Wild East tells the story of Ronny, a young Black boy with a huge love for music, who moves from London to Norwich after his friend was killed. At the beginning he struggles, both with his grief and with feeling like an outsider in his new, mostly white, community. However, due to encouragement from his teachers he discovers his talent for writing, especially poetry, and this helps him to truly come into his own.
I think this is a very important book for a multitude of reasons. It deals with a number of extremely sensitive and important themes such as racism, gang violence, grief, drugs, and poverty, with extreme empathy and compassion, something that is often sorely lacking in discussion about these topics. Nevertheless, I found the most compelling aspect of this book was that despite its exploration of these difficult themes, its primary aim was to uplift young people who are going through similar struggles; to show them that their hopes and dreams are just as valuable and achievable as everyone else’s.
Wild East is written in a free-verse style that is extremely accessible while still being interesting and fresh, making it an excellent choice of book for young teenagers who may not particularly enjoy reading traditional novels – especially since so much of the book is about a young person finding joy in literature for the first time.
Mae O’Connor, 18
Wild East
Ashley Hickson-Lovence
Penguin Books, 2024
Paperback £8.99
ISBN: 9780241645444
