Bernardine Evaristo made history in 2019, becoming the first black woman to win the Booker Prize in the 50 years since the founding of the Booker Prize. In her new book "The Manifesto: The Rush to Never Give Up", she describes her journey-from dealing with racism, prejudice, stereotypes, exploitation, etc., to winning one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world !
Bernadine Evaristo's father is a Nigerian of British descent, and his mother is a British Catholic. She has seven siblings and has to face the influence of mixed women in British society. Her father is classified as the "brown immigrant class", while her mother is classified as the "working class".
Even before she was fully awake, she was aware of the many tags that defined her and her family. Out of the real world, Bernardine had to face the worst external world, where she was constantly belittled, rejected, locked into boxes and classrooms. She joined the Youth Theatre, which became a stepping stone to acceptance and to move on.
Her interest in expressing herself through various media, whether it be drama or writing, was formed in her early youth, which played a vital role in shaping her to become the woman she later became. In addition, Bernardine also talked about her personal life in the book, in which she explored love across gender, class and other customs, and had to work hard to finally find the right person.
The Manifesto is Bernardine's first non-fiction book, in which she reflects on her life and how she became the woman she is today.
“I want to write a non-fiction book to see how my life, my background and my politics have shaped my creativity and brought me to this place in my career. It’s a great Place, but it’s been a long journey, more than 40 years. It feels like a suitable time to reach this position as a writer and reflect on how I got here," she was interviewing by The Guardian Shi said. This book is a declaration of courage, progress and self. Confidence is worth reading.
What critics think of this book:
Kuba Shand-Baptiste wrote for The Guardian, "('Manifesto' is) a memoir and manual for creative people with career advice".
Morara Wood wrote for the Irish Times website, “The memoirs of Bernardine Evaristo are a touching and easy-to-read description of creative life”.
Tomiwa Owolade wrote for Thetimes.co.uk, "Bernardine Evaristo's ‘manifesto’-(Yes) Booker winners fight for success".
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