Since the Riots

Ever met someone and wished you could slip into their world, leaving yours behind?This is the story of Issy, a teenager spending her days smoking weed and gazing at the best view in London with her mates from the estate.After witnessing the mugging of posh Emily, an unlikely friendship grows. Emily may only live a few streets away but the life she shows Issy feels like a different planet.Though it’s not easy to change when the people around you don’t.Issy’s best friend, Hayley, would rather pull out a knife than a school book. Her loyal boyfriend, Jerome, is getting drawn further into a life of drug dealing and gang violence. And there are dark secrets within Emily’s world, too.Award-winning youth worker Melissa Jane knight draws you into the world of the teenager with raw language and brutal scenes. Since the Riots is a window into the many worlds of British youth culture, particularly inner-city London, and a lot of what’s in here is based on the hundreds of teenagers she has worked with as well as Melissa’s own school life and adolescence.You may be a mum or dad, with your children hitting puberty. Or a teacher, looking for clues. You may be training to be a social worker or youth worker. Or better still, you’re a police officer or policy maker. Hopefully, you’re a politician.