Amelia Gentleman: Windrush – A Very British Betrayal

BSL

From the gnawing dread of the red-stamped letter to the shocking closed-door deportations of our fellow citizens, it’s hard to imagine a tragedy more of our times than the Windrush Scandal.

A perfect storm of hostile policy-making and an ‘institutional ignorance and thoughtlessness towards the issue of race,’ were it not for the tenacious reporting of the Guardian’s Amelia Gentleman, the scandal that incensed a nation might have rumbled on unchecked. In The Windrush Betrayal, she expands on her Orwell Prize-winning journalism with a page-turner that fearlessly probes the morality of modern Britain, just as we are forced to examine once again who we are, and how we got here.

Amelia Gentleman talks to Matthew Ryder QC, the barrister who represented Stephen Lawrence's family in their claim against the Metropolitan Police.

This is a live event, with an author Q&A.

Book Festival News

Book Festival reveals first author events for 2024 Book Festival reveals first author events for 2024
Sunday 14 April

Enjoying this event? You can help us produce more like it.

Donate

Share

Watch more

Reading Scotland: Graeme Armstrong, Welcome tae Airdrie Reading Scotland: Graeme Armstrong, Welcome tae Airdrie In the former industrial heartlands of North Lanarkshire, Graeme Armstrong’s urgent debut novel The Young Team pulls back the curtain on the lives of young men as they navigate the friendship, turf wars and stereotypes of Scottish masculinity. Based on … Tom Holland: Rome in a Time of Peace Tom Holland: Rome in a Time of Peace Tom Holland is the co-host of the phenomenally popular The Rest is History podcast. An accomplished writer and historian, he returns to the time when Christianity began with Pax — the last volume in a trilogy narrating the story of the Roman Empire. Hol… One Day Ticket One Day Ticket Follow a fantasy transport map through Edinburgh, where stories are told and thoughts unfold. This collaborative work for the stage is written by participants in our long-term creative programme, Citizen, with our Communities Writer in Residence, Eleanor … Peter Hitchens speaks to Ruth Wishart at the Edinburgh International Book Festival Peter Hitchens speaks to Ruth Wishart at the Edinburgh International Book Festival A former member of the International Socialists, Peter Hitchens now leans firmly to the right. But his latest book, The Phoney Victory, may rankle with those on both sides of the political spectrum as he argues that Britain went into truncated decline aft… Caleb Femi: Poet of the People Caleb Femi: Poet of the People 'Caleb Femi is a gift to us all from the storytelling gods,' says fellow writer Max Porter. Femi’s exuberant words and talent saw him named as the first Young People’s Laureate for London in 2016, following his 2015 win at the Roundhouse Poetry Slam. … David Diop & Anna Moschovakis: Winners of the 2021 International Booker Prize David Diop & Anna Moschovakis: Winners of the 2021 International Booker Prize French-Senegalese author David Diop, whose At Night All Blood Is Black has won this year’s International Booker Prize, joins us with translator Anna Moschovakis to discuss their unforgettable short novel. In a story set in the French trenches of the Fir… Out of the Hot Zone Out of the Hot Zone The effects of the climate crisis are far-reaching and disastrous: from unliveable conditions and resource scarcity, to economic collapse, political unrest, and war. Over the course of the next 50 years, between one and three billion people will be left o… Judith Bryan, S I Martin & Nicola Williams with Bernardine Evaristo: Black Britain, Writing Back  Judith Bryan, S I Martin & Nicola Williams with Bernardine Evaristo: Black Britain, Writing Back  Winning the Booker Prize in 2019 changed everything for Bernardine Evaristo. But as well as enjoying international fame for herself, Evaristo has been able to turn up the volume on something she has been doing for years: championing the work of other … Katherine May: A Natural Harbour Katherine May: A Natural Harbour Many of us find ourselves in the shadow of the events of the last few years, feeling a little unmoored and wondering: does anybody else feel like this? Overwhelmed and burnt out, Katherine May opens her door and journeys into the natural world in search o… Michael Sandel (2012) Michael Sandel (2012) In his book, What Money Can't Buy, Michael Sandel examines one of the biggest ethical questions of our time…