Letter To My Younger Self
A Sunday Times Book of the Year
All royalties from sales of this book go to The Big Issue
If you could write a letter to your younger self, what would it say?
Over 10 years ago, The Big Issue began to ask some of the best-known, most interesting and most successful figures in entertainment, politics, food, sport and business to give advice, offer hope and share a few jokes with their younger selves. They opened up, in ways they never had, to interviewer Jane Graham, reflecting on their lives and themselves with affection, sympathy and sometimes disbelief.
This collection of 100 of the most incredible letters includes Paul McCartney on how he found inspiration, Olivia Colman on overcoming confidence problems, Mo Farah on the importance of losing, Arianna Huffington on knowing your motivations, Jamie Oliver on trusting your instinct and many, many more, including Rod Stewart, Margaret Atwood, Buzz Aldrin, David Cameron, Eddie Izzard, Desmond Tutu, Neil Gaiman, Ruby Wax, Ranulph Fiennes, Tracey Emin, Ian McEwan, Michael Palin, Melanie C, Tim Peake, Dionne Warwick and Ewan McGregor.
Letter to My Younger Self is a revelatory and profound exploration into the wit and wisdom that age brings, and of the unique insights that looking back can reveal.
Proceeds from the sales of this book go to The Big Issue to continue their work dismantling poverty and promoting social justice.
"A truly wonderful book ... a gateway to intelligent, learned and genuinely inspiring stories, moments and people ... We would highly recommend it ... It's a fab cause and put together seamlessly." Magic Radio - October Book Club Pick
'The answers make for great reading.' Sunday Mirror
'This collection is full of insightful stories that will make you think about how you live your own life, and how you want to live it in the future.' Woman's Weekly
Jane Graham is the books editor of The Big Issue. She has worked as a producer / documentary maker for BBC Radios 1, 3, 4 and Radio Ulster. As a writer and broadcaster she has contributed to the BBC, The Guardian, Uncut and The LA Review of Books among many others. She has been conducting interviews for The Big Issue's Letter to my Younger Self since its inception in 2007.
The Big Issue is an award-winning magazine offering employment opportunities to people in poverty by giving them a share of the profits from sales. Launched in 1991, the magazine has now sold over 200 million copies. The company also has an investment arm, Big Issue Invest, which finances the growth of sustainable social enterprises and charities across the UK, and an independently funded registered charity, The Big Issue Foundation, which addresses the fundamental issues attached to social and financial exclusion. For over 25 years, The Big Issue Group has strived to dismantle poverty through creating opportunity, and in the process has become one of the most recognized and trusted brands in the UK.