It’s the final part of the Mother Mother Mini-Series, and it’s a big one. Ciaran Thapar has written an explosive, game-changing study of youth violence in London: Cut Short. It’s based on his years of experience as a youth worker in the borough of Lambeth, where he has helped bridge the divide between distinct communities that share the same streets but live entirely parallel experiences. In that work, Ciaran has observed the realities of endemic poverty, racism, and knife crime that plague young men growing up in the city, but Cut Short is more than a survey of those brutal circumstances; it’s a blueprint for change – both individual and institutional – and a clarion call for engagement, activism, and empathy. It is also, fundamentally, a book that paints a vivid picture of the volatile transition from boyhood to manhood – and in this way, it mirrors some of the themes of Mother Mother, which zooms in on TJ’s experience of becoming a man in difficult circumstances. It's that shared perspective that provides the foundation for a far-ranging and inspiring conversation about youth, community, and monumental change.

You can buy Cut Short here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/316/316628/cut-short/9780241434987.html

And tickets for Changes LIVE at the Roundhouse’s Last Word Festival can be purchased here: https://www.roundhouse.org.uk/whats-on/2021/the-last-word-2021/changes-with-annie-macmanus/

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