Witness: Quick Reads 2022

About this book

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To tell the truth? Or protect his family? Cornell is having a bad time. Kicked out of secondary school for a fight he didn’t start, he finds himself in a Pupil Referral Unit. Here he makes friends with one of the Sinclair family. You don’t mess with the Sinclairs, and when Ryan Sinclair demands Cornell comes with him to teach another student some respect, Ryan witnesses something that will change his life. Torn between protecting his family and himself, Cornell has one hell of a decision to make. This is published as part of the Quick Reads series, which aims to share the joy of reading with adults who are improving their literacy.

What we think of this book & ideas for gifting

This story is Alex Wheatle at his best: a thrilling, pacy story full of moral complexity, relationships, real life and an insight into gang violence. You can find out more about the author Alex Wheatle in the BBC series, Small Axe.

"I believe my greatest success in this old writing game is when a school librarian informs me that one of their students, who has never picked up a book before, cannot put an Alex Wheatle book down. ‘They have found a story they can finally relate to,’ I am often told." - Alex Wheatle