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28 April 2006 - An Audience with Constance Briscoe
@ Toynbee Hall
Constance Briscoe's thoughts on the night organised exclusively by Talk of The Town.
“I’m looking forward to the talk. It should
be very exciting.”
Constance on men who have a problem with her writing 'UGLY'
“I have no problem with this. Men should step forward
and tell me about their hostility to the book. I would like to hear from more men. Their silence is unacceptable."
Constance Briscoe, Wednesday 26 April
2006.
Gentleman – the gauntlet has well and truly been dropped by the main woman herself. Question is, are
you man enough to pick it up ? This is a serious point, as the majority of tickets have been sold to women.
Constance meets the public, not just any members of the public, but the Talk of The Town
audience.
| Toynbee Hall 28 April |
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| Talk of The Town |
BRAND NEW : Urban Events Review
FEEDBACK
"This evening
was profound, inspiring. It's a subject that needs to be aired, debated and addressed. Moving. Beautiful. Thank you."
Ruby
Joseph, London
"Constance is real, in the sense that
she is open minded and approachable. She is not angry. She simply said she wrote the book to show her children who she is,
aside from the ambitious, successful black woman she is.
She may not
have been able to say what her experiences were face to face to her children but at least after her children read the
book, if they want to ask questions, she can respond to them. I love her spirit and her outlook and also her love to
live life."
Mazza, East London.
"Constance was an excellent speaker.
A sad story told in a very humorous way. More inspirational speakers like Constance are required."
Jamila Larner Runako,
London
Note : Jamila, Keep
attending our monthly debates and forthcoming seminars to hear more from our regular and brand new inspirational
speakers covering a wide range of topics including relationships, men, women and leadership.
| Constance & DJ Elayne |
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| Toynbee Hall packed to listen to the Talk of The Town |
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| Talk of The Town |
BOOK REVIEWS
'This
is a tough read - it's the autobiographical story of a terrible childhood. Growing up in South London in a large West
Indian household, little Constance was singled out for physical abuse by her mother and stepfather ... Few such survivors'
stories have ended so triumphantly - Briscoe is now a practising barrister and also one of Britain's first black women
judges.'
Marie Claire
'Ugly, her account
of her upbringing, makes for harrowing reading. Her Jamaican mother's vocabulary included "Black Bitch", "Scarface"
and "Miss Pissabed". When she asked her mother why she treated her so badly, she replied: "Oh, just the fact
that you breathe . . ." ... She has written the book to let her children, now teenagers, know "something about their
mum", and at the behest of her partner, Tony Arlidge, a writer and QC. Her daughter, studying at St Paul's girls'
school, read it and was appalled. Her son, currently applying to Cambridge, is stuck in the middle of the story, too pained
to continue.'
The Sunday Times
'This is a lawyer's memoir
with a difference, an inspiring antidote to the usual catalogue of tedious milestones towards legal eminence. Constance Briscoe's
youth was as different from a typical lawyer's upbringing as it was possible to get. Brought up poor and loveless in south
London by a mother who disliked and abused her, physically and emotionally, and a stepfather who abused her too, she went
to schools that failed to recognise her intelligence and abilities. As if that wasn't enough, she was seen by all around
her, and regarded herself as - in the title of her autobiography - Ugly ... She is now a highly regarded barrister and was
among the first black women to become a recorder, a part-time judge. She's also managed - a rare feat for a lawyer - to
write an absorbing book in language untainted by convoluted legal-speak.'
The Guardian
'Compelling autobiography Ugly by
Constance Briscoe. One of Britain's first black woman judges tells of her own miserable childhood. Rejected by her mother
at the age of 11, Constance applied to be taken into care. Sent home, she endured two more years of emotional abuse until
her mother left her. Disturbingly honest.'
Woman and Home
Constance Briscoe IS without a doubt the Talk of The Town Stimulating Debate
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| A Packed Toynbee Hall listen to Constance Briscoe |
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