East of Acre Lane is the fast-paced and razor sharp story of a young man trying to do the right thing and establishes Alex Wheatle as the exciting new voice of the urban experience. When 'East of Acre Lane' was first published in 2001, Alex Wheatle instantly became one of the key commentators on contemporary black culture and was featured in BBC news, radio, numerous papers and Channel 4. The BBC have already optioned 'East of Acre Lane' to be made into a film. Set in 1981, the year of the Brixton riots, the novel is a gripping thriller in a society on the edge of explosion. Wheatle focusses on Biscuit and his posse as a way to introduce the whole community. Biscuit lives with his mother, brother and sister. He helps out by hustling on the frontline for the south London badman, Nunchaks. He doesn't want to be doing this for the rest of his life but it's difficult to get out of the trap. As the patience of the community breaks and the riots begin to erupt, Biscuit has to make a choice that could change his life forever.
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'Dubbed the Brixton Bard by his contemporaries, Alex Wheatle was always ambitious! He is first and foremost a story teller.' The Voice 'This is a vibrant book pulsing with the reggae beats of the era. The dialogue! has rhythm and inventiveness. And the violent climax is a cathartic one, the logical and positive first stage of a revolution' ***** Independent on Sunday 'Wheatle's novel is a bright, adventurous tale, jammed to the rafters with a parade of fine hustlers, headcases and herbsmen.' The Latest 'In East of Acre Lane Alex Wheatle has managed far more than simply pulling off a fast, punchy morlaity tale centring on a young man's dilemma about going straight or opting for a life of crime! Action packed, funny and filled with cocky banter between its teenage male characters, references to reggae music and street stye, its a cool, credible read! Wheatle has written a hardhitting novel which is an incendiary reminder of one of the most explosive events in London's post war history.' Big Issue
About the Author
Alex Wheatle is the award wining author of Brixton Rock which was published in 1998. He lives in South London with his wife and three children. He is also a performance poet and MC.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Big Up Alex!,
This review is from: East of Acre Lane (Paperback)
Great book set in early 80's Brixton, London, (Acre Lane is a street in Brixton)when there was great unrest amongst the youths, which resulted in the Brixton Riots.
It is so familiar in the sense that Wheatle refers to every detail of that time, including what song was playing in the background, to what clubs the characters frequented, dropping actual street names, to the latest fashion of the time. I highly recommend this book, especially to Black Londoners who are between 35 - 45, as they would relate to it so well, but to everyone else, please don't pass this one over! A good mix of humour and issues of the day.
2.0 out of 5 stars
East of Acre Lane,
By Ian C. Dawkins Moore "America: Culture Shock" (Oakland, California, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)
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This review is from: East of Acre Lane (Paperback)
I was disappointed with this book. I'd heard much about Alex Wheatle's writing but I didn't find his descriptive powers very good. I use to live in Brixton and I was disappointed that he didn't include some of the history and flavor of the area. The story had too much dialog from not very interesting people. It seemed that the intent was to use as much garbled Jamaican patois as possible so that it would sound authentic to the awarding-giving-guilt-infested-liberal press of the UK. No body in Jamaica speaks like this. Only the derelicts in a tiny corner of Stockwell Road would understand the gibberish that these characters speak. If the truth be told they were pretty stupid people. I lived on Shannon Grove, off the Brixton High Street,opposite the tube station and I managed to survive and advance out of that area without having to resort to ignorance and criminality. Ultimately, a book like this does a dis-service to Black Britons who deal with the society and make something of themselves, despite the obstacles. Glorifying criminality in the name of racial inequality elevates neither the people of the area or the writer. Nor does it make for a particularly interesting story. In short this is a boring story about boring people.
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