SuitabookStory of Now
Shelina Janmohamed
- Reading
- Read it alongside a child’s own questions about identity and connection. Pause when the book links history to everyday life, and allow space for uncertainty rather than expecting one shared response.
- Themes
- Britain’s imperial past: The book introduces the British Empire and examines effects on Britain, other countries and communities connected to its history. It appears to frame imperial history as important context for understanding Britain today, rather than treating it as distant or irrelevant.
- Identity and connected stories: The book connects Britain’s modern culture and communities with stories from the Windrush generation, overseas territories, former colonies and families fleeing persecution. It explicitly encourages readers to discover and celebrate their own stories and the ways people are connected.
- Worth knowing
- The subject may prompt difficult questions about imperial power, unequal historical relationships and whose stories are remembered. The treatment is described as gentle, but the ending and detail of individual histories remain unclear.