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Named

A Story of Names and Reclaiming Who We Are
By Camilla Balshaw
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Brief Description
A fascinating and beautiful mix of memoir, global naming trends and reclaiming who we are. 'Gutsy, entertaining and thought-provoking... A marvellous book.' Diana Evans What's in a name? Everything we carry, and everything we are. Our names are a shadow we carry around with us. They... Read More
Format: Hardback
$4299
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A fascinating and beautiful mix of memoir, global naming trends and reclaiming who we are.

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A fascinating and beautiful mix of memoir, global naming trends and reclaiming who we are.

'Gutsy, entertaining and thought-provoking... A marvellous book.' Diana Evans

What's in a name? Everything we carry, and everything we are.

Our names are a shadow we carry around with us. They are part of who we are. Our names are a marker of our self-identity and our sense of self. Our names have the power to shock. They have the power to heal, and they have the power to trigger conversations around race, class, social mobility, and belonging. But what is a name? What do our names tell us about ourselves? And why do they matter?

Named is a fascinating exploration of names, global naming conventions, and identity politics woven into a moving, personal narrative about the finding of family and self. At the intersection of memoir and social and cultural history, it is a truly fascinating book about the seemingly ordinary and everyday.

The author's own narrative about her estrangement from her Nigerian father, the grapples with her Jamaican mother, and her journey towards identity is woven through the chapters, making it an engaging and intimate investigation of what makes us who we are.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781835010716

Publisher: Bedford Square Publishers

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 05 June 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Bedford Square Publishers

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 141.0mm

Height: 220.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 304

Collections

Biography & Memoir Camilla Balshaw Education & Reference History & Archaeology History & Military Non-Fiction Politics & Current Affairs Science & Nature

About the Author

Camilla Balshaw grew up in Luton. Her work has been published in the Observer and the Guardian. She has an MA in Creative & Life Writing from Goldsmiths and is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham.

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  • Named
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    For fans of Kit De Waal, Nikesh Shukla and Lemm Sissay. In January 2022, Camilla wrote an article in The Observer about reclaiming her birth name, the symbolism of names, and the family politics around naming conventions. The article elicited a huge response from readers and academics globally and prompted her to examine the themes and ideas in a full-length...
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