Face

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There’s a lot of feeling going on in this short read and he’s able to include positive messages at the end that everyone can relate and take notice from. The pacing is excellent as well, with events naturally following on from one another - whilst never lingering on certain situations for too long. This would be an excellent prompt for discussion about prejudices regarding appearance and our reaction to those less fortunate than ourselves. He doesn't know the car is stolen though, and it isn't a ride home, it's a ride to self-destruction. The other characters are additionally well written - with their portrayals remaining relatable throughout, thanks to Zephaniah's realistic youth dialogue.

Face by Benjamin Zephaniah is an interesting, compelling and emotional story that tackles social problems about physical disfigurement. Benjamin Zephaniah and Richard Conlon deal with issues such as prejudice, drugs and disfigurement in this vibrant, gritty adaptation of Zephaniah’s bestselling novel for young people.

Even in the scene when he looked at his horribly burned and disfigured face for the first time, I was thinking more about how terrible that has to be for anyone rather than feeling especially bad that it happened to the main character, if that makes sense. A local author reignited my love of reading at a difficult time in my younger years, which has now set me up to fall in love with stories again. And although his old friends melted away from him, I was glad that Martin was able to make other friends.

Can you imagine waking up in a hospital, and not even knowing for sure whether you have still got all your limbs? He lives in the 'new East End' where there is a difficult brew of white, Caribbean, African and Asian families. The writing itself felt a bit flat and dragged on in places, and sometimes I had trouble picking it up. I thought that they were interesting and unique characters and I would have loved to learn more about them.I just read it, then at the end, when I found out it was Benjamin Z and he was only 'up the road' in Birmingham, I loved it more. It's all a bit different being on the receiving end of other people's prejudices, about disabilities, or race, or anything else.