Peter's 70th anniversary reading challenge

My name is Peter, and I have been volunteering with the New Bridge Foundation for over 17 years. Our charity was established 70 years ago by Lord Longford to support prisoners who are isolated from the wider society. The work of volunteers provides a bridge to the outside world, along with an increased sense of value and potential for their future. This long-term support is through regular written correspondence and visits together with support on release for those who ask for continued support. I am proud to say that several of my previous befriendees have gone onto establish meaningful crime free lives. 

To support New Bridge and to celebrate our 70th anniversary many of the volunteers are completing various challenges. Sadly, I cannot run a marathon or swim many kilometres, so I have chosen to read a book related to prisons and prisoners for every decade of the charity and write a review for each book. It is hoped that the reviews will support new volunteers to widen their understanding of prisons from a wider perspective and generate some funds to enable our valuable work to continue. 

This page will be updated with a new review each time I finish one of the 7 books.

If you would like to donate to my fundraising page, you can find it at: https://www.justgiving.com/page/peter-newbridge-reading

Reviews

MY NAME IS WHY by Lemn Sissay 

Lemn Sissay’s My Name Is Why is a powerful, deeply moving memoir that combines unflinching look at what it means to grow up without stability, belonging, or truth. It is not simply the story of one man’s childhood, but a wider indictment of a system that failed countless children in care. 

The memoir is structured around his early life in foster homes and institutions, but what gives it such emotional force is the presence of one question: why? Why was he taken from his mother? Why was he lied to about who he was? Why did the adults around him seem so ready to discard him? 

The most heartbreaking element of the book is the sense of deliberate erasure. Sissay describes being stripped not only of family, but of identity itself—his name, his origins, his history. The cruelty is not always loud; often it is bureaucratic, hidden behind paperwork and “procedure,” which makes it even more disturbing. The memoir reveals how devastating it can be when a child is treated like a case file rather than a human being. This is clearly evidenced by the continual use of reports of his time in care from social workers, psychologists, foster parents and other professionals who have taken decisions about Lemn’s life. 

Ultimately, this is a memoir that stays with you. It is beautifully written, socially important, and emotionally devastating without ever feeling manipulative. My Name Is Why is essential reading—not just because it tells Lemn Sissay’s story, but because it forces the reader to confront the lasting impact of neglect, racism, and institutional cruelty. It is a book about identity, loss, and the human need to be known. 

Lemn did not enter the adult prison system but the story of his life from birth to 18 years old reflects many of the key factors faced by too many people from the care system who are now held in prison. 

April 2026