The books that shaped me: Diane Abbott
Welcome to The Books That Shaped Me - a Good Housekeeping series in which authors talk us through the reads that stand out for them. This week, we're hearing from Diane Abbott, who has been the Member of Parliament for Hackney and Stoke Newington for more than 35 years. The first Black woman elected to Parliament, she is also the longest-serving Black MP in the House of Commons. Her first book, A Woman Like Me, is out now.
What impact have books had on you?
Books have had a tremendous impact on me all my life and helped to shape my thinking and understanding of the world. Both my parents left school at 14 and I can only remember one book in my house, a copy of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. But my mother had been a pupil teacher and took education extremely seriously. I can remember sitting in the the conservatory at the back of our house with the sun streaming through the panes of glass with my mother painstakingly teaching me to read with large plastic letters. But probably the most important thing my mother did for me in relation to books was to sign me up for the local library. Libraries became very special to me. I was not particularly sporty, books and reading were my recreation. I went up to Cambridge University to study for a degree. One of the wonderful things about Cambridge University for me was a superabundance of glorious libraries. There was the University Library which was a copyright library and beautifully ornate. Each academic subject had its own library. I read history. The history library is called the Seeley Library and, and in contrast to the very many Tudor, Gothic and historic styles of most other libraries in the city, The Seeley had has a spectacular modernistic glass framed building. Each college has its own library and my college, Newnham has a beautiful library which is a Grade 2 listed building. But perhaps even better than all these libraries was Heffers bookshop in Cambridge, the biggest one I had ever seen.
Which childhood book has stayed with you?
The book that had the most impact on me as I child was the first one I bought. It was called Little Women and Good Wives by Louisa Alcott. I didn’t buy it from an actual bookshop but from a corner shop which had a few shelves of books. Little Women was written in 1868 but it was an early feminist piece of writing. It featured the four sisters Jo, Beth, Meg, Amy and their widowed mother. When most young women in books written at that time were quiet. marginal figures, but in Little Women the girls were bold, unconventional and very much front and centre.
What is your favourite book of all time?
A book that I loved in my late teens was the epic high fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien. The story’s main character is Sauron the Dark Lord who, in earlier age had the created the “One Ring” to rule the other “Rings of Power” given to Men, Dwarves and Elves. His antagonists are the hobbits (small humanoid creatures) Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin. It remains my favourite fantasy novel. I was completely absorbed by it and it happens to be one of the best selling books ever written.
Which book do you wish everyone would read?
As I grew older and was a university student another favourite was The Colour Purple by the Black American female writer Alice Walker. It depicts the growing up and self realisation of an African American woman between 1908 and 1947 in a town in rural Georgia in the United States. It’s main message is the importance of female friendships as a means for women to summon courage to tell stories. It is also a window into world of Black women. It was a revelation to me.
Which book lifts your spirits?
As a schoolgirl and a university student I never had the chance to read about Black life but Alice Walker, along with Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou and Nicki Giovanni, was part of a generation of Black American writers which had a huge impact on my sense of self as a Black woman. As a group of writers they definitely uplifted me.
A Woman Like Me by Diane Abbott is out now
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