Rising To The Surface

The rise and fall and triumphant rise from the ashes of Lenny Henry during the 80s and 90s. 'Moving and ebullient' Daily Telegraph 'Relayed with characteristic exuberance and self-deprecation' Guardian Rising to the Surface traces Lenny Henry's career through the 80s and 90s. The 16-year-old who won a talent competition, now has to navigate his way through the seas of professional comedy, learning his craft through sheer graft and hard work. We follow Lenny through a period of great creativity - prize-winning tv programmes, summer seasons across Britain, the starring role in a Hollywood film, and stand-up gigs in New York. But with each rise there is a fall, the most traumatic being the death of his mother. But by the end of the book he has been able to rise through a sea of troubles and breaks out to the surface to accept the Golden Rose of Montreaux for his work in television.

In explaining why there is no consensus on whether global warming is real or a myth based on misleading data, Philander "guides the nonscientific reader through new ideas about the remarkable and intricate factors that determine the world's climate."--Jacket.

Life would never again be the same for the O'Kelleher family, after the conquering of Ireland by the English butcher, Sir Oliver Cromwell, (circa1649), and the brutal consequences of his occupation. These British barbarians, who after murdering several of the O'Kelleher family, sent the remaining O'Kelleher brothers and sisters, together with some 80,000 Irish intellectuals, to the British West Indies as slaves. Then, 'Devine Providence' or fate intervened, as it sometimes does, and after an enemy of the British, sank the slave ship, the O'Kelleher's were on, they managed to find refuge on a Dutch held island. After serving five years in the Dutch navy as commandos, an opportunity presented itself, and the O'Kelleher brothers returned to Ireland, seeking their revenge on Oliver Cromwell's butchering army. As he stepped onto the shores of Ireland, Lawrence O'Kelleher, clan chieftain of the O'Kellehers', shouted, "Tis not us, but ye', who should be cowering, for we come like thieves in the night, seeking our revenge." The 'troubles' were never ending. They are like a sore, whose scab, continues to bleed, after being picked at. "They would never heal, and they never have!"

Sir Lenny Henry is one of the country's best-loved comedians with a career spanning over forty years. Here he writes about his youth for the first time.You might think you know Lenny Henry. Think again.'Glorious.' NEIL GAIMAN'Touching and affectionate.' CANDICE CARTY-WILLIAMS, SUNDAY TIMES'Heartfelt . . . honest.' OBSERVER'Moving, powerful and very funny.' MAIL ON SUNDAYIn 1975, a gangly black sixteen-year-old apprentice factory worker from Dudley appeared on our TV screens for the first time. He had no idea he would go on to become a national treasure. Here at last, Sir Lenny Henry tells the revealing and very funny story of his rise to fame.Surviving a tough family upbringing, along with the trauma of finding out the truth about his father at a young age, Lenny beat the odds. With a riotous warmth and his trademark energy, in Who Am I, Again? he tells the heart-breakingly honest and inspirational story of his youth.AN i BOOK OF THE YEARA BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK'So appealing . . . Witty, charming and engagingly self-aware.' i 'Funny, warm and self-deprecating.' THE TIMES'A raw, touching memoir.' GUARDIAN'An endearing memoir . . . He's a skilful storyteller.' SUNDAY EXPRESS'Enjoyable and endearing.' DAILY EXPRESS