What's in a Name?

A sharp and timely examination of Britain's history, through the prism of something intimate and everyday - everyone's name tells a story, no matter how ordinary

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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