What's in a Name? is a celebration of Britain's rich multiculturalism, an ode to friendship and a testament to all the stories held within our names.

'Absolutely fascinating . . . the stories woven into this superb book will stay with me for a long time. I cannot recommend it highly enough'

Priscilla Morris, author of Black Butterflies

'A compelling combination of personal stories and social histories, told with great heart, wit and detail'

Preeti Dhillon, author of The Shoulders We Stand On

By: Sheela Banerjee
Imprint: Sceptre
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 218mm, Width: 140mm, Spine: 34mm
Weight: 446g
ISBN: 9781529367591
ISBN 10: 152936759X
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 12 December 2023
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Sheela Banerjee is a writer and academic. She grew up mainly in Hayes, west London, and in India. She was a programme-maker for the BBC and Channel 4 for many years before leaving TV to do a PhD on ghosts in modernist literature. What's in a Name? is her first book.

Reviews for What's in a Name?: Friendship, Identity and History in Modern Multicultural Britain

This is a brilliantly enlightening book that uses the keyhole of people's names to let us see into the lives and histories of people in multicultural Britain. It ranges across continents and epochs, at times moving, at others ironic, full of insights and detail. -- Michael Rosen A kaleidoscopic portrait of the UK . . . Banerjee describes her friends' backgrounds and experiences with insight and compassion -- Ian Duhig * Irish Times * Explores the complex stories of colonialism, persecution, faith, assimilation and hope . . . It will resonate with anyone who feels their name marks them out . . . Banerjee paints a heartbreakingly tender portrait of her father's journey -- Helen Brown * i *