Books & Spoken Word
Yrsa Daley-Ward – The Terrible
- Artists
- Yrsa Daley-Ward
Poet, model and actor, Yrsa Daley-Ward, discusses The Terrible, her memoir about terrible things that happen and terrible things that turn out well: a tale of girlhood, femininity, family secrets, addiction, sexuality, dangerous transactions and – most of all – hope.
A writer of Jamaican and Nigerian heritage, Daley-Ward was brought up in Chorley in the northwest of England, with her beautiful careworn mother and little brother who sees things written in the stars. She details life growing up as one of the only black faces in a poor white town, with a struggling single mother who worked nights and devout Seventh Day Adventist grandparents. She talks about the surreal magic of adolescence, about growing up and discovering the power and fear of sexuality, about pitch-grey days of pills and powder: going under, losing yourself, and finding your voice. She speaks about uncovering the cruelty and beauty of the wider world, and redemption through self-discovery and the bonds of family.
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